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The four manoeuvres

You will be asked to do one. Here is all four, what the examiner is actually looking for, and where people lose marks.

What the examiner is marking

Not precision. Control and observation. You can shuffle back and forth to correct yourself and still pass — what fails people is reversing without looking, or carrying on when something is approaching. Slow and watchful beats fast and neat every time.

Parallel parking

On the road, behind a parked car

How to do it

  1. 1Pull alongside the car you are parking behind, about a metre out, rear bumpers level.
  2. 2Select reverse, check all round — especially over your left shoulder into the blind spot.
  3. 3Reverse slowly until your rear wheel is roughly level with the other car's rear bumper, then a full lock to the left.
  4. 4When the car is at about 45 degrees, straighten, keep reversing, then full lock right to bring the front in.
  5. 5Straighten up, finish within about half a metre of the kerb.

Where people lose marks

  • · Not checking the blind spot before or during the reverse
  • · Going too fast — control matters more than the line
  • · Ending up over half a metre from the kerb, or touching it
  • · Failing to pause for a pedestrian or approaching car

Bay parking — reversing in

Usually at the test centre car park

How to do it

  1. 1Position wide, roughly two bays away from the one you want.
  2. 2Line up so the bay you are aiming for is visible in your side window.
  3. 3Reverse slowly, watching for the bay lines appearing in your mirrors.
  4. 4Steer toward the bay as the lines come into view, checking all round throughout.
  5. 5Straighten inside the bay, within the lines, and stop.

Where people lose marks

  • · Not checking all round while reversing — the biggest cause of serious faults here
  • · Ending up across a line
  • · Excessive shuffling back and forth without correcting the problem
  • · Steering while stationary, which the examiner may mark

Bay parking — driving in

Car park, then reverse out

How to do it

  1. 1Approach slowly, keeping wide enough to swing in cleanly.
  2. 2Turn in when the bay lines meet your door mirror.
  3. 3Straighten within the bay and stop.
  4. 4To leave, reverse out with full observation — this half is where faults usually come.

Where people lose marks

  • · Rushing the reverse out
  • · Not looking over both shoulders before moving back
  • · Cutting the corner and clipping the adjacent bay

Pulling up on the right

On the road, then reverse two car lengths and rejoin

How to do it

  1. 1Check mirrors and signal, then cross to the right-hand side when it is clear.
  2. 2Stop parallel to the kerb, reasonably close.
  3. 3Reverse about two car lengths, checking all round, watching for anything approaching.
  4. 4Check thoroughly — including the blind spot — then rejoin the left-hand side.

Where people lose marks

  • · Crossing the road without checking for oncoming traffic properly
  • · Reversing without watching behind continuously
  • · Rejoining without a proper blind-spot check
  • · Stopping opposite a junction or parked car, where it is unsafe

Reading is not practising

Manoeuvres are muscle memory. Book a lesson and do each one until it stops feeling like a puzzle — or book a mock test on real routes and find out where you actually stand.

Book a lessonBook a mock test

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