The Fall: Why Theory Test Pass Rates Are In Decline

The latest theory test pass rates issued by the DVSA have revealed a sobering trend – the number of students passing is continuing to fall.

On the face of it, the figures are eye-opening – theory test passes have dropped by 20% since 2008. In August of that year, the pass rate stood at 70.6% but has now gone on to hit an all-time low of 49.1% in March of this year.

The latest figures also reveal that the pass rate from April to June 2014 was 50.7%, which is down 1.5% on the same period last year. There is some good news however as pass rates for the practical test are actually up – from 44.2% in 2007-2008 to 47.1%.

The Fall – The Potential Reasons

The theory test figures will make learners more wary about their chances of passing the theory test – but what is the explanation for such a consistent decline in pass rates? And is there anything students can do to boost their chances of a pass? Time to drill down into the details:

**2007 **The number of multiple choice questions in the theory test is raised from 35 to 50 to increase driving standards and road safety knowledge among students.

**2009 **A scenario-based case study with five related questions is introduced to ‘put learning into context and test comprehension of a subject,’ according to the then DSA.

**2012 **New theory test questions are no longer published; previously, students were able to learn the existing questions and answers to help increase their chances of passing.

**2013 **The vast majority of questions in the question bank are refreshed, resulting in a significant drop in real-life questions left in publication.

**2014 **Foreign-language voiceovers and interpreters are banned from the test, making the process far harder for foreign learner drivers.

The Fall – the DVSA’s View

This fall in pass rate is a continuation of a reduced pass rate following the changes to questions in January 2013 and may also be associated with the withdrawal of voiceovers and translators for foreign language tests from April 2014.”

– Extract from Department for Transport’s Driver and Rider Test and Instructor Statistics Quarterly Bulletin offering its take on the recent decline in pass rates.

The Fall – Your Views

We asked our Facebook followers why they feel the the theory test pass rate is in decline – here are a selection of opinions (which do not necessarily reflect those of Theory Test Pro):

“The videos are hard. On the mock, I’ve got the questions right but the videos are not easy to pick out hazards on. A few people I know have said the same thing.” Sarah Letitia Kay

“[Those failing] are too lazy to put the work in obviously – I passed mine first time 49/50 because I studied like nobody’s business.” Tina Foley

“The government wants to make it harder for you so you have to take it more times, so the government can make more money.” Peter Watt

“The HPT videos are outdated and the quality is terrible – they really need to be updated.” Sharlotte Collier

“I have had a few pupils recently fail the theory test who had been provided access to Theory Test Pro. The reason they are failing – and they’re quick to admit it – is they can’t be bothered studying for it.” Matty Longworth, ADI, Longworth Driving School

The Fall – Theory Test Pro’s View

The HPT video clip quality is clearly an issue for some learners – but this problem will soon be addressed by the DVSA with its plans to introduce CGi-created clips. We appreciate though that for some students, the change can’t come soon enough – but for those struggling, click on the link at the end of this blog for expert advice on mastering the HPT test.

Ultimately, it’s clear that the DVSA is determined to ensure that all new drivers know the rules of the road inside and out. Our own research shows that if learners put in the study – and use all the resources that their instructor has made available to them – they will get the result they want and deserve.