MisterMMM.com: show me, tell me!

February 9

There are small other little things that you need to do, but it is theoretically possible to fail the test before you have got into the car.

You will have your eye-sight checked, just to make sure you can see where you are going. I have been at the test centre when it was dark and overcast, and one driver on test couldn't read a number plate at the minimum prescribed distance, with or without glasses. Her test was postponed to a sunnier day. Still a strange experience for her.

Now assuming you can see where you are going, they will ask you some questions about the car. These are the Show me, tell me! questions.

There are 19 questions, and they only normally ask 2, and they are all quite straightforward. Some are so obvious that I wonder why they are there, but some you do need to memorise, like the tyre tread depth one. Very useful for safety!

You will be nervous on the day, but I doubt if you could get worse than one girl on test. Sitting in the car, when asked how she would check that the lights were working, looked completely bemused at the examiner, and honestly replied, "Sorry, I can't understand what you are saying!". Needless to say, there was no need to give the briefing before we went out on test ;-)