Hertfordshire · East of England
Bishops Stortford driving test centre
51.3% of car practical tests taken at Bishops Stortford passed in 2025-26, from 6,409 tests. Pass rates, local road types and how we prepare you for this centre.
Bishops Stortford pass rates
Pass rate 2025-26
51.3%
3,290 passes
National average
50%
+1.3 points here
Tests conducted
6,409
about 534 a month
Best published year
51.3%
2025-26
6,409 car practical tests were taken at Bishops Stortford in 2025-26. 51.3% passed, 1.3 percentage points above the national average of 50%. It is up on 2019-20, when 46.2% passed.
Over the published years the rate has moved between 46.2% in 2019-20 and 51.3% in 2025-26, so a single year's figure is a weak guide on its own. That works out at roughly 534 tests a month, which is what waiting times at Bishops Stortford depend on more than the pass rate does.
- Bishops Stortford
- National average
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate | National | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 6,409 | 3,290 | 51.3% | 50% | 51.6% | 51% |
| 2024-25 | 6,826 | 3,443 | 50.4% | 48.7% | 49.8% | 51.2% |
| 2023-24 | 8,006 | 3,966 | 49.5% | 47.9% | 50% | 49% |
| 2022-23 | 5,315 | 2,689 | 50.6% | 48.4% | 51.6% | 49.6% |
| 2021-22 | 5,127 | 2,428 | 47.4% | 48.9% | 49.5% | 45.3% |
| 2019-20 | 6,238 | 2,884 | 46.2% | 45.9% | 50.3% | 42.5% |
Source: DVSA table DRT122A, car practical driving test pass rates by test centre, published on GOV.UK. Figures are financial years running April to March.
Driving out of Bishops Stortford
Routes out of Bishops Stortford use the roads around the centre: busy high streets, multi-lane roundabouts and residential roads. Each of them is marked differently, which is why the last few hours of tuition are worked around the centre.
Lane discipline on the ring road is where most marks are lost. Expect a spell at 40mph or more before dropping straight back into 30mph streets. Bishops Stortford covers a wide slice of Hertfordshire, and instructors who teach it weekly know which approach roads back up.
Bishops Stortford takes candidates from across Hertfordshire, so plenty arrive having learned on a different road mix. That usually shows in the first five minutes of the drive.
The aim is simple: nothing on the drive should be new on the day.
Roads you are likely to meet
Busy high streets
Multi-lane roundabouts
Residential roads
- Lane discipline on the ring road is where most marks are lost.
- Expect a spell at 40mph or more before dropping straight back into 30mph streets.
- Bishops Stortford covers a wide slice of Hertfordshire, and instructors who teach it weekly know which approach roads back up.
Test routes are no longer published by the DVSA, and examiners vary them. Treat this as a guide to the local road types rather than a route list. Book your test and check availability on GOV.UK.
Where marks are lost at Bishops Stortford
Busy-centre awareness
Progress matters here too. Sitting at a clear crossing waiting for nobody is marked as undue hesitancy.
Roundabout observation and lane choice
Marks are lost for arriving in the wrong lane, or for hesitating at a gap that was long enough. Decide your lane at the sign, not at the give-way line.
Priority on narrow streets
The recurring fault is stopping in the gap rather than before it, then having nowhere to go when something comes the other way.
How we prepare you for this centre
Time on the real roads
We plan the final sessions around Bishops Stortford itself, so the busy high streets you meet on test day are ones you have already driven.
A full mock test
A full-length mock from the Bishops Stortford area, scored on the DVSA sheet so you see exactly where the marks went.
Manoeuvres in real locations
All four test manoeuvres, practised in the kind of streets examiners around Bishops Stortford actually use.
The paperwork and the routine
We walk the whole sequence — arrival, documents, eyesight check, independent drive — so nothing on the day is new.
Courses that suit test-centre prep
Bishops Stortford test centre FAQs
What are the test routes like at Bishops Stortford?
The DVSA stopped publishing official routes, and examiners vary them. In practice, routes from Bishops Stortford draw on busy high streets, multi-lane roundabouts, residential roads, so those are the conditions to rehearse rather than a fixed sequence of streets.
What do learners most often fail on at Bishops Stortford?
busy-centre awareness, roundabout observation and lane choice, priority on narrow streets — all of which come directly from the road types on the local network.
Can I take an intensive course and test at Bishops Stortford?
Yes. We match you with a DVSA approved instructor who teaches on these roads day to day, and we look for the earliest practical slot at Bishops Stortford.
How do I book a practical test at Bishops Stortford?
Practical tests are booked through GOV.UK with your provisional licence and theory certificate numbers. We can check cancellations for you once your course dates are set.
How early should I arrive at Bishops Stortford?
Ten minutes early is enough. Bring your provisional licence; the eyesight check happens outside before you get in the car, so know which plate you can read.
Should I travel to a different centre instead?
We will not sell you a pass rate. Published DVSA figures reflect who books there as much as the roads, and a centre an hour away that you cannot practise around is a worse bet than the one your instructor drives every week.
Not sure how many hours you need?
Answer four quick questions and we will recommend a course based on your experience, not a sales target.