Hannah Passes Her Driving Test First Time
From complete beginner to confident Currie test driver
Hannah started her driving lessons with me in October 2025, having never driven before. Living and working in Morningside at the time made it an ideal place to begin, and we started by building the basic skills needed to become a confident driver, including clutch control, steering and general control of the car.
Hannah took to driving very well from the beginning and was always enthusiastic about her lessons. Morningside is also a great area for a new driver to develop their skills, as there are plenty of real-world situations to deal with, from buses and pedestrian crossings to heavier urban traffic and a variety of junctions.
As Hannah’s skills developed, we gradually moved further afield and began spending more time around the Currie test area. Before too long, she was driving confidently in the same areas where she would eventually take her practical driving test.
By the beginning of 2026, Hannah had progressed to the point where we could start carrying out mock driving tests. She was doing really well, and there were only a few things that needed some final attention.
There was, however, one other thing we needed to consider. At the time, there were significant waiting times for driving tests in Edinburgh and across the UK. Hannah also hadn’t yet completed her theory test, which meant she couldn’t book her practical test.
Hannah passed her theory test shortly afterwards and managed to secure a practical driving test for August 2026. Although the date seemed a long way away, at least we had something to work towards.
With such a long gap before the test, we decided to space the lessons out and eventually put them on hold, checking in every now and again rather than having Hannah continue with regular lessons months before her test.
When we went out together again in May, it was as though we’d only been out the week before. Hannah hadn’t forgotten anything and was straight back into driving.
A few weeks before the test, we started regular lessons again to get everything polished up. By this point, I had also changed cars, meaning Hannah had to adapt to a completely different vehicle. This didn’t faze her at all and she quickly settled into the new car.
Hannah also wanted to do another mock driving test a few weeks before the real thing. This was a great idea, as it highlighted a couple of small areas that we could concentrate on during the final lessons and helped consolidate everything she had already learned.
By the time the big day arrived, Hannah had moved away from Morningside and was now living in another part of Edinburgh. I arranged to meet her near her work, although she wasn’t going into work that day, and we headed out for one final practice before the test.
We spent some time driving around the Currie area, going over the sort of roads and situations Hannah was likely to encounter on her test. She drove really well, and we then made our way to the test centre, parked up and headed inside.
All that was left was for Hannah to head off with the examiner while I waited for her return.
Around 45–50 minutes later, Hannah came back, and I was delighted to hear that she had passed her driving test on the first try.
Even better, the examiner had specifically commented on how good Hannah was at anticipating the road ahead, which is a really important part of becoming a safe and confident driver.
It had been a long journey, with the long wait for a practical test and a significant break in lessons along the way, but Hannah handled everything brilliantly. She adapted to the changes, retained everything she had learned and finished with a first-time pass.
Well done, Hannah — a fantastic drive and a very well-deserved first-time pass!
