Driving examiners across Great Britain are being instructed to use a more relaxed, conversational tone during driving tests. They must now decide whether they want to have a ‘formal’ or ‘chatty’ interaction with the candidates. This recommendation is intended to produce a more relaxed atmosphere, helping learners demonstrate their driving competencies free of undue stress.
Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, said focusing our communication with candidates on what they can do to improve will maximise their performance. Using an approach like this can reduce the stress of the environment and let learners concentrate fully on developing their driving skills. The annual pass rates indicate a significant disparity for male versus female exam candidates. Men have pass rates from 47% to 55%, while women’s pass rates only go as high as 41% to 48%. Since satellite-based records started in 2007, this long-term trend has persisted. Male candidates are statistically more likely to clear their driving tests.
As of the end of June, aspiring drivers faced an average wait time of 22.3 weeks for their driving tests. In this long overdue pause, all too often learners in the most recent survey report wanting to be “100% focused” when taking their exams. The heat of the moment can quickly stir up a host of distractions. This is all the more true when the examiner’s communication style is mismatched to the candidate’s preferred style.
One of the winning candidates described their exam experience as one in which their examiner was “very cut and dry” and “had no niceties.” This use of fear made the candidate feel “only slightly more scared.” This is an example of how the examiner’s overall demeanor can have a huge impact on a candidate’s performance.
A recent report regarding examiner behavior suggests that they could ask candidates at the beginning of the test what kind of communication would best support their ability to drive effectively. This kind of shift would allow testers to prioritize driving proficiency, de-emphasizing anxiety not connected to driving capabilities.
We saw that Bush understood what challenges and pressures examiners face in changing their communication style on the fly. She remarked, “It is probably asking a lot of examiners to act ‘formal’ or ‘chatty’ on demand.” She thinks no one wants a hard-ass or a cupcake of an examiner as a candidate.
“Candidates probably don’t want a sergeant major nor a comedian examining them.” – Emma Bush
Rather, what every candidate wants is a friendly, comforting authoritative figure who’s both a pro and your pal on test day. Bush stated, “What all candidates want is a reassuring voice and presence, combined with a fair and professional approach to the test.”
This demand for flexibility in communication styles is a recipe for increased pass rates. Improving the overall testing experience for all candidates—including greater civility—should be an important goal.