Carmarthenshire · Wales
Carmarthen driving test centre
54.2% of car practical tests taken at Carmarthen passed in 2025-26, from 2,746 tests. Pass rates, local road types and how we prepare you for this centre.
Carmarthen pass rates
Pass rate 2025-26
54.2%
1,488 passes
National average
50%
+4.2 points here
Tests conducted
2,746
about 229 a month
Best published year
57.3%
2021-22
2,746 car practical tests were taken at Carmarthen in 2025-26. 54.2% passed, 4.2 percentage points above the national average of 50%. That is broadly where it stood in 2019-20 (54.2%).
The rate has stayed within 4.4 points across the published years, between 52.9% and 57.3%. That works out at roughly 229 tests a month, which is what waiting times at Carmarthen depend on more than the pass rate does.
- Carmarthen
- National average
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate | National | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,746 | 1,488 | 54.2% | 50% | 54.2% | 54.2% |
| 2024-25 | 2,053 | 1,116 | 54.4% | 48.7% | 56.2% | 52.2% |
| 2023-24 | 2,173 | 1,149 | 52.9% | 47.9% | 54.8% | 50.7% |
| 2022-23 | 2,134 | 1,211 | 56.7% | 48.4% | 59.1% | 53.9% |
| 2021-22 | 2,253 | 1,290 | 57.3% | 48.9% | 60.3% | 53.8% |
| 2019-20 | 1,464 | 793 | 54.2% | 45.9% | 57.5% | 51.3% |
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 Carmarthen
Routes out of Carmarthen use the roads around the centre: national-speed-limit country lanes, single-track sections and small-town streets. Each of them is marked differently, which is why the last few hours of tuition are worked around the centre.
Sharp, poorly signed junctions mean planning has to start well before the give-way line. Blind bends and hidden entrances mean the drive is about reading the road ahead. Most candidates here travel in from around Carmarthenshire, so allow for the journey when you pick a slot.
Carmarthen takes candidates from across Carmarthenshire, so plenty arrive having learned on a different road mix. That usually shows in the first five minutes of the drive.
Most learners who retake at Carmarthen say the driving was fine and the pressure was not.
Roads you are likely to meet
National-speed-limit country lanes
Single-track sections
Small-town streets
- Sharp, poorly signed junctions mean planning has to start well before the give-way line.
- Blind bends and hidden entrances mean the drive is about reading the road ahead.
- Most candidates here travel in from around Carmarthenshire, so allow for the journey when you pick a slot.
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 Carmarthen
Bends, crests and sightlines
Drive to what you can see stopping in. Cresting a rise at 60 with no forward view reads as a lack of planning, not confidence.
How we prepare you for this centre
Time on the real roads
We plan the final sessions around Carmarthen itself, so the national-speed-limit country lanes you meet on test day are ones you have already driven.
A full mock test
A full-length mock from the Carmarthen 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 Carmarthen 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
Carmarthen test centre FAQs
What are the test routes like at Carmarthen?
The DVSA stopped publishing official routes, and examiners vary them. In practice, routes from Carmarthen draw on national-speed-limit country lanes, single-track sections, small-town streets, so those are the conditions to rehearse rather than a fixed sequence of streets.
What do learners most often fail on at Carmarthen?
bends, crests and sightlines — all of which come directly from the road types on the local network.
Can I take an intensive course and test at Carmarthen?
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 Carmarthen.
How do I book a practical test at Carmarthen?
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.
What happens when I get to Carmarthen?
Arrive with your provisional licence and a car that is legal, insured for the test and has no warning lights showing. We handle that side if you use one of our instructors' cars.
Is Carmarthen an easy test centre?
Pass rates are published by the DVSA, but they say more about the mix of candidates than the difficulty of the routes. Practising the road types above will move your odds more than switching centres.
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.