When you are studying for the car theory test you will need to study and practice 14 car theory test subjects. These subjects range from your attitude towards road users around you to the rules regarding the motorway.

Let us start with the first subject (in alphabetic order)

Alertness – consisting of 26 car theory test questions, Alertness’ question bank ranges from planning ahead to signs painted on the road. These car theory test questions are designed to ensure that the driver is going to be alert of their surroundings as well as understanding what to do in certain situations

Below is a typical question on Alertness with its 4 possible answers:

What should you do before making a U-turn?

• Give an arm signal as well as using your indicators
• Check road markings to see that U-turns are permitted
• Look over your shoulder for a final check
• Select a higher gear than normal

This car theory test question is ensuring that you understand the safest procedures to take before committing a potentially dangerous manoeuvre like a U-turn. U-turns are considered particularly dangerous manoeuvres because the driver is turning the car around in a 180 degree fashion without stopping and therefore requires a lot of safety measures to complete before the manoeuvre should be attempted. Here the correct answer is ‘look over your shoulder for a final check’. The reason for this over the shoulder or ‘blind spot check’ is so the driver can check to see if there is anything overtaking them like a motorcycle for example before attempting to turn the car around. There are also many other safety measures the driver would need to follow before getting to the stage of the final ‘over the shoulder check’ like is the road wide enough to complete a U-turn, is there any traffic on the opposite direction, is there traffic closely following the driver behind, are there any crossings or pedestrians nearby and so on…

Another question that you will find on the car theory test is ‘What should you do when approaching traffic lights that have been green for some time?’

Its 4 possible answers are:

• Accelerate hard
• Maintain your speed
• Be ready to stop
• Brake hard

This car theory test question is designed to see if you are aware of traffic lights and the way they work. We all know that red light means stop and green light means go but if you are approaching traffic lights that have been green for some time then what should you be expecting? The simple answer is to expect that the green light may change to amber then red. The reason for this is that as the traffic lights have been green for some time then it is likely to change to red soon in order to help traffic flow from all directions. Also, a good tip is to check to see if there are any pedestrians waiting nearby as they may have pressed the little yellow box and so the lights are due to change very soon. Hence, the correct answer to this car theory test question is ‘be ready to stop’.
The safest way to be ready to stop when you are approaching traffic lights is to come off the gas in good time, covering the brake pedal in case they change or even applying some pressure to the brake pedal especially if you are on a downhill slope. Also, by gently breaking on the approach you are letting the vehicle behind you know that you are slowing down by showing them your brake lights.