Free Hazard Perception Test

How our hazard perception test works

Press start and the clips play one after another, just like at the test centre. Each clip shows an everyday road scene from the driver's seat. Somewhere in it, something starts to happen that would make you slow down, stop or steer around it. That's the developing hazard, and your job is to respond to it as early as you can.

• 14clips
• 15developing hazards
• 75points available
• 44to pass

Our clips are original animations drawn by us, not the official DVSA clips (those are Crown copyright and can't be used without a licence). They're built to train the same skill: spotting the clue early and clicking at the right moment.

How the scoring works

You can score up to 5 points for each developing hazard. The scoring window opens when the hazard starts to develop and is split into five bands: click in the first band for 5 points, the second for 4, and so on down to 1. Click before the window opens or after it closes and you score 0 for that hazard.

• Wrong clicks don't cost points. Clicking at something that turns out not to be a hazard won't take marks away.
• Clicking constantly scores 0. In the real test, clicking continuously or in a pattern scores nothing for that clip.
• One go only. In exam mode you can't pause, rewind or replay a clip – the same as the real test.

What counts as a clicking pattern here?

DVSA doesn't publish its exact rules, so we use a fair approximation. A clip scores 0 with the message "Clicking pattern detected" if you click more than 15 times in it, click 4 or more times within 2 seconds, or make 5 or more clicks at an almost identical rhythm. Two or three thoughtful clicks per hazard are fine.

After the test you'll see your total, a pass or fail against 44, and a timeline for every clip showing where the scoring window was and exactly when you clicked. You can then watch the clip again with the window shown. For more on timing, read our hazard perception tips.

Practise one clip at a time

Want to work on a particular situation? Each clip has its own page with an explanation of the clues to look for.

1. Clip 1: Residential street: a parked car pulls out
2. Clip 2: A child chases a ball between parked cars
3. Clip 3: A cyclist moves out to pass a parked van
4. Clip 4: A pedestrian steps onto a zebra crossing
5. Clip 5: A car emerges from a side road
6. Clip 6: Dual carriageway: traffic ahead brakes
7. Clip 7: A bus pulls away from a bus stop
8. Clip 8: Country lane: a horse rider beyond a bend
9. Clip 9: Country road: an oncoming car overtakes
10. Clip 10: Roundabout: a car from the right doesn't stop
11. Clip 11: Town street: a van door opens
12. Clip 12: Night, wet road: a pedestrian crosses
13. Clip 13: Motorway: a car joins from the slip road
14. Clip 14: Two hazards: a tractor, then an oncoming car

How this compares with the real test

The real hazard perception test is the second part of your theory test. You take it straight after the multiple-choice questions, with a break of up to 3 minutes in between. Before it starts, you watch a short video about how it works. You then see 14 clips, each with at least one developing hazard, and one clip has two. You must pass both parts on the same day: 43 out of 50 for the questions and 44 out of 75 for hazard perception. Read the full rules on GOV.UK.

GOV.UK also links to a few free official practice clips on its practice theory test page. They're worth watching alongside ours, as they show the style of the real clips.

What to do next

• Take a timed mock theory test (50 questions, 57 minutes) to practise the other half of the test.
• Learning to ride? The format is the same for the motorcycle theory test.
• Training for a lorry or bus licence? Try the 19-clip HGV hazard perception test.
• Check the numbers in our guide to the theory test pass mark.