Intensive or weekly
Check out the pros and cons of intensive courses
By Steve Pinnock
When starting to drive most people like me can’t wait, I had my first driving lesson on my 17th birthday and even before that I had practiced in car parks with family. Learning to drive can be a long process; it’s not unusual for it to take up to a year and for pupils to take between 40 and 50 lessons before they are ready to take their test. This has resulted in the increase in pupils taking intensive courses trying to pass as quickly as possible. Today we see if intensive course are worth doing or is it best to stick with the traditional way of learning.
What is an Intensive Course?
The purpose of an Intensive Course is to cram many lessons into a much shorter time frame than normal, usually doing between 2-6 hours a day. This will depend on the amount of lessons you need and the amount of days you are available to take the course. They are usually offered in one or two week periods.
You would need to already have a provisional licence and should have passed your Theory Test so you can have a practical test booked at the end of the course.
Trying to pass fast is an intensive courses for you?
What to expect on the Course
Intensive Courses as the name suggests are intense, you will need to give it your full attention. It is normally done on a week or two week off, trying to do an intensive course after a day at school college or work is a bad idea. Driving for several hours a day is very tiring so you will need to make sure little else going on in your life and getting a good night’s sleep is essential. The tuition you receive will be similar to conventional lessons but in a much more intensive way.
How long is the Course?
At Bell Driving School we have an assessment lesson first that all pupils must undergo to establish your standard and suitability before starting the course. You will then be informed how long the course should last. There are no hard and fast rules to the timeframe, remember everyone is different. The assessment lesson is essential to picking the correct course.
How Much Does it Cost
The short answer is the longer the course the more expensive it becomes but compared to single weekly lessons it is cheaper per lesson. The things to look out for is does the course include the cost of the practical test and use of the tuition vehicle on the test, at Bell Driving School all our courses include this.
Some people do a crash course away from home which is usually called a Residential course. We would not recommend this as you are not going to be able to do an assessment lesson and may end up with a course that doesn’t suit you. You would not have met the instructor which isn’t good and also you would have to pay a considerable amount to stay in the accommodation provided, when you could have stayed at home and slept in your own bed. Last thing to consider with a residential course is if you fail at the end of the course you now have to go home and learn a completely different test centre to the one you just learnt to be able to take your test again.
Will I Pass, Is It Guaranteed?
It is impossible to guarantee a pass. This will depend on your performance on the day of the test and we know even the best laid plans can go wrong. Any driving school or website advertising a guaranteed pass is trying to mislead you and if you read the small print there will be some kind of get out clause. At Bell Driving School there is no small print just straight forward honest advice. Also be wary of driving schools that advertise a 90% plus first time pass rate any reputable school will tell you honestly that over a long period of time this is just not realistic. If you go to the DVLA website they have all the statistics you need to make an assumption of your chances of passing first time.
Weekly or Intensively
Back to my first question, Intensive courses are definitely not for everyone but for some people they are a great way to pass their test. If you are considering an Intensive I would make sure I had already done some driving and have an assessment lesson. I would stay at home and take the course from there but weekly lessons are still a great way to learn.
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