I’ve just started practicing for my theory and hazard tests using the Deep River app which I think is good so far.
I’m finding the theory easy but the hazard perception slightly more challenging. I’m a fairly astute driver and have only had one small accident in nearly 20 years of driving - a small bumper collision when the car in front emergency braked at an empty pedestrian crossing causing me to skid into the back of him.
I’ll take the example of one question which I just failed. In this example, you see a rider mount his motorcycle and then pull off. I immediately clicked as soon as he pulls away, but this was too late - the tutorial says something like “rider gets onto bike and may pull ahead of you”. My confusion is that there are many other instances in the videos where pedestrians are approaching the road from the pavement before stopping in time - these aren’t officially classed as hazards but could surely be seen as “pedestrian is approaching road and may cross without looking”.
I may be overthinking this, but I wouldn’t naturally assume that somebody would pull out into traffic without looking - I would just watch carefully and maybe slow down a bit in case. Things like puddles are obvious, but why should I assume a motorbike would blindly pull out but not a cyclist or pedestrian?
I want to try and get myself in the right mindset now as my fear is that I’ll end up memorising all the hazards in the videos (I have a great memory) and they will then not be very useful for practice.
Apologies for the long post and thanks in advance.
Hi. Don’t try to memorise the clips as they may not be the ones used for current tests. As ROG has said, go for the “it is a hazard” rather than the opposite. You wont loose anything by it - either on test or in real life.
The secret to passing the HPT is to click when you first see the hazard, count 2 seconds, then click again. If it is a hazard that “they” want you to acknowledge then this will cover it. If it’s not the hazard that matters for test, it doesn’t matter. You only get disqualified from a clip for regular over-clicking. And that’s quite different.
I agree the HPT may not be the best - but it’s what we’ve got so we need to deal with it.
The issue I have with HPT is that I find it isnt deep enough.
It’s fine for people going for a car licence - brand new drivers as it does give them an insight.
But as you drive you learn that hazards are everywhere and generally those going for a vocational licence have an element of experience by already being a driver.
Years ago I did my Class 2 so had to sit the HPT. I had to do the same for my PCV licence after that. It was at the point where I was thinking there’s zero point in this other than making money
Remember that you’re looking for developing hazards - these are different to a ‘normal’ hazard as they are things that could make you change your speed or direction. For example, a pedestrian on the side of the road is a hazard. But I wouldn’t be clicking until they begin to walk into the road, or walk toward a crossing - these are both instances where you’d probably adjust your speed.
Don’t be afraid to click. It will soon become apparent whether that hazard is developing; if so, click again a couple of seconds later. I wouldn’t advise clicking any more than three times per developing hazard. Being haphazard/clicking in a rhythm/clicking systematically will score you zero for that clip.
It’s impossible to ‘remember’ each clip - the DVSA have a huge bank they can use. It’s about adopting the correct technique - once you’ve done that, you should be able to apply it to all clips.
What I meant by memorising is that I’m worried I can only view these clips so many times before I’m familiar with them, meaning I’ll already know what the hazard will be.
I’ve just had another go and seem to be doing well using the process above. Sometimes the potential hazard doesn’t further develop (e.g. pedestrian doesn’t step out) but I’ve yet to be disqualified for over-clicking.
As a driver with over 35 years on the clock since I started driving, I took the Hazard Perception and theory tests on Monday 16th and passed both.
I can highly recommend shelling out for the DVSA software/app. I got mine off fleabay and I went through it and passed the theory dropping only 4 questions and only 5 lost marks on the Hazard perception
From studying the practice clips, (Do not try to remember them as they will be different) you have the chance to review the clip and it will show you where they consider the hazard to start and stop. I found that I was seeing the hazard before the clip called it a hazard so my “clicks” were outside the scoring zone, when I adjusted for that it was actually fairly easy.
Be aware that all the clips I had in the test were CGI not video or film.
Hope that helps and good luck
My road to class 1 so far
CAT A 95
CAT B 83
CAT C provisional, Theory and Hazard perception passed Oct 17, Practical as soon as I can get training !
I think I’ve downloaded the same app as the OP, and while I must say I’m finding the Theory Test section extremely helpful, to the point that I’m confident I’ll pass reasonably well - I’ve done several Mock tests on the app and my lowest score has been 95/100 (although I’m not going into this with rose coloured glasses expecting the same results on test day). The same can’t be said for the Hazard Perception, however. The videos on my (9.7") iPad are, at best, grainy and pixelated, while at worst you can’t really tell one object from another. As an example, in one clip the only hazard is a cyclist that the car catches up with on a hilly section of road with a double solid centre line. On my iPad, you’re not actually able to tell that there’s a cyclist there until the car is almost on top of it and already braking - by which time the window for clicking is almost gone. Another issue I’ve had is that if I tap/click more than three times on any clip it tells me my clicking is irregular and unacceptable and labels me a cheat! Having made myself about half a dozen mock tests by randomly selecting 19 of the 42 available clips on the app, I was deeply concerned that I failed every single one of them, and am now extremely nervous about taking the test. I believe the technical term is “Bricking it!”
With that, I’ve been trawling the web, and this forum, for any other ways of practicing for the test. I have managed to find a website - www.hazardperceptiontest.net - that, while it’s a subscription site (£4.49 for 6 months access) I’ve found that the clips are much, much clearer and, while I realise the website is aimed at people preparing for their car test, I feel the principle is the same.
My test for both sections is just over two weeks away and am feeling a tad less nervous about the Hazard Perception section now.
I used the DVLA books & DVDs for both the theory and hazard perception and found them good value.
Initially I was pressing too soon or too often and consistently losing marks, some of it was as alluded to in a previous reply, that with experience you tend to be more aware of hazards and I was looking too far ahead, seeing what I perceived to be a hazard and clicking too soon.
After looking in previous posts and seeing the 2 second rule, my score improved.
I completed the test in Dec, scoring 87. None of the clips were the ones on the DVD, so memorising them is really of no help.
Good luck when you get around to doing it,
my advice…… don’t overthink it.
I used the DVLA book for the module with questions but did jack with regards to hazard perception. It wasn’t anywhere near as the same as the clips you get on the net. It was basically 1 hazard in a video and the potential for two hazards in 1 video out of the 20 I did and I passed. It is very similar to what you would normally do (but do automatically) when driving. A car pulling up towards a left side junction too quickly, a passerby about to cross a road, a chap in amn electric wheel chair crossing a junction and a car turning in, that sort of thing.
I practised my theory test through dvsalearningzone.co.uk (subscription) and mocktheorytest.com. Both were very good and I went through the questions over and over and over plus about 12-15 practise tests. I’ve just done my theory test and tbh most of the questions had been covered by both those sites, and I passed. You do have to put the hours in though…
Hazard perception I did through the first site above where they have about 15 clips that you can try. I didn’t overdo the hazard perception practise because the clips are different in the test centre. Quite honestly they are better quality and it’s about making sure you get at least some points from every clip. I think as long as you do some practise and use the technique of clicking when you first see the hazard then again a second or two later you should score at least some full marks on the clips. Again just done this and passed (phew!).
The theory test was not as bad as I thought, most questions were very familiar but there were a few questions I hadn’t come across and a few had questions I had seen before but not the same obvious answers. Overall I’m glad I put the hours in to this because it helped on the day.
The hazard perception is tricky, but if you try the CGI clips around the internet they give a good idea of how it all works.
