27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All you need to pass your theory test, 7 Oct 2011
This review is from: Driving Test Success All Tests 2012 Edition (PC) (DVD-ROM)
You might be reading this review in the position I was a few months ago. I had just started my driving lessons so was on the lookout for products to help me with my theory. This 3 set pack contains everything you will need and I would advise getting this instead of the higher end
Driving Test Success All Tests Ultimate 2012 Edition (PC) which is more that double the price of this and the extra bits are very poor quality. This set has 3 separate discs which are all useful.
The first is the theory test disc (multiple choice questions). This contains a digital version of the highway code and more importantly all the questions that you could be asked in 2011, which will be very similar to ones used in 2012. If you would prefer to read a book then
The Official DSA Theory Test for Car Drivers and the Official Highway Code 2012 contains questions in the same style as those included on this disc. The test is changing and from 2012 the actual questions you could be tested on will not be published but instead official questions will slightly differ from what is on the real test, so these mock questions are the best you can get. I can also recommend
The Official DSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills which has a much easier to read way of learning to drive being more like a text book compared to the mock exam practice this disc contains. After reading all the questions and taking several mock tests you will be more than prepared to take the multiple choice test and when I took the test I was able to complete this section in under 10 minutes and score full marks.
If I had to pick one disc out of the three to buy it would definitely be the hazard perception part. If the first time you take this test is in a test centre then you would have to be very lucky to pass it. This disc will help you practice and analyse how you do showing where you were supposed to click. With the hazard perception I found the best way to pass it is to be on the verge of cheating. In theory you only need to click once or at most twice per video to score full marks but this is very difficult to do. The technique I would recommend to click at any slight thing you see, as it is very hard to be disqualified. Never think is that a hazard? Just click however minor it is and click twice or more especially if you think this is the main hazard in the clip. The only fault is that even though the low resolution of the clips is similar to the real test on some of the clips a hazard is so far in the distance only a few pixels are visible.
I scored 67/75 In my test which is was told was a very high score, so here are a few tips that should help you
*Click, Click and Click again I probably clicked at least every 5 seconds
*Winding country roads require less clicks and often are a reaction test as to when clicking as soon as you see a car.
*There should not be long periods of time without a click even in country roads click for trivial things such as turns in the road.
*You should click multiple times for hazards. E.g. Car overtaking fast on the left, Car indicates, Car moves right, should each have a click.
If you practice using this software you will get an excellent feel for what the real test is like
The Hazard perception and the theory both contains progress trackers to show your results over time and also integrate with each other so you can sit the multiple choice exam simulation followed by the hazard perception.
The final part is the practical disc. This is less useful for the theory tests but good for your driving lessons and I often find my self knowing everything my driving instructor tells me from using this disc. It contains a video of driving instructor giving lessons, each a few minutes long on a topic such as 'turning left at a junction', 'bay parking' and eventually a mock test, so this disc is useful for remembering routines for practical driving.
Overall an excellent package that I would definitely recommend it.
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great value package, still the best way to revise for the theory test, 6 Sep 2011
This review is from: Driving Test Success All Tests 2012 Edition (PC) (DVD-ROM)
Driving Test Success All Tests 2012 is a study guide for the theory test (for cars, bikes and driving instructors), hazard perception test and driving lesson videos.
The Driving Standards Agency, the government body who sets the tests, are changing the theory test from January 1st 2012. From that date they will stop publishing the actual multiple choice questions that will appear in the test. They are doing this to discourage "parrot fashion" learning. There has been a fair bit of confusion surrounding this change, with some driving instructors worrying about which revision aid will be suitable. This pack from Focus is suitable for revising if your test is in 2011, but it's also fine for 2012 too because it includes the official revision questions which the DSA will continue to release through 2012 (and beyond, one presumes). It also includes Knowledge and Understanding text from the DSA to help learners study the theory test answers in more depth.
A full digital highway code is included and this can be read on screen or printed out. Theory test practice questions are linked to the relevant section of the highway code so you can go into as much depth as you need with your learning and revision. The mock tests are structured just like the real theory test, right down to the time limit, being able to review questions before submission, etc. There's also a nice feature to practise tricky questions that are causing grief.
So that's the theory test, so far so good. How does the rest of the product measure up? Well the hazard perception section presents plenty of video clips that can be practised on the computer in mock tests, just like the real thing. You click the mouse when you think a hazard is developing, the sooner you do it, the more points you score in the test. As in the theory test section, your progress is charted and it's easy to see how one is hopefully improving over time.
Finally you have the driving lessons section. This is made up of dozens of videos showing how to perform every routine and manoeuvre possible. You also get step by step "Show Me Tell Me" video demonstrations, which are needed for the driving test. I like the mock driving test video - it's useful for learner drivers to see exactly what goes on in the car when the examiner is with you.
I am a driving instructor and I have always recommended the Focus product to my pupils. This new version is just as good as the previous ones. There are no new features that I can see in the hazard or practical sections, but there are welcome additions to the theory test section which mean that Driving Test Success follows all the DSA guidelines for 2011/12. For me it remains the best value package for learner drivers. It's easy to see why it remains the most popular choice.
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