Is the Driving Test Hard?
The question, ‘is the driving test hard?’ is probably the most frequently asked question faced by Irish driving instructors.
Unfortunately, the answer depends to a great extent on the person asking it. Issues to consider include how much driving practice you’ve got under your belt, how you cope with exam anxiety, and whether you’ve taken a mock driving test.
In this article, Driving Class tries to answer the question from a more objective standpoint, looking at issues such as the average driving test pass rate and the route to obtaining a full driving licence in different countries.
Average driving test pass rate across European countries
One way to answer the question ‘is the driving test hard?’ is to look at how driving test pass rates in Ireland compare against other European countries.
At 46%, the average driving test pass rate in Ireland is low when compared to other European countries.
However, as the figures below show, Ireland is statistically not the most difficult place to pass the driving test.
That honour falls to Poland, where just 30% of driving tests end in a pass result. We can only imagine the waiting list times for the driving test with pass rates being so low.
At the other end of the scale, the average pass driving test pass rate in Germany, Spain, and Greece hovers around 60–70% — meaning you’re about twice as likely to pass as fail.
- Germany: 70%
- Greece: 65%
- Spain: 63%
- Denmark: 60%
- Austria: 60%
- France: 60%
- Italy: 58%
- Sweden: 58%
- Finland: 55%
- Netherlands: 55%
- Portugal: 50%
- Lithuania: 50%
- Belgium: 49%
- Ireland: 46%
- Czech Republic: 45%
- Hungary: 35%
- Poland: 30%
Of course, this only tells part of the story. Germans may be more prepared for their driving test than Poles, explaining the higher driving test pass rates.
Next, we look at how the requirements for the Irish driving test compare to other European countries.
How do Irish requirements for a driving test compare to other countries?
Concerning the driving test requirements in different countries, the news is a little better for Irish learner drivers.
The 12 compulsory EDT driving lessons can be expensive. However, as you can see in the below data we’ve compiled from selected countries, Ireland is far from the most stringent when it comes to the number of steps required for taking a driving test.
- Spain: While Spain has no compulsory minimum of driving lessons, it also doesn’t allow driving without an officially registered driving instructor. Every hour on the road before taking a driving test is with an official driving instructor. And those hours add up..
- Poland: Poland has 30 compulsory hours of theoretical lessons and 30 compulsory hours of practical driving lessons. And in case you didn’t read the section above, it still has the lowest average driving test pass rate in Europe.
- Hungary: Hungary has 32 hours of compulsory practical driving lessons. Learner drivers are also given homework after each lesson. The Hungarian driving test is broken into two separate parts. By the sounds of it, a PhD in Driving is awarded in conjunction with a driving licence.
- Germany: A German driving licence requires 14 hours of theoretical lessons and 12 hours of practical driving lessons. The driver theory test also includes some technical interview-style questioning. The cost of the theory and practical alone is over €400.
- Italy: In Italy, there are just six hours of practical lessons required before taking a driving test. The driver theory test lasts 30 minutes and requires 36 out of 40 questions to be answered correctly. Although this sounds reasonable, the cost of all this typically comes to over €500.
- France: In France, students are required to take a theory exam and take 20 hours of compulsory lessons with registered driving instructors. Before taking the driving test, learner drivers also have to drive 3,000 kilometres with an experienced accompanying driver.
You’re probably starting to feel like getting an Irish driving licence isn’t as difficult as you previously thought. And we’ve just looked at selected European countries — consider some of these beauties:
- Romania: There’s no getting a friend to take the driving test for you in Romania — the driving test examiner is required to take three photos of the examinee during the driving test. One wouldn’t do…
- Kenya: In Kenya, as part of the theory test, you’ll be given a toy car and a monopoly-board-style streetscape. Some of the questions will require you to move the car along the board, showing you know your stuff.
- Egypt: Egyptian learner drivers are required to drive back and forth on an S-shaped curve, and answer 10 theory questions. We wish we were joking…
- Libya: In Libya’s practical driving test, examinees are joined by a police officer, a driving instructor, and other people about to take their driving test that day. No pressure…
Conclusion
As Irish people, we’re prone to thinking that we have a hard lot in life, and these days, that sense of self-pity extends to the driving licence.
As this article shows, we’re not the best, but we’re also far from the worst when it comes to the level of difficulty in obtaining a driving licence.
Here at Driving Class, we support the idea that nothing valuable comes easily. The Irish driving test is achievable if you put in the hours. Safe driving!
