You've missed a major disadvantage: Reflection time. No opportunity to binge watch Conquer Driving in between lessons! There were occasions in my early lessons where I thought "that manoeuvre didn't quite go as well as it should have" or "my hill starts are fine with the foot brake but I need to learn handbrake starts too". The intensive course wouldn't give you as many opportunities to reflect back on every situation and refine your driving (and you've probably forgotten a lot of what happened over 6 hours). Between my lessons, I spent a lot of time watching instructors and mock tests on TH-cam, and also studying Google Street View for lane markings at complicated roundabouts in my area (*as long as the map/street view show the up-to-date layout!) A few shoutouts for anyone who is learning, these are the TH-camrs I found most helpful alongside Richard: - Ashley Neal (brilliant analysis and learning point videos, really gets you thinking about situational awareness) - Conquer Driving, Clearview Driving and DGN Driving (mock test videos - Richard is the best out of those though 😉) - World Driving (great for learning the very basic beginner stuff)
Ashley neal is a must binge for any drivers whove just passed. Using his advice as a learner i feel would be too much on uour mind. Besides reading others isn't something you'll get in the few hours you spend on lessons
@@somerandomguywastaken agree with that to be fair, definitely too much in the early lessons but well worth watching once you've passed or feel confident enough in your later lessons
I did a 20 hour crash course right before my test date and found it pretty beneficial in terms of learning how to drive to pass my test. Best thing was, that there was no time for me to forget anything which would have happened if I had done weekly lessons. But yeah, all of your points in the video are pretty much valid.
Just passed my test with only 1 minor today. I wanna say thank you so much for all your videos. It’s not only about the driving skills, your deep understanding of pupils’ thoughts are gold. I can drive quite well but I cannot hold my nerve for a long time. After watching your videos, I know the most important things are to driver safely and legally. And I know what the examiners think. Those help me so much and I will continue to watch your videos to be a better driver.
I sort of did an intensive course but I never planned to do this. I seriously cut my thumb months before my test, it limited the movement of my left thumb, pulling the handbrake would have been impossible. My thumb healed two months before my driving test although finding a driving instructor was difficult, with many cancelling on me. I was desperate so I booked 20 hrs using BSM with only 10 days to learn. The instructor was shocked when I explained my situation and advised that I rebook my test, I told him I'll consider it but think I can pass. After one day of driving he was adamant I had driven a car before and told me he had never had a learner like me. 10 days later I passed. It actually was beneficial to me because I tend to lose motivation very quickly, doing a lot of lessons in a short period of time prevented this. I would only advise doing an intense course as a last resort or if its your only option. I wouldn't have done this if I hadn't watched over a hundred hours of driving videos.
I would also like to add that sitting beside the driver a lot of times can also help. You receive tips and reminders from seasoned drivers, you get used to the windshield view in various speeds and turns, and you get to watch the driver how they do it. That helped me a lot. I only took a 10-hour course for 2 hours a day just within a week. On my first day, I already got to experience driving on the road. I learn fast as well and that's a different quality altogether, but being beside a driver for a while boosted my confidence when it was my turn to take the wheel. It was also how I found this channel too! The next few days, I watched and watched the driving tips on this channel and that helped a ton!
I liked having weekly lessons because it was something to look forward to. Your short term memory can only store so much information in a period of time so cramming in long hours can affect your progress massively. I've only ever done 2 hour lessons and I think that is the happy medium. This week I'll be going out with my instructor to do part of the pass course plus which I'll be out for 4 hours so I've been watching your pass plus video on repeat 😂😂 Great video Rich 👍
I began watching your videos when I started a intensive with Pass Me Fast and ended up quitting the course due to the point you made about the instructor. Mine was not nice. TLDR I lost the money on the remaining lessons. It left me defeated and more anxious and I almost quit for good. Luckily I dusted myself off and found an instructor that I gel with. Still learning via weekly lessons. Those debating intensive, it’s not for everyone. It’s fast paced for sure. Keep up the good work Richard :)
@ I called em ShaftMeFast in my trust pilot review. They need to cherry pick their instructors better. Sometimes the qualification alone does not cut it. Learners can be more fragile than some instructors think. I hope you find or found a good one :)
I’m currently in a dispute with PassMeFast over my instructor. I’ve been asking to cancel my course and get my money back but I know from reading all the reviews that I’ve been scammed. I feel like a right mug. I paid £2615 up front and have had 8 hours / 4 lessons, I’ve lost an insane amount of money and have got no where.
@@RebeccaEvans-p5iI can relate in a lot of ways. If you get your money back consider yourself lucky. They gave my instructor the money super fast and then they hold the money captive almost. PMF basically checked out of my dilemma. The issue is they don’t really look into instructors deep enough. They just see companies in relevant areas and work something out with them. If they were more picky, let’s say study reviews and ratings they could have way more good ones under their wing. When you get a bad one through them, it doesn’t make anyone look good, the student feels more anxious and at a mega loss. I really hope it gets resolved. All I got was the practical money back after cancelling it. Don’t let it beat you. When your ready do weekly lessons but test out some local ones first. That’s what I did after months of not wanting to learn after PMF. Now it’s super chill and learning is at a faster pace when you have a good instructor. I hope you get through it all. I feel your pain. I hammered both the instructor and PMF on reviews. I should have went weekly personally. Good luck anyway. Don’t give up
I passed through an intensive course and wow it wasn't cheap at all! I already had many lessons prior and for 15 hours (including test day) it was £956! My reasons was mentioned in your video, Richard. I found it beneficial to learn daily than weekly.
with the price of lessons as of recent i'd say you got off pretty easy financially (i've spent over 1.5k over a couple months plus change). if you can pick up things quickly and have the mental stamina and free time to do an intensive, it's probably the best option if you don't have a friend or family member to practice with
I was learning for over a year before I joined the Army, and they put me (as all Royal Signals personnel) through an intensive driving course: me, another learner and the instructor, in the car for about eight hours, each of us learners taking it in turns to be behind the wheel for an hour or so each. I passed my test first time with five minors after a week. It worked for me but isn't for everyone!!
I was somewhere in between. 2* 2 hour lessons a week, with an extra 2 hour lesson now and then. I did find that after 2 hours driving and learning new things, my brain was starting to tire and I was losing concentration. The lessons were close enough together that there was good "inertia" and I didn't forget much, but not so intense that it felt pressured.
I did an intensive driving course - 32 hours in one week. Cost me almost £1,500. Then I got told at the end of the week that he wouldn’t let me take my test in his car because I wasn’t ready. I moved my test two weeks later, then sat through another ten hours with the same asshole who told me the same thing at the end AGAIN. So I took the test in my own car and passed it. Intensive courses are truly not for everyone. It was rough. I feel like he truly just took me for a total financial ride.
Hi, I passed today on my first attempt! Your videos are excellent, made my basic understanding very strong and simplified all the manoeuvres..helped me tremendously to correct myself..keep up the good work!😊
I needed to learn to drive quick, it was peak of the pandemic and relied on trains to get to work which is over an hours drive away. I did an intensive course for 25hrs spread over a month. I had an initial assessment lesson and thankfully got along with my instructor. I’m quite a nervous person and the lessons very quickly took me out of my comfort zone. I was fortunate enough to be able to practice what I’d learnt outside of the lessons and did another 24hrs. 2 days before my test I did a 5hr lesson which I found to be fun and didn’t get tired, and then had a 2hr lesson before my test which helped to calm my nerves. During my other lessons I did 2hrs at a time. My instructor was good at identifying my learning style which helped. I’d also had my test booked prior to the lessons starting, though my instructor moved my test to a couple of weeks later to get more practice in and said if he didn’t feel I was ready he would advise I move my test and have some weekly lessons. Everything you’ve said is accurate, the other thing I’d add, is that I didn’t have the time to build up my confidence. After passing my test with 2 minors, I didn’t drive for a few days, and took a couple more months until I stopped getting nervous. If time was on my side I’d have done some weekly lessons to slowly learn and reflect on, before increasing the intensity.
I did a 24 hour intensive course in Colchester a couple of years ago, my instructor paced it in 4 hour blocks for 3 days over two weeks and was insistent that I not book my test until the end and he was sure I was ready. I feel like this was a pretty good middle ground and worked really well for me as I passed a couple of weeks after the end of the course with no minors, everyone's different if it works for you great, if not don't force it and go at your own pace!
Hi mate, did my driving test 2 days ago and passed first time with 5 minors. Had to do about 50% of my learning on my own after my living situation fell through, resulting in a change in test centres. Its impossible to get a driving instructor up here without a serious wait. I could not have pulled it off without your videos. Thanks a lot dude!
I personally struggle to believe that you can go from never having driven to being a rounded driver with adequate experience behind them to be fully independent and safe in the space of a week. It's one thing being able to apply the appropriate reference points and routines, but you also need to be able to handle the unexpected on the road. That's only something you learn by spending time on the road, encountering a wide variety of hazards and situations, and then having time to reflect on them afterwards. That kind of life experience isn't something that you can simply cram revision for like an exam in school.
You are correct. It's a myth. As a Driving Instructor myself, MOST learners starting from scratch need at least 50-60hrs of lessons to be test ready. I had a female learner do 6hrs a day with me over 10days or so and she already had 20hrs of lessons from a previous instructor. We had a 'realistic' goal, and she passed because she worked hard at it and put the practice in.
@@andydixon298050-60😅😅seems a bit much but then again as you’re saying you’re a DI you’d know best. For me I took roughly around 30-40 mainly due to wait g for me test
Absolutely don't touch one with a bargepole in my experience. I did one before I moved to a regular, weekly lesson instructor. 2 of the 10 people doing the course at the same time as me progressed to booking their test, and both had done a fair amount of lessons before starting the course. I drove for around 4 to 5 hours a day with minimal breaks, and wasn't benefitting after a couple of hours, you're making mistakes just because you're tired. Driving is a high stress, high fatigue activity for learners, so to be driving for that amount of time per day is just very hard. My instructor did not seem bothered how well I progressed as he had been paid for the full week up front. I just can't advise people against them strongly enough . You also aren't getting the opportunity to reflect between lessons and to mentally adjust for your faults and flaws. The instructor I went with and passed with afterwards with conventional weekly lessons said they're a waste of time as well.
It takes time to develop the proper reflexes and coordination to operate a car correctly. Some people are much better at acquiring these skills than others. It seems to me that having a couple of lessons a week would have more chance to present you with some more demanding situations, and give you time to assimilate your experience so that you become a better driver. Learning to drive isn't just learning to pass the test.
Interesting, I wanted to do intensive when I was learning but now, 22 years later, I don't think I would on the same basis as you. I got lots of experience with my dad which I think helped more than I can say
That was one question I always had. Did you always include a nighttime driving lesson? Or did you cancel for weather reasons? Seems the most stressful situations for a new driver are those, weather and darkness. Also I can think of another reason for intensive, away from home lessons. If you lived in an area with bad traffic. Don’t want to spend your money to sit in bumper to bumper traffic half the time.
I was looking for intensive courses in my area, and over 80% of them had reviews saying they had been scammed. I really wanted an intensive course but could not find a reputable organisation to do it. I ended up arranging two or three lessons a week with a driving instructor directly instead.
My brother did intensive and passed in a week, sponsored by our parents. I had lessons as I could afford them, since at work, looong time to pass as a result.
I've been riding a motorcycle for 9 years and I was just sick of it and wanted to get my driving licence fast, for many reasons. I've ridden about 80,000 miles so I'm very comfortable on the road. I went with PassMeFast. It was terrible. I got messed around so I didn't get a test date in their supposed 3 months, and when I did, it took them ages to find an instructor. So by the time I had one, there wasn't much time to evaluate the instructor and get a different one - he was AWFUL. I'd been having lessons with someone else so I was already driving by this point. The intensive driving course instructor was impatient and unprofessional, his car was messy, he would use the phone whilst we were on a lesson, talk badly about his students, and his solution to instructions was to just raise his voice. We didn't do a practice test, and I had gone from feeling confident in my maneuvers to just kind of guessing in his car. In my other instructors car we noted reference points and all that, in his car I had no idea because we hardly did any of that. If I had been younger, if that had been my first experience of driving lessons, I imagine it would have taken years to get my confidence back to try again. To be honest I wasn't sure what to do as I'd spent double on his lessons than I would have with my good instructor. Actually by the time they got me a test, if I'd have just booked one in March when I started all this, I'd have gotten my license sooner, I'm sure. I learn better in big chunks. The problem for me was the instructor and the fact I was locked in with him, with no time to ask for someone else. I'm glad I didn't pass because it would have been all through my effort and my good instructor, but he would have had another pass on his record, which he absolutely wouldn't have deserved. My next test date is in a few weeks. I ended up buying a car and having friends sit in with me whilst I got comfortable with it. I can now drive like anyone else, I just need the paper to finish the job. If you are considering an intensive course, I would say it's really for someone who is confident already. You don't know who you'll get, and they could be absolutely awful. Also, their supposed access to earlier test dates is a whole scam in itself where they use customer driving licence number to placehold test dates... They're making the situation worse and profiting just by being middle men.
I did an intensive course with a local instructor, and it was great. I think I ended up paying just short of £700 in total and passed after 18 hours of lessons. I actually had some hours left over as a test came up earlier and he thought i was ready. For me, it was much preferable to weekly lessons, which imo are a waste if money as you spend so much time re-covering things. Although, im very much a 'one and done' learner, I just need to be shown once and I get the hang of it straight away.
Same payed similar amount and passed after under 20 hours. The whole process took just under a month. My friend has been doing weekly lessons for months and he had over 40 hours told him to get intensive course he’s not listening 😢
@ziyad.l252l my friend did the same. She started taking lessons before COVID and passed a week before me. I only started my lessons after she booked her test! Tbh, the only reason I did it was because I was sick of my mother saying things like 'you don't even drive' when I criticised her driving, so I surprised her with it and told her to wind her neck in.
I paid my first instructor for 20 hours and he was hideous. He was fine at first, but he pressured me into paying for 20 more. Then he did nothing but mess me around - he wouldn't bother turning up, he was late and an awful racist and sexist and had a short fuse. He'd shout and rant at me and I never felt safe. He knew I had trauma that stopped me driving for 25 years. My second one was unreal 🎉 I passed first time with 2 driving faults on Tuesday 1st Oct. He was born to do the job.
I kind of did both personally, 2 hours a week with my driving instructor, then my father every night with the lessons if you can call them that, as driving instructor kept complaining everytime as I was so tense to learn, or my father expected me to drive to his standard, but then not teaching me how to improve, like his philosiphy was I can do 30 around this corner, so 29.5mph isn't acceptable, but then not telling me when I am allowed to slow down either. my Cat. C. lessons was intensive training, but then the instructor for my initial lesson wasn't the one I had for the intensive training, and the one I had for intensive training was taking me on roads I am used to doing with the car, so carrying way too much speed where the truck needs to go slower. and then failing for the backend of the truck swaying on the road because of bumps in the road, that the driving instructor told me exactly the same as my father, 29.5 mph isn't acceptable on a 30 mph road, and then totally useless as a driving instructor by not teaching me anything on learning to drive large goods either, he would have been better suited to someone who has driven 7.5 tonne vehicles at least on a regular basis.
Do you have any videos on following a sat nav? I've heard you will either have the examiner telling you where to go e.g turn left here, take the second exit here etc. They will direct you or they will plonk the sat nav on the dash board and ask you to follow directions when they program it in or they will ask you to follow directions to somewhere where you have to follow directional signs. As well the independent part of the driving could be at the beginning or second half of the test.
I think weekly lessons are good, cause when you screw up, you can dwell it on and process it, and hopefully not repeat the mistake. And I think I would lose focus if I was driving all day long, I found that with 2 hour lessons, so went back to 1.5 hour ones.
Hi, I’m a beginner driver and have zero knowledge in driving, however i learnt the basic rule through the help of my colleague but I am still lack of confidence I rattle when driving in busy road and most of the time I always overlooked on my right side that I’m almost getting hit and turning after the stop light and these are the major issues that I’m always facing when driving and I’m losing my confidence and I’m now about to quit driving.
If i provided intensive courses I would prefer to have 2 students together. 1. They can learn from each other's mistakes. 2. They each have some reflection time while the other student is driving. 3. A little competition caan be beneficial.
My current worry now Test booked for next month, been a real struggle getting an instructor, the only one i got said we'll have a 4hrs lesson and then an hour on teat day as I've been driving for a while now, but don't know if to go with him
I feel like 4 hours a day for a learner is so unbenificial because after maybe 2 hours head might get tired and silly mistakes might happen and good habits don’t have time to develop! 2 hour lessons max in one day I think
I think it would be better to learn in area where you get tested. I leant ro drive in germany, did one evening lesson a week as bot emoygh time beside school. And after theory test the practical was easy during holiday time with empty roads and good weather. As teenies we knew all roads at home anyway, in UK they now need sat nav 😅
I do 4 hours of driving lessons a week 🙃 its not cheap, and it's not sustainable long-term. i started in July & my test is in Dec. I know how to drive now, and I'm confident... but i can't tell you how worried i am about failing my driving test for something stupid... As i have invested pretty much all my savings into learning how to drive 🚗 I'm 31 years old, so I didn't really want to mess around but wanted to learn to be a good driver. Basically, whatever way you do it if you want to learn to drive to a good standard you need to spend if you don't have a friend with a car to teach you.
One of my friends done a crash course and still failed his test. He crash booked in 3 tests one after another until he passed. He didn't get good at driving until well after being on the road for like 6 months. I had a huge break between passing my test and getting a car (motorcyclist for 10 years with a 5 year gap in a car) and still not comfortable with parking. I should have had a crash course before purchasing a car, however this was when the back log was literally a year long. I needed the car then and there, and your videos helped my get comfortable with driving again. Its my goal to get myself to a car park over the next month or so to learn how to park in a new car again. I can sort of parallel park, but not in a tight space. And i also haven't reversed into a space for a year, so i need to practice this again. I dont think myself or my friend would have benefited from the crash courses initially. Edit: as a motorcyclist for 5 year by the time i sat my car test, it took me 18 lessons and 2 minors to pass. My hazard perception was the worst though, i would click too early on everything as a hazard. Took me a while to figure out when the test wanted it
Intensive courses! The pressure to pass your test. Surely you would sick of the car and driving being in the car a lot. You would get fed up and tired. Mentally not great and a waste of money if you fail.
Hi Mr Richard ok Good night Happy Monday you call that meanie,s advantages is like 3 time,s /4 time,s weekly money all those stuff 6 hr,s woow that s a lot
You've missed a major disadvantage: Reflection time. No opportunity to binge watch Conquer Driving in between lessons!
There were occasions in my early lessons where I thought "that manoeuvre didn't quite go as well as it should have" or "my hill starts are fine with the foot brake but I need to learn handbrake starts too". The intensive course wouldn't give you as many opportunities to reflect back on every situation and refine your driving (and you've probably forgotten a lot of what happened over 6 hours).
Between my lessons, I spent a lot of time watching instructors and mock tests on TH-cam, and also studying Google Street View for lane markings at complicated roundabouts in my area (*as long as the map/street view show the up-to-date layout!)
A few shoutouts for anyone who is learning, these are the TH-camrs I found most helpful alongside Richard:
- Ashley Neal (brilliant analysis and learning point videos, really gets you thinking about situational awareness)
- Conquer Driving, Clearview Driving and DGN Driving (mock test videos - Richard is the best out of those though 😉)
- World Driving (great for learning the very basic beginner stuff)
I second Ashley Neal - he doesn't just teach people to drive, he teaches people to be decent humans on the road.
Ashley neal is a must binge for any drivers whove just passed. Using his advice as a learner i feel would be too much on uour mind. Besides reading others isn't something you'll get in the few hours you spend on lessons
@@somerandomguywastaken agree with that to be fair, definitely too much in the early lessons but well worth watching once you've passed or feel confident enough in your later lessons
I have my first lesson next Sunday. Cannot wait!
@LeonNallCritchlow if your clutch leg starts spazzing out, don't worry! We all go through it at the start
I did a 20 hour crash course right before my test date and found it pretty beneficial in terms of learning how to drive to pass my test. Best thing was, that there was no time for me to forget anything which would have happened if I had done weekly lessons. But yeah, all of your points in the video are pretty much valid.
20 hrs isn't an intensive course at all 😡
If you forget how to drive in a week, you've got problems.
Weekly lessons and videos from Richard is the best way to pass! Passed few years ago now and still always watch these videos!
Just passed my test with only 1 minor today. I wanna say thank you so much for all your videos. It’s not only about the driving skills, your deep understanding of pupils’ thoughts are gold. I can drive quite well but I cannot hold my nerve for a long time. After watching your videos, I know the most important things are to driver safely and legally. And I know what the examiners think. Those help me so much and I will continue to watch your videos to be a better driver.
I sort of did an intensive course but I never planned to do this. I seriously cut my thumb months before my test, it limited the movement of my left thumb, pulling the handbrake would have been impossible. My thumb healed two months before my driving test although finding a driving instructor was difficult, with many cancelling on me.
I was desperate so I booked 20 hrs using BSM with only 10 days to learn. The instructor was shocked when I explained my situation and advised that I rebook my test, I told him I'll consider it but think I can pass. After one day of driving he was adamant I had driven a car before and told me he had never had a learner like me. 10 days later I passed.
It actually was beneficial to me because I tend to lose motivation very quickly, doing a lot of lessons in a short period of time prevented this. I would only advise doing an intense course as a last resort or if its your only option. I wouldn't have done this if I hadn't watched over a hundred hours of driving videos.
I passed my test a few months back now. Your videos really helped me get a deper understanding of what I was doing and why. Thanks for the great work.
I would also like to add that sitting beside the driver a lot of times can also help. You receive tips and reminders from seasoned drivers, you get used to the windshield view in various speeds and turns, and you get to watch the driver how they do it. That helped me a lot. I only took a 10-hour course for 2 hours a day just within a week. On my first day, I already got to experience driving on the road. I learn fast as well and that's a different quality altogether, but being beside a driver for a while boosted my confidence when it was my turn to take the wheel. It was also how I found this channel too! The next few days, I watched and watched the driving tips on this channel and that helped a ton!
I liked having weekly lessons because it was something to look forward to. Your short term memory can only store so much information in a period of time so cramming in long hours can affect your progress massively. I've only ever done 2 hour lessons and I think that is the happy medium. This week I'll be going out with my instructor to do part of the pass course plus which I'll be out for 4 hours so I've been watching your pass plus video on repeat 😂😂
Great video Rich 👍
good luck
@nct948 thanks mate it's gone well so far 😎
I began watching your videos when I started a intensive with Pass Me Fast and ended up quitting the course due to the point you made about the instructor. Mine was not nice. TLDR I lost the money on the remaining lessons. It left me defeated and more anxious and I almost quit for good. Luckily I dusted myself off and found an instructor that I gel with. Still learning via weekly lessons. Those debating intensive, it’s not for everyone. It’s fast paced for sure. Keep up the good work Richard :)
I also had a terrible experience with PassMeFast for the same reasons. I didn't pass! FailMeSlow!!!
@ I called em ShaftMeFast in my trust pilot review. They need to cherry pick their instructors better. Sometimes the qualification alone does not cut it. Learners can be more fragile than some instructors think. I hope you find or found a good one :)
I’m currently in a dispute with PassMeFast over my instructor. I’ve been asking to cancel my course and get my money back but I know from reading all the reviews that I’ve been scammed. I feel like a right mug. I paid £2615 up front and have had 8 hours / 4 lessons, I’ve lost an insane amount of money and have got no where.
@@RebeccaEvans-p5iI can relate in a lot of ways. If you get your money back consider yourself lucky. They gave my instructor the money super fast and then they hold the money captive almost. PMF basically checked out of my dilemma. The issue is they don’t really look into instructors deep enough. They just see companies in relevant areas and work something out with them. If they were more picky, let’s say study reviews and ratings they could have way more good ones under their wing. When you get a bad one through them, it doesn’t make anyone look good, the student feels more anxious and at a mega loss. I really hope it gets resolved. All I got was the practical money back after cancelling it. Don’t let it beat you. When your ready do weekly lessons but test out some local ones first. That’s what I did after months of not wanting to learn after PMF. Now it’s super chill and learning is at a faster pace when you have a good instructor. I hope you get through it all. I feel your pain. I hammered both the instructor and PMF on reviews. I should have went weekly personally. Good luck anyway. Don’t give up
I think a trial lesson is important before starting an intensive course. You need to train with an instructor that you get on with.
Did my test today and passed first time with 0 minors, thanks a lot these videos have been such a massive help 😀!
That's great to hear! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
well done! I was told the tests are more demanding nowadays so congratulations
I passed through an intensive course and wow it wasn't cheap at all! I already had many lessons prior and for 15 hours (including test day) it was £956! My reasons was mentioned in your video, Richard. I found it beneficial to learn daily than weekly.
with the price of lessons as of recent i'd say you got off pretty easy financially (i've spent over 1.5k over a couple months plus change). if you can pick up things quickly and have the mental stamina and free time to do an intensive, it's probably the best option if you don't have a friend or family member to practice with
I paid 600 for 15hrs crash course 😂
@@marcusgarvey630 Fair play, brother. Hope you passed afterwards!
I was learning for over a year before I joined the Army, and they put me (as all Royal Signals personnel) through an intensive driving course: me, another learner and the instructor, in the car for about eight hours, each of us learners taking it in turns to be behind the wheel for an hour or so each.
I passed my test first time with five minors after a week. It worked for me but isn't for everyone!!
passed my test today first try. Just wanted to thank you for all your videos, wouldn't of been able to do it without you :)
I successfully passed my driving test today with 3 minors. Thank you so much, and God bless
Appreciate the honesty at the end 😅
Passed the test today (first attempt with 3 minors)! Thanks for the content ❤ Helped a lot.
🎉
I was somewhere in between. 2* 2 hour lessons a week, with an extra 2 hour lesson now and then. I did find that after 2 hours driving and learning new things, my brain was starting to tire and I was losing concentration. The lessons were close enough together that there was good "inertia" and I didn't forget much, but not so intense that it felt pressured.
I did an intensive driving course - 32 hours in one week. Cost me almost £1,500. Then I got told at the end of the week that he wouldn’t let me take my test in his car because I wasn’t ready. I moved my test two weeks later, then sat through another ten hours with the same asshole who told me the same thing at the end AGAIN. So I took the test in my own car and passed it. Intensive courses are truly not for everyone. It was rough. I feel like he truly just took me for a total financial ride.
Hi, I passed today on my first attempt!
Your videos are excellent, made my basic understanding very strong and simplified all the manoeuvres..helped me tremendously to correct myself..keep up the good work!😊
I needed to learn to drive quick, it was peak of the pandemic and relied on trains to get to work which is over an hours drive away. I did an intensive course for 25hrs spread over a month. I had an initial assessment lesson and thankfully got along with my instructor. I’m quite a nervous person and the lessons very quickly took me out of my comfort zone. I was fortunate enough to be able to practice what I’d learnt outside of the lessons and did another 24hrs.
2 days before my test I did a 5hr lesson which I found to be fun and didn’t get tired, and then had a 2hr lesson before my test which helped to calm my nerves. During my other lessons I did 2hrs at a time. My instructor was good at identifying my learning style which helped. I’d also had my test booked prior to the lessons starting, though my instructor moved my test to a couple of weeks later to get more practice in and said if he didn’t feel I was ready he would advise I move my test and have some weekly lessons.
Everything you’ve said is accurate, the other thing I’d add, is that I didn’t have the time to build up my confidence. After passing my test with 2 minors, I didn’t drive for a few days, and took a couple more months until I stopped getting nervous. If time was on my side I’d have done some weekly lessons to slowly learn and reflect on, before increasing the intensity.
I did a 24 hour intensive course in Colchester a couple of years ago, my instructor paced it in 4 hour blocks for 3 days over two weeks and was insistent that I not book my test until the end and he was sure I was ready.
I feel like this was a pretty good middle ground and worked really well for me as I passed a couple of weeks after the end of the course with no minors, everyone's different if it works for you great, if not don't force it and go at your own pace!
I’ve taught both weekly and now intensive, and its night and day difference. The intensive is better.
Disagree entirely 😡 ex A,grade instructor of twenty two years
Hi mate, did my driving test 2 days ago and passed first time with 5 minors. Had to do about 50% of my learning on my own after my living situation fell through, resulting in a change in test centres. Its impossible to get a driving instructor up here without a serious wait. I could not have pulled it off without your videos. Thanks a lot dude!
That's really great to hear! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
6:54 Great! I was hoping for the David Attenborough-type instructor - Mark Corrigan
I personally struggle to believe that you can go from never having driven to being a rounded driver with adequate experience behind them to be fully independent and safe in the space of a week.
It's one thing being able to apply the appropriate reference points and routines, but you also need to be able to handle the unexpected on the road. That's only something you learn by spending time on the road, encountering a wide variety of hazards and situations, and then having time to reflect on them afterwards. That kind of life experience isn't something that you can simply cram revision for like an exam in school.
If you do a 40hour intensive course or 40hours done weekly over a few months you still have the same experience.
You are correct. It's a myth. As a Driving Instructor myself, MOST learners starting from scratch need at least 50-60hrs of lessons to be test ready. I had a female learner do 6hrs a day with me over 10days or so and she already had 20hrs of lessons from a previous instructor. We had a 'realistic' goal, and she passed because she worked hard at it and put the practice in.
@@andydixon298050-60😅😅seems a bit much but then again as you’re saying you’re a DI you’d know best. For me I took roughly around 30-40 mainly due to wait g for me test
Absolutely don't touch one with a bargepole in my experience. I did one before I moved to a regular, weekly lesson instructor. 2 of the 10 people doing the course at the same time as me progressed to booking their test, and both had done a fair amount of lessons before starting the course.
I drove for around 4 to 5 hours a day with minimal breaks, and wasn't benefitting after a couple of hours, you're making mistakes just because you're tired. Driving is a high stress, high fatigue activity for learners, so to be driving for that amount of time per day is just very hard.
My instructor did not seem bothered how well I progressed as he had been paid for the full week up front.
I just can't advise people against them strongly enough . You also aren't getting the opportunity to reflect between lessons and to mentally adjust for your faults and flaws. The instructor I went with and passed with afterwards with conventional weekly lessons said they're a waste of time as well.
It takes time to develop the proper reflexes and coordination to operate a car correctly. Some people are much better at acquiring these skills than others. It seems to me that having a couple of lessons a week would have more chance to present you with some more demanding situations, and give you time to assimilate your experience so that you become a better driver. Learning to drive isn't just learning to pass the test.
you’ve been teaching people to drive since before i was born
Hearing about the residential course was very interesting!
Interesting, I wanted to do intensive when I was learning but now, 22 years later, I don't think I would on the same basis as you. I got lots of experience with my dad which I think helped more than I can say
I had a few hours driving lessons and then did a residential intensive course which I really enjoyed and passed at the end of it
That was one question I always had. Did you always include a nighttime driving lesson? Or did you cancel for weather reasons? Seems the most stressful situations for a new driver are those, weather and darkness.
Also I can think of another reason for intensive, away from home lessons. If you lived in an area with bad traffic. Don’t want to spend your money to sit in bumper to bumper traffic half the time.
I was looking for intensive courses in my area, and over 80% of them had reviews saying they had been scammed. I really wanted an intensive course but could not find a reputable organisation to do it. I ended up arranging two or three lessons a week with a driving instructor directly instead.
My brother did intensive and passed in a week, sponsored by our parents. I had lessons as I could afford them, since at work, looong time to pass as a result.
I've been riding a motorcycle for 9 years and I was just sick of it and wanted to get my driving licence fast, for many reasons. I've ridden about 80,000 miles so I'm very comfortable on the road.
I went with PassMeFast. It was terrible. I got messed around so I didn't get a test date in their supposed 3 months, and when I did, it took them ages to find an instructor. So by the time I had one, there wasn't much time to evaluate the instructor and get a different one - he was AWFUL. I'd been having lessons with someone else so I was already driving by this point. The intensive driving course instructor was impatient and unprofessional, his car was messy, he would use the phone whilst we were on a lesson, talk badly about his students, and his solution to instructions was to just raise his voice. We didn't do a practice test, and I had gone from feeling confident in my maneuvers to just kind of guessing in his car. In my other instructors car we noted reference points and all that, in his car I had no idea because we hardly did any of that.
If I had been younger, if that had been my first experience of driving lessons, I imagine it would have taken years to get my confidence back to try again. To be honest I wasn't sure what to do as I'd spent double on his lessons than I would have with my good instructor. Actually by the time they got me a test, if I'd have just booked one in March when I started all this, I'd have gotten my license sooner, I'm sure.
I learn better in big chunks. The problem for me was the instructor and the fact I was locked in with him, with no time to ask for someone else. I'm glad I didn't pass because it would have been all through my effort and my good instructor, but he would have had another pass on his record, which he absolutely wouldn't have deserved.
My next test date is in a few weeks. I ended up buying a car and having friends sit in with me whilst I got comfortable with it. I can now drive like anyone else, I just need the paper to finish the job.
If you are considering an intensive course, I would say it's really for someone who is confident already. You don't know who you'll get, and they could be absolutely awful. Also, their supposed access to earlier test dates is a whole scam in itself where they use customer driving licence number to placehold test dates... They're making the situation worse and profiting just by being middle men.
Thank you very much for your update s is not 5hat complex great idea 👍
I did an intensive course with a local instructor, and it was great. I think I ended up paying just short of £700 in total and passed after 18 hours of lessons. I actually had some hours left over as a test came up earlier and he thought i was ready.
For me, it was much preferable to weekly lessons, which imo are a waste if money as you spend so much time re-covering things.
Although, im very much a 'one and done' learner, I just need to be shown once and I get the hang of it straight away.
Same payed similar amount and passed after under 20 hours. The whole process took just under a month. My friend has been doing weekly lessons for months and he had over 40 hours told him to get intensive course he’s not listening 😢
@ziyad.l252l my friend did the same. She started taking lessons before COVID and passed a week before me. I only started my lessons after she booked her test!
Tbh, the only reason I did it was because I was sick of my mother saying things like 'you don't even drive' when I criticised her driving, so I surprised her with it and told her to wind her neck in.
Can you do a video on reversing in a straight line?
I paid my first instructor for 20 hours and he was hideous. He was fine at first, but he pressured me into paying for 20 more. Then he did nothing but mess me around - he wouldn't bother turning up, he was late and an awful racist and sexist and had a short fuse. He'd shout and rant at me and I never felt safe. He knew I had trauma that stopped me driving for 25 years.
My second one was unreal 🎉 I passed first time with 2 driving faults on Tuesday 1st Oct. He was born to do the job.
whatever the subject, a good teacher is worth his weight in gold.
On my first few weeks of learning i did 3-6 hrs of driving every day and i was taught by my dads and uncles
Heyyy! I appreciate this video, I hope it does well :)
I kind of did both personally, 2 hours a week with my driving instructor, then my father every night with the lessons if you can call them that, as driving instructor kept complaining everytime as I was so tense to learn, or my father expected me to drive to his standard, but then not teaching me how to improve, like his philosiphy was I can do 30 around this corner, so 29.5mph isn't acceptable, but then not telling me when I am allowed to slow down either. my Cat. C. lessons was intensive training, but then the instructor for my initial lesson wasn't the one I had for the intensive training, and the one I had for intensive training was taking me on roads I am used to doing with the car, so carrying way too much speed where the truck needs to go slower. and then failing for the backend of the truck swaying on the road because of bumps in the road, that the driving instructor told me exactly the same as my father, 29.5 mph isn't acceptable on a 30 mph road, and then totally useless as a driving instructor by not teaching me anything on learning to drive large goods either, he would have been better suited to someone who has driven 7.5 tonne vehicles at least on a regular basis.
Do you have any videos on following a sat nav? I've heard you will either have the examiner telling you where to go e.g turn left here, take the second exit here etc. They will direct you or they will plonk the sat nav on the dash board and ask you to follow directions when they program it in or they will ask you to follow directions to somewhere where you have to follow directional signs. As well the independent part of the driving could be at the beginning or second half of the test.
I think weekly lessons are good, cause when you screw up, you can dwell it on and process it, and hopefully not repeat the mistake.
And I think I would lose focus if I was driving all day long, I found that with 2 hour lessons, so went back to 1.5 hour ones.
Hi, I’m a beginner driver and have zero knowledge in driving, however i learnt the basic rule through the help of my colleague but I am still lack of confidence I rattle when driving in busy road and most of the time I always overlooked on my right side that I’m almost getting hit and turning after the stop light and these are the major issues that I’m always facing when driving and I’m losing my confidence and I’m now about to quit driving.
If i provided intensive courses I would prefer to have 2 students together. 1. They can learn from each other's mistakes. 2. They each have some reflection time while the other student is driving. 3. A little competition caan be beneficial.
I can't remember if they were a thing when I first started learning, ( a Christmas or 50 back!!), it wouldn't have worked for me.
I did a 10 hour crash course and passed, but I did do like 60-70 hours before on and off over a year and a half almost 2 years
My current worry now
Test booked for next month, been a real struggle getting an instructor, the only one i got said we'll have a 4hrs lesson and then an hour on teat day as I've been driving for a while now, but don't know if to go with him
Yes you should. Quality ain’t cheap, cheap ain’t quality.
I feel like 4 hours a day for a learner is so unbenificial because after maybe 2 hours head might get tired and silly mistakes might happen and good habits don’t have time to develop! 2 hour lessons max in one day I think
I'd love to hear your thoughts on advanced driving training post test, Richard. IAM, RoSPA, DIAmond etc...
I think it would be better to learn in area where you get tested.
I leant ro drive in germany, did one evening lesson a week as bot emoygh time beside school.
And after theory test the practical was easy during holiday time with empty roads and good weather.
As teenies we knew all roads at home anyway, in UK they now need sat nav 😅
I do 4 hours of driving lessons a week 🙃 its not cheap, and it's not sustainable long-term. i started in July & my test is in Dec. I know how to drive now, and I'm confident... but i can't tell you how worried i am about failing my driving test for something stupid... As i have invested pretty much all my savings into learning how to drive 🚗 I'm 31 years old, so I didn't really want to mess around but wanted to learn to be a good driver. Basically, whatever way you do it if you want to learn to drive to a good standard you need to spend if you don't have a friend with a car to teach you.
I done intensive course second time but my instructor never put me to test he said I’m not ready after I struggle to my find booking test 😡
I passed my test 6 months ago. I haven't driven ever since as I still haven't got a car. I'm worried about driving when I get a car
An intensive driving course wouldn't have been feasible for me due to me being disabled. I had 1hr lessons weekly which worked for me.
My issue is the instructor touches the wheel when I say not to and it's annoying and distracting I been through 5 instructors already
How do your pupils get a test booked without waiting months?
Look for cancellations. So far they always find them, but you have to check regularly.
Doing it all in 3 days seems a lot but bro 1h a week is so slow they could do in between
Do HGV Training
Wish I could have seen such analysis before my first decision to look for a lesson. Money wasted 😢
I was advised by family to do an intensive to get my test over faster
Glad i didnt they are not for me im better with weekly lessons
One of my friends done a crash course and still failed his test. He crash booked in 3 tests one after another until he passed. He didn't get good at driving until well after being on the road for like 6 months. I had a huge break between passing my test and getting a car (motorcyclist for 10 years with a 5 year gap in a car) and still not comfortable with parking. I should have had a crash course before purchasing a car, however this was when the back log was literally a year long. I needed the car then and there, and your videos helped my get comfortable with driving again. Its my goal to get myself to a car park over the next month or so to learn how to park in a new car again. I can sort of parallel park, but not in a tight space. And i also haven't reversed into a space for a year, so i need to practice this again. I dont think myself or my friend would have benefited from the crash courses initially. Edit: as a motorcyclist for 5 year by the time i sat my car test, it took me 18 lessons and 2 minors to pass. My hazard perception was the worst though, i would click too early on everything as a hazard. Took me a while to figure out when the test wanted it
You remind me of Sheldon Cooper
That is not a compliment.🤭
You're not the first person to say that, but people only say that when they see me on screen. In person people sometimes say Freddie Mercury.
@@ConquerDrivingI see it
Intensive courses! The pressure to pass your test. Surely you would sick of the car and driving being in the car a lot. You would get fed up and tired. Mentally not great and a waste of money if you fail.
6hr,s is a lot of hr,s 2 long is like going to a very long different zone
Hi Mr Richard ok Good night Happy Monday you call that meanie,s advantages is like 3 time,s /4 time,s weekly money all those stuff 6 hr,s woow that s a lot
Yeah is Tumb,z up here is expensive is not cheap k pray 🙏 l have a good guy who can chip in k l ❤❤ your Theology k great
Haa l an only doing l hr per wk is not good haa wonderful l am getting better not that bad so true