Ballater

If Ballater is where you call home, you’ll be pleased to learn that you don’t have to travel further afield in Aberdeenshire to take your practical. You’ve got your very own local test centre at Ballater Fire Station! Located on Anderson Road, Ballater test centre can be found right next to the River Dee. Before you head here for your big day, get ahead of the curve by familiarising yourself with the driving test and your test centre.

Our essential test centre guide below will take you through everything you could possibly want to know before you take your driving test. Keep reading to find out more!


Address

The Lecture Room Ballater Fire Station, Anderson Road Ballater Aberdeenshire AB35 5QW

Tests Offered at Ballater

  • Car

Parking

Toilets

Only male toilets are available

Disabled Access

Check the book your driving test service for availability.

How To Get There

Haven’t a clue where Ballater test centre is? If you’re learning with a local ADI, they’ll take you there during your lessons to build up your familiarity with the area. Of course, if your enthusiasm has gotten the better of you and you’re looking to get a quick peek beforehand, use these directions.

A Bit More About Ballater

During your driving test, you’ll start out in the Ballater area. The roads can be a bit narrow here, so it can become a bit of a challenge to navigate around parked vehicles during rush hour. Keep your eyes peeled around these roads, as the examiner might take you around the local Ballater School—the last thing you want is to end up with faults for speeding!

There are a few local car parks in the area, so one of them might be chosen by the examiner as the place in which you demonstrate one of the driving test manoeuvres. Eventually, you’ll have to test your mettle against high-speed A roads like those close to Ballater, including the A939 and A93. Feeling overwhelmed? If you’re learning with a local ADI, they’ll make sure you’re more than familiar with these roads before you take your practical. So relax!

If you’re looking to balance your knowledge of Ballater’s roads with some more general information, check out these links:

Ballater Test Pass Rates

Having second thoughts about heading to Ballater test centre for your practical? Hold your horses! We’ve got something that might just change your mind!

Did you know that the current national average stands at 45.9%? If this doesn’t sound all that impressive to you, you’ll be pleased to know that learners heading to Ballater test centre fare much better. In fact, we’d go as far as to say that they knock it out of the park completely—as you can see in the table below!

2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
69.2% 71.0% 65.7% 70.5% 77.4%

What If I Can't Go To Ballater? 

Trying to increase your chances of getting an earlier test date by picking a backup test centre option? Very smart! If you’re sticking close to the Ballater area, your nearest test centres include:

What To Expect On The Day

If you’re having your doubts about actually being test-ready, we’re here to help! For starters, we’d like to remind you that your instructor would not let you go in for the test if they didn’t think you’d do well. If that’s not enough to boost your confidence, make your way through our relaxation tips and guide to avoiding test day nerves!

Leave for your driving test early enough that you’ll get to Ballater ten minutes before it’s supposed to start. Then, get out of the car and wait for your examiner. They’ll ask to see your provisional and get you to sign a form. Once that’s out of the way, your test will start.

No matter where you take your test, it will follow this format:

  • An eyesight test, where you’ll need to read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres
  • Two “show me, tell me” questions covering vehicle safety and maintenance
  • Twenty minutes of general driving, where you’ll be guided by the examiner, and will also need to perform one of the following manoeuvres:
  • Twenty minutes of independent driving, during which you’ll either follow sat nav directions or sign posts to reach a set destination

Improve Your Chances With PassMeFast

Despite what you might think, weekly, hourly lessons aren’t the only way you can learn to drive. Another more effective way to learn is through intensive driving courses. The beauty of these courses is that they give you more time to develop your skills by extending the length of lessons, but also help you get test-ready in less time by decreasing the gap between lessons.

And that’s not all! With PassMeFast’s courses, you get to decide your learning schedule. Whether you’ve got a completely free schedule, or you’re working full time, you get to collaborate with your instructor to fit your lessons in whenever you’re free. We’ll even fast-track your test at Ballater so that you’ve got a date to work towards!

Ready to start your learning journey? Take a closer look at our tailored packages on our course prices page. Once you’ve picked out a course, you can either book in over the phone on 0333 123 4949, or book online. Easy as pie!

Book Now