How to revise for ADI Part 1

GOV.UK sets out what the ADI Part 1 questions are based on, how they are grouped and how they are scored. Together, those decide what you need to revise and how evenly.

Know what you are revising for

• These rules apply in Great Britain. The ADI part 1 test works differently in Northern Ireland. [1]
• ADI Part 1 is a theory test in 2 parts, multiple-choice questions and hazard perception, and you must pass both parts to pass. [1]
• The multiple-choice part is 100 questions in 1 hour and 30 minutes, with 25 questions in each of 4 categories: road procedure; traffic signs and signals, car control, pedestrians and mechanical knowledge; driving test, disabilities, and the law; publications and instructional techniques. [1]
• You need at least 20 out of 25 in each category as well as at least 85 out of 100 overall, so a strong overall score cannot make up for one weak category. Revise all 4. [1]

What to revise from

• GOV.UK says the questions are based on a list of publications, including The Highway Code, Know your traffic signs, the Driving Instructor's Handbook, Practical Teaching Skills for Driving Instructors and the Driving instructor code of practice. The full list is on our ADI Part 1 books page. [1]
• The list also includes Carrying out driving tests: examiner guidance, except its sections 2, 3, 4, 5 and 15. [1]
• The guidance says to study these publications to learn the rules and skills you will be tested on. You can buy the listed books online or from most high street bookshops. [1]
• The list covers the multiple-choice questions as a whole. It does not say which publication feeds which category, so we do not suggest one. [1]

The practice route GOV.UK names

• GOV.UK says you can revise for the theory test using books and software. [1]
• Alongside books, GOV.UK names the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency theory test kit for approved driving instructors e-Learning as a way to study. [1]
• For hazard perception, GOV.UK points to the same e-Learning kit to learn hazard perception skills and then test them. [1]
• When you practise hazard perception, practise clicking as soon as a hazard starts to develop. You can score up to 5 points for each developing hazard, and clicking continuously or in a pattern scores nothing. [1]

If you need to revise again

• If you fail, the letter you get at the test centre tells you which parts you did not score enough points on, so you know what to practise. [1]
• A resit is the full test again, and you have to wait at least 3 working days before taking it. [1]

Sources

1. GOV.UK: Approved driving instructor (ADI) part 1 test