Situated in Gladstone Business Centre, Northampton test centre is a 10 minute drive from the city centre. It can be found on Gladstone Road, not too far from the bustling A5095. You’ll spot a range of other local businesses in the nearby area, so make sure you’re prepared to deal with heavy traffic during rush hour. Unless you like the idea of going into your driving test completely blind, you might want to take some time to familiarise yourself with Northampton. Read on for more information!

Address

Gladstone Business Centre
Gladstone Road
Northampton
Northamptonshire
NN5 7QA

Tests Offered at Northampton

– Car
– ADI part 2
– ADI part 3

How To Get There

If you’re a learner driver living in Northampton, you’ve got an extremely easy journey to your local test centre. Simply get onto the A428, turn onto Gladstone Road and there you are! How easy is that?! Don’t start flapping if you’re located further out in Northamptonshire. The proximity of A roads like the A508, A4500 and A45 mean that you can get to Northampton test centre without any faffing about. Of course, if you’re still uncertain, we’d advise you to use a sat nav to find your way.

A Bit More About Northampton

As you’ll learn further below, the practical test itself follows a relatively basic format. It essentially boils down to you following a test route to the best of your ability. Now, your examiner will try to make use of all the challenging road features that Northampton has to offer. For starters, you’re minutes away from the town centre, so it will most definitely show up on your test. This means you’ll likely face a lot of stop-start traffic, so make sure your clutch control is up to snuff! You’ll also want to pay close attention to changes in speed limits as you progress through different traffic systems.

Things will start to slow down a bit as the examiner guides you towards the residential areas closest to the test centre. It’s here that you’ll have to demonstrate one of the reversing manoeuvres, or at a car park chosen by the examiner. You may even have to demonstrate an emergency stop. Keep your eyes peeled for any stray pedestrians or cyclists in these areas!

What To Expect On The Day

After hours of driving lessons, your test date is finally upon you. Talk about nerve-wracking. If your confidence isn’t quite where you hoped it would be, we’d advise you to read up on our top six ways to relax before your driving test.

Before you jet out of the front door on your big day, there’s one important question you need to ask yourself: do you have your provisional licence? If the answer’s no, you can wave goodbye to taking your test. You need to have your provisional licence with you to take the driving test, otherwise you will be turned around, so double-check you’ve got it before you leave. Additionally, you’ll want to get to the test centre 10 minutes before your test is due to start.

Your driving test will consist of:

– An eyesight test, where you’ll need to read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres
– Two “show me, tell me” questions covering vehicle safety and maintenance
– Twenty minutes of general driving, where you’ll be guided by the examiner, and will also need to perform one of the following manoeuvres:
– Parallel parking
– Bay parking
– Pulling up on the right
– Twenty minutes of independent driving, during which you’ll either follow sat nav directions or sign posts to reach a set destination

Once you get back to the test centre and park your car, the test will officially end. The examiner will then walk you through the feedback sheet and list any driving test faults, whether they are minors or majors, that you may have accumulated. If you fail, keep hold of this sheet as it can be used to help you figure out which areas you need to improve on for your next test attempt. If you pass, you’ll also be handed a test pass certificate.

But What If I Fail?

Like any other test you take in life, if all doesn’t go according to plan with your driving test and you end up failing, it’s as simple as trying again. Of course, we don’t recommend just heading back in without any preparation. Instead, take some time to improve on the areas in which you picked up the most faults in. The best way to do this is by taking a refresher course with an instructor. They’ll be able to give you pointers to ensure you don’t trip up on them again.