Can pupils check the test routes before their test?

No set routes are published, so you can't check them before the test. Teach the area around the centre rather than a route.

How much of the test is independent driving?

Between 20 and 35 minutes. The pupil follows a sat nav, road signs or a combination of both, and the examiner says which, so practise all three.

Can I share practice routes with my pupils?

Yes. In Drive Round, a linked instructor can share routes straight to a pupil's app, and pupils can share routes back.

For instructors

Test-centre routes in driving lessons: a guide for instructors

Updated 31 October 2026 · checked against GOV.UK

Test routes aren't published, so the most useful thing you can do is make the roads around each pupil's test centre familiar: its hardest roundabouts, junctions and speed-limit changes. Plan lessons around them in the weeks before the test, and set practice routes for pupils to drive between lessons.

When to bring in the test centre's roads

Early lessons belong on quiet roads. Once a pupil can drive mostly without prompts, usually after the test is booked, start building lessons around the area near their centre. By the last few weeks, most lessons can start or finish there.

Planning a lesson around the centre

Pick one or two areas the pupil finds hard, such as a multi-lane roundabout or a junction with poor visibility, and build the lesson around them.
Drive them from different directions, so the pupil learns the junction rather than one approach to it.
Spend part of the lesson on independent driving with a sat nav, as on the test.
Finish with a short drive back to the centre, then talk through what went well and what to work on.

Practice between lessons

Pupils who practise privately between lessons get more time on the roads near their centre than lessons alone can give. Give them specific loops to drive rather than 'practise near the centre', and ask how they went at the next lesson.

In the Drive Round app you can share practice routes with a linked pupil. They open each route in Google Maps and follow it turn by turn. Each of our test centre pages shows how many routes we have there and the roads they cover.

Keeping track

With the pupil's agreement, Drive Round can record a lesson's audio and GPS track and turn it into a lesson report: strengths, areas to improve and a focus for next time. You can see a sample report. Linked pupils' lessons, reports and progress are in one place in the instructor app. See Drive Round for instructors.

Questions

Can pupils check the test routes before their test?: No set routes are published, so you can't check them before the test. Teach the area around the centre rather than a route.
How much of the test is independent driving?: Between 20 and 35 minutes. The pupil follows a sat nav, road signs or a combination of both, and the examiner says which, so practise all three.
Can I share practice routes with my pupils?: Yes. In Drive Round, a linked instructor can share routes straight to a pupil's app, and pupils can share routes back.

Practise the roads near your test centre

Drive Round has practice routes around test centres across the UK, ready to follow in Google Maps.