Due to the current high demand for driving tests in Ireland, people are experiencing longer wait times than are normally expected.
To navigate this delay as best we can, and to get a little insight into the test itself, we spoke with Joanna Clarke, Senior Driving Instructor from our partner, the Irish School of Motoring (ISM) to see what advice she has about the driving test waiting list.
When can you apply for your driving test?
You can apply for your driving test at any stage, and Joanna recommends that you apply as soon as you can to get into the system.
Do bear in mind, however, that you will only be eligible to sit your driving test once you have held your learner permit for 6 months and have completed your 12 Essential Driver Training (EDT) driving lessons. Considering that testing slots are allocated for eligible candidates in order of date of application, applying for the driving test before you are eligible will help you to get a test date as soon as possible once you become eligible.
Get started by applying for your driving test online. From here, you will go on a waiting list and as soon as a slot becomes available, you will receive an invitation to book your driving test.
When you get to this stage, Joanna advises that you should only accept an invitation to book your driving test if you are confident that you are ready to take it. After all, if you aren’t ready to take the test or don’t feel confident that you will pass it just yet, you may just end up taking a driving test slot from someone who is ready, ultimately adding to the backlog further.
How long is the driving test waiting list in Ireland?
Once you are on the waiting list, you can see how long the current wait is by using the RSA’s driving test estimator tool.
This tool gives you an estimate of how long you’ll be waiting for an invitation to book your driving test. Simply fill in the checklist to see if an estimated date is available. If it is, you will then need to provide your driver number and date of birth to find out when you will be invited to book your driving test.
The RSA has also issued a tool to check the waiting times for a booking invitation per location. With this, you can discover when you should expect to receive an invitation to book your driving test for each individual test centre around Ireland.
Once you receive the invitation to book your test, you have 10 days to respond to the invitation to book. The slots available in the invitation link will usually be for the upcoming 3 to 5 weeks.
Check that your driving lessons are logged
A handy tip from Joanna is to double-check that your driving instructor has logged all 12 of your EDT driving lessons in the RSA MyEDT portal before you apply for your driving test.
As mentioned above, you need to complete all 12 lessons before you are considered as eligible to sit the driving test. This means that your lessons must be logged for you to receive an invitation to book a test. Check yours by simply logging into the MyEDT portal. Now is also a good time to check that your learner permit is in date for the day of your driving test.
How to get on the cancellation list for the driving test in Ireland
When you’re applying for your driving test, you can request to be added to the cancellation list so you’re notified if an earlier date becomes available.
This is useful if you want to do your driving test as soon as possible. Should an earlier slot become available, you will be notified by email or text message and then, you simply log into the MyRoadSafety.ie portal to book this slot.
If you have any questions about your driving test application, simply contact the RSA customer service team. They will help you with any queries you have in relation to the driving test booking process.
