I keep reading how people still can’t reverse an artic, but, and I will admit to this… isn’t this part of the test? The part I’m kinda most worried about.
Hi Rich,
Don’t worry about it - you’ll be shown what you need to do by your instructor… I worried a lot about this too, but I reckon once you do it a few times, you’ll see how baseless your fear of this bit of the test is!
Look on youtube, there are plenty of videos showing what is required for the test - a few goes with your instructor, and I’m sure, like myself, that you’ll then wonder why you were so worried!
In the real world, every reverse is different from your test - best advice then is keep calm, and think through what you need to do. Plenty advice on here about real world reversing - but for now, just follow the instructors advice to pass the test 
Good luck
Steeps
^^ +1
On your test they spend an whole morning/day doing the reverse. They tell you how many turns of the wheel to put on,show you the markers on the trailer etc so it can all be done and it’s really easy. Don’t worry about it.
When guys on here say they struggle with reversing it is totally different from test standard as you are now maybe fully loaded instead of empty and using a tri axle trailer instead of a double. Plus the test centre is a big open space with just a few cones to reverse between. At a yard or DC you will have maybe a wall or pallets to avoid and be expected to reverse between two already parked up units/trailers. and when you have no markers, or its night time or pouring rain then believe me that’s a whole other ball game!
But you will get the hang of it and be able to judge the distance etc. It just takes a bit of practice.
The-Snowman:
They tell you how many turns of the wheel to put on,show you the markers on the trailer etc so it can all be done and it’s really easy.
If they teach you that way they are crap
What they should teach you is the underpinning knowledge so you can reverse it and have the knowhow so you can correct any errors
Personally, when I teach artic or drawbar reversing, I start with reversing in a straight line - - not as easy as you’d think!. Having done that a couple of times, we generate small bends and then correct them. This is the underpinning knowledge to which ROG refers.
Then I move to the exercise where I do use markers to ensure consistency of performance. BUT, the candidate has a really good idea of what’s going on because of the straight line reverses done to start with.
It’s a shame when it’s all done on so many turns of the wheel and looking only for this and that marker. But there’s also no point in being ■■■■ about it if someone’s going to struggle. There is only so much time before that person’s test and there’s plenty of other stuff to do apart from reversing.
So I probably combine both methods and, for the last 40 years, have had no pattern of fails on reverse.
Most experienced drivers will agree that the current exercise is not particularly representative of the real world. My view is that the person must leave me having passed their test and with a basic understanding of what the reverse is about.
Pete 
Pete
ROG:
The-Snowman:
They tell you how many turns of the wheel to put on,show you the markers on the trailer etc so it can all be done and it’s really easy.If they teach you that way they are crap
What they should teach you is the underpinning knowledge so you can reverse it and have the knowhow so you can correct any errors
I agree. But the OP was asking about reversing being part of the test and why guys struggle with it. I mearly stated the fact that to pass the test,they teach you how and where to steer. This answers the question.
Im onboard with you in relation to how they SHOULD do it. Teach you pivot points,corrections etc. But the fact is they dont. I figured it all out myself when let loose on my own.
Peter Smythe:
There is only so much time before that person’s test and there’s plenty of other stuff to do apart from reversing.
It costs around £1500 for 4 days training and test. That’s a lot of money,esp when you consider the hourly rate your expected to accept when you pass because you have no experience. So do you sacrifice road experience and practise to spend a day and a half on reversing? Or do you take a few hours to be shown how to reverse the trailer to pass a test and use the rest of the time on the road? Given the choice id take the latter everytime.
Plus the fact that to teach reversing properly you need to go into depth which means classroom time. I passed my test in a CF 4x2 with a twin axle trailer,empty. But a 6x2 sleeper with a tri axle loaded trailer behaves differently. And dont get me started on single axles!
I do agree with you though Rog,its just figuring it out on your own is sometimes better given the costs involved in training
I’ve recently passed my test and got myself some casual so I can see where your coming from , Reversing for the test isn’t all that hard , I did pick it up quite quickly , it’s real world reversing that’s the tricky part , I find reversing around a 90 degree bend for a tip or parking is where I’ve struggled , of course it’s even worse when your under pressure to do it quickly with everyone watching ( Sod’s law dictates that when no ones around you’ll preform the maneuver faultlessly )
The best advise I’ve been given is if your not sure get out and look , and if your struggling ask someone to watch and help you
Muppetmk1:
parking is where I’ve struggled , of course it’s even worse when your under pressure to do it quickly with everyone watching ( Sod’s law dictates that when no ones around you’ll preform the maneuver faultlessly )
Yep. A…err…“friend” of mine went to reverse into a bay at a services and due to other vehicles it was a bit tight. “He” ended up getting the angles all wrong and got into a tight spot. LOTS of manouvering backwards and forwards and even more in and out the cab before sheepishly driving right out without parking up. 
Been there - done that. It’s part of the learning curve. The more pressure to get it in the space, the less chance of it happening!
Pete
Prior to my test I could not do it. Even the instructor said I would never do it.
But on the test it was somehow easier and I did it with one shunt.
Good luck
Sometimes the pressure of tight space or reversing between two other trucks actually helps. It focuses the mind and provides plenty of visual indicators to help get yourself in.
If you are reversing into a wide open space without any constraints it is often more difficult - plenty of times I have made a right mess of a wide open reverse, even though I can squeeze in between trailers when I need to.
out of curiosity, why do training schools use twin axle trailers and not the more commonly seen triple axle?
why do training schools use twin axle trailers and not the more commonly seen triple axle?
Some schools use shorter trailers that tend to be tandem axle. On full length trailers, tandem is cheaper to buy and maintain.
We use full length tri-axle.
Pete
ORC:
Sometimes the pressure of tight space or reversing between two other trucks actually helps. It focuses the mind and provides plenty of visual indicators to help get yourself in.If you are reversing into a wide open space without any constraints it is often more difficult - plenty of times I have made a right mess of a wide open reverse, even though I can squeeze in between trailers when I need to.
This^^^^^^^ the firm I work for do general haulage and a lot of our work is into small awkward wood yards where you’ve got to reverse into yards , I find that where there’s less room to work with then you can see exactly where you’ve got to be ,but as above says to much room and manage to ■■■■ it up , just before Christmas I managed to take one of my mudguards off at an RDC , had tons of room to work with ,no excuses just cocked it up , fairly new driver myself , just take it slowly mate like me if the worst is a mudguard then you’ll be fine all the best