The answer options
- To exit the roundabout, signal left on the approach and right on the departure.
- Just after passing the exit before the one you want to take, signal left.Correct
- As you approach the roundabout, give a right signal and maintain it.
- Once you cross the roundabout and get on the new road, give a left signal.
Why the other options are wrong
- “To exit the roundabout, signal left on the approach and right on the departure.” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which just after passing the exit before the one you want to take, signal left does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “As you approach the roundabout, give a right signal and maintain it.” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which just after passing the exit before the one you want to take, signal left does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “Once you cross the roundabout and get on the new road, give a left signal.” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which just after passing the exit before the one you want to take, signal left does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
Why that is the answer
When taking an exit straight ahead at a roundabout, you should not signal on approach. To help other road users, you must signal left just after passing the exit before the one you want to take. This clearly shows drivers waiting to join that you are leaving. Signalling left on approach would mislead others into thinking you are taking the first exit, while signalling right suggests a right turn.
What rules of the road covers
- · National speed limits for cars, cars towing, and built-up areas
- · Priority at crossroads, roundabouts and unmarked junctions
- · Where waiting, loading and stopping are prohibited
- · One-way streets, bus lanes and contraflow systems
Mistakes learners repeat on this topic
- · Assuming street lighting always means 30mph without checking for repeater signs
- · Forgetting the reduced limits when towing on dual carriageways and motorways
- · Believing a roundabout always gives priority to the right regardless of markings
- · Parking within 10 metres of a junction because there were no yellow lines
Instructor tip: When a limit question names a vehicle type, answer for that vehicle — the trap is applying the car limit to everything.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from rules of the road appear throughout the 50-question multiple-choice section, and the wording changes between versions. Learn the rule rather than the sentence: the DVSA can ask the same point from the opposite direction, and a memorised answer falls over the moment the phrasing moves.
The pass mark is 43 out of 50, so seven wrong answers is your entire margin. If a whole category is shaky, run the topic practice below until you are getting every question right for the right reason, then go back to full mocks under the clock.
More rules of the road questions
- A single carriageway road has this sign. What’s the maximum permitted speed for a car towing a trailer?
- At an un-marked crossroads, who has priority?
- How else can you indicate to other drivers besides using direction indicators?
- How far are you allowed to reverse?
- How should you park at night on a road with a 40mph speed limit?
- How should you signal you are going straight ahead at a roundabout?