What Are Show Me Tell Me Questions?

At the start of your driving test, the examiner asks one "tell me" question (you explain how you'd do something) and one "show me" question (you demonstrate while driving). Getting one wrong is a minor fault. Getting both wrong is two minors — not ideal but not a fail on its own.

Show Me Tell Me Questions: The Complete Guide

Tell Me Questions

T1: Tell me how you would check that the brakes are working before starting a journey.
Answer: Press the brake pedal firmly before moving off. It should feel firm, not spongy, and the car should not pull to one side.

T2: Tell me where you would find the information for the recommended tyre pressures for this car and how you would check them.
Answer: The owner's manual or a sticker inside the driver's door/fuel cap. Use a reliable pressure gauge, checking when tyres are cold.

T3: Tell me how you would check the tyres to ensure they have sufficient tread depth and are in good condition.
Answer: The legal minimum is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre, around the entire circumference. Check for cuts, bulges, and uneven wear.

T4: Tell me how you would check that the headlights and tail lights are working.
Answer: Turn on the ignition and headlights, walk around the car (or use reflections in a window/garage door) to check all lights, including tail lights.

T5: Tell me how you would know if there was a problem with your anti-lock braking system.
Answer: A warning light on the dashboard will illuminate. It should go out shortly after starting the engine. If it stays on, there is a fault.

T6: Tell me how you would check the direction indicators are working.
Answer: Turn on the ignition, apply the indicators left and right, and walk around the vehicle to check all indicator lights are flashing. Or use the hazard warning switch and check.

T7: Tell me how you would check the brake lights are working on this car.
Answer: Turn on the ignition, press the brake pedal, and check the rear brake lights using a reflection or asking someone to look.

Show Me Questions

S1: When it is safe to do so, show me how you would wash and clean the rear windscreen.
Demonstrate: Operate the rear wash/wipe controls.

S2: When it is safe to do so, show me how you would wash and clean the front windscreen.
Demonstrate: Operate the windscreen washer and wipers.

S3: When it is safe to do so, show me how you would switch on the rear fog light(s) and explain when you would use them.
Demonstrate: Switch them on. Use when visibility drops below 100 metres.

S4: When it is safe to do so, show me how you would switch your headlight from dipped to main beam.
Demonstrate: Operate the stalk. Explain: use main beam on unlit roads when no other vehicles are ahead.

S5: Show me how you would set the demister controls to clear all the windows effectively.
Demonstrate: Set blower, temperature, and direct airflow to windscreen. Use air-con if available.

S6: Show me how you would operate the horn.
Demonstrate: Press the horn briefly. Explain: never use it while stationary at night in a built-up area (11:30pm–7am).

East Didsbury Local Area Guide

Lessons around East Didsbury use real local roads including Kingsway, Parrs Wood Road and Broad Oak Lane, so by the time you're ready for your test you've already driven the streets you'll use every day after passing. East Didsbury's Metrolink and rail interchange opened on 23 May 2013, completing a tram link to the area that had first been proposed roughly 30 years earlier, back in 1983.

We also plan around school-run traffic near Didsbury High School and Broad Oak Primary School, using quieter spots like Mersey Valley for early manoeuvre practice before stepping up to busier sections of Kingsway.

Test centre: most learners around East Didsbury test at West Didsbury Driving Test Centre, Unit 11, Christie Park, West Didsbury, M21 7QY; mock tests are planned around the routes examiners actually use from there.

Local Road Knowledge and Driving Education

Building local road knowledge is one of the most underestimated aspects of driver training. Knowing which junctions require extra observation, where speed limits change, and where vulnerable road users are most likely to appear turns a competent learner into a genuinely safe driver for life. DriveSQ lessons are planned around the actual roads you will drive every day after passing.

Key Driving Knowledge for Greater Manchester

Mirror checks should happen every 5-8 seconds on open roads and before every speed change, direction change or manoeuvre.
The DVSA's recommended following distance is a 2-second gap in dry conditions — double it in rain and triple it in snow or ice.
Speed limits are maximums, not targets — always drive at the speed appropriate for the road conditions, visibility and traffic density.
Highway Code Rule 170 requires you to give way to pedestrians when turning into a side road if they are already crossing.

Highway Code update 2022: The Highway Code was substantially updated in January 2022 with a new hierarchy of road users placing pedestrians at the top and motorists at the bottom. Key changes include: pedestrians have priority at junctions when drivers are turning; cyclists may use the centre of a lane; and 'Dutch reach' door-opening technique is now recommended. All DriveSQ learners are taught the updated 2022 rules.

DriveSQ instructors bring nationally-accredited teaching methodology to every lesson, combined with deep local knowledge of Greater Manchester roads. Every lesson is planned to build on the previous one, creating a progressive learning journey from first drive to test-ready confidence.

Greater Manchester Road Network — Educational Guide

Greater Manchester's road network covers over 4,500 miles of road managed across ten metropolitan boroughs. The network includes motorways (M60, M62, M56, M61, M63), A-roads of regional importance (A6, A34, A56, A57, A580), and an extensive local road grid of B-roads and unclassified roads. Understanding the network hierarchy — and the different driving demands at each level — is a key part of driver education.

Manchester's city centre road network is managed by TfGM (Transport for Greater Manchester) using a SCOOT adaptive traffic signal system that responds to real-time vehicle detector data. This means signal phases can be shorter or longer than expected — learners should always approach signals prepared to stop rather than accelerating in anticipation of a green phase.

Understanding Speed Limits

Speed limits are one of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of UK driving law. A speed limit is not a target or a recommended speed — it is the absolute maximum permitted in ideal conditions. Drivers must reduce speed below the limit whenever conditions demand it: rain, fog, pedestrians near the carriageway, reduced visibility, bends with limited forward sight distance, or approaching school zones. The National Speed Limit (NSL) sign — a white circle with a diagonal red stripe — means 60mph on single-carriageway roads and 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways for cars. Variable speed limits on smart motorways are legally enforceable and treated identically to static speed limits. Average speed camera systems measure elapsed time between detection points — slowing for a camera and accelerating away defeats them completely. Fixed point cameras use a 10% + 2mph tolerance, but this is not a legal allowance and varies by enforcement policy. The safest approach is to drive at the speed that allows you to stop within the distance you can see to be clear — a principle that applies regardless of the posted limit.

Observation Skills

The two-second rule for following distance is measured from when the vehicle ahead passes a fixed point to when your front bumper passes the same point — if the count reaches two before you, you are too close.
Scanning in front of the vehicle should cover the full field of view, not just the vehicle ahead — hedgerows, parked cars, driveways and junctions should all be monitored simultaneously at lower speeds.
Anticipation — predicting what other road users will do before they do it — is the defining skill of an experienced driver. Watching for brake lights 3 vehicles ahead, monitoring pedestrians approaching crossings, and tracking cyclist body language all contribute to effective anticipation.
Mirror checks before every speed change are not optional — reducing speed from 40mph to 30mph at a speed limit change requires a mirror check before braking to assess whether it is safe to decelerate.

DVSA Practical Test — What You Need to Know

Driver fault accumulation is not linear in its impact on test result. A candidate with 14 driver faults (one below the fail threshold) passes with the same result as a candidate with zero driver faults. However, the driver faults recorded provide useful feedback — any category with three or more driver faults recorded by the examiner is typically highlighted for post-test improvement even when the test is passed.

After You Pass — What New Drivers Need to Know

After passing your driving test, your journey as a driver is just beginning. The first year of independent driving carries the highest collision risk of any stage of a driver's career — new drivers are involved in road incidents at four times the rate of experienced drivers. Post-pass programmes including Pass Plus, motorway lessons with a qualified ADI, and telematics (black box) insurance all demonstrably reduce first-year risk. DriveSQ offers post-pass sessions specifically designed to build the additional skills that DVSA testing cannot fully assess: motorway driving, night driving, rural roads and adverse weather confidence.

Show Me Tell Me Questions: The Complete Guide