The hazard perception test: how it works and how to pass

The hazard perception test is the second part of the car theory test. It checks that you notice developing hazards early, as an experienced driver would. It is a different skill from the multiple-choice questions, so it needs its own practice.

How it works

• 14 video clips filmed from a driver's point of view, showing everyday roads.
• Each clip has at least one developing hazard; one clip has two. That makes 15 hazards.
• A developing hazard is something that would make you take action, such as slowing down or changing direction. A parked car is a hazard; a parked car whose door starts to open, or that starts to pull out, is a developing hazard.
• You click the mouse when you see a hazard starting to develop. The earlier you click within the scoring window, the more points: up to 5 points per hazard.
• Pass mark: 44 out of 75.
• You get one attempt at each clip and cannot go back.

Clicking: the rules that matter

• You do not lose points for a click at the wrong time.
• But if you click continuously or in a pattern, the clip scores zero. The test detects this.
• A safe habit: click once when you first notice something that might become a hazard, and again when it clearly starts to develop. That covers the scoring window without looking like a pattern.

How to practise

1. Use the official practice clips. DVSA's own theory and hazard perception app and the official practice material use the same style of clips.
2. Name the hazard out loud. As you watch, say what you see: "parked van, someone might step out", "cyclist ahead, may move out". This trains early noticing.
3. Watch for clues, not just moving things: brake lights, a ball in the road, a bus at a stop, a junction with a car waiting, children near a school, a horse rider.
4. Practise on real roads as a passenger. Spot hazards before the driver reacts to them.
5. Do several full sets of 14 clips before the test, so the pace feels normal.

On the day

After the multiple-choice part you get a break of up to 3 minutes, then a short video explains the hazard perception part before it starts. Remember that you must pass both parts at the same sitting: if you pass the questions but fail hazard perception, you take the whole theory test again.

PassDriveTest practises the multiple-choice part. Take a free England mock test, and read how to pass the theory test.

Checked against official sources on 17 October 2026.