Fort William

Fort William isn’t just a major tourist centre, it’s also home to a local practical test centre. You’ll find it just off Carmichael Way, near Loch Linnhe Pier—giving you a lovely view of the River Lochy. You won’t be able to sit back and enjoy the views, though. Instead, you’ll be focusing your attention on building up your driving experience and familiarising yourself with Fort William test centre.

And that’s where we come in! In our guide below, we’ll take you through the ins and outs of your chosen test centre. Keep reading to find out more!


Address

Lochaber College An Aird Fort William Highland PH33 6AN

Tests Offered at Fort William

  • Car

Parking

Toilets

Male toilets are available

Disabled Access

Arrangements will be made at this test centre if you have a disability

Check the book your driving test service for availability.

How To Get There

Don’t start worrying if you can’t figure out where Fort William test centre is. Your driving instructor will take you there during your lessons so that you can build up a familiarity with the area. If you’ve decided to look around before this happens, make sure you end up in the right place by following these directions.

A Bit More About Fort William

Your test route will begin right in the centre of Fort William. The examiner will guide you around the local roads for a short while, keep an eye on the way that you handle heavy traffic and potential pedestrians. There are a few local schools nearby, like Inverlochy Primary School, so make sure that you’re following the right speed limit.

The area has quite a few local car parks, which could mean that the examiner might get you to demonstrate one of the driving test manoeuvres close to Fort William test centre. Alternatively, they might pick an area with quieter, residential roads so that you won’t get many interruptions.

The A82 runs through Fort William, so you’ll be directed onto that. There are quite a few challenging roundabouts scattered along it though, so if you’re shaky with roundabouts, get some practice in beforehand. From this A road, the examiner might take you around an area like Caol, or guide you towards somewhere like Keppanach.

If you’re sick of learning about Fort William’s road types, you can find more general information about the area here:

Fort William Test Pass Rates

Before we get stuck into some interesting driving test pass rates, we’d first like to set something straight. No matter how high a test centre’s pass rates might be, it doesn’t mean that you’ll definitely pass. Your chances of success rest entirely on your hard work and your performance on the day of your test.

Now we’ve got that out of the way, we can share with you some interesting stats. For starters, those in the UK currently have a 45.9% chance of passing. Those heading to Fort William, however, seem to do slightly better than the national average, as you can see below...

2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
67.3% 61.0% 65.0% 58.6% 64.9%

What If I Can't Go To Fort William? 

If you’re keen on passing your test as soon as possible, we always recommend choosing a backup test centre to increase your chances of getting an earlier test date. If you’re sticking close to Fort William, your nearest options include:

What To Expect On The Day

You’ve certainly come a long way from the learner who wanted to cry whenever they were pitted against roundabouts and manoeuvres. Now, you’re ready to take your driving test and prove to the DVSA that you are more than prepared to become a fully qualified driver. You’ll be posing for your pass photo in no time!

On the day of your test, your instructor will pick you up and take you to Fort William ten minutes before your test starts. The examiner will ask to see your provisional and get you to sign a form before you start.

Your driving test will then consist of:

  • 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

If you’re looking for a faster and easier way to get your full licence, PassMeFast is the driving school for you. We’ve done away with traditional, hourly lessons in favour of flexible, intensive and semi-intensive driving courses. It doesn’t matter what stage of the learning journey you’re at, we’ve got something for everyone.

We’ve got a full range of beginner, intermediate and advanced courses to choose from. Each one can be taken in a manual or automatic car, and will fit entirely around your schedule. Yes, that’s right! You get to choose when you take your lessons and even how long they last. If you’re looking for a truly intensive approach, you can sit behind the wheel for five hours at a time. If you’ve not got much time to spare, you can take it at a slower pace of two hours. We can even add a fast-track test so you’ve got a date to work towards!

To get the ball rolling today, check out our range of courses on our course prices page, or try out our course recommender tool. Once you’ve picked your course, give us a call on 0333 123 4949, or book online!

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