Some of the reasons the DVSA may cancel your test, may be adverse weather conditions, illness, staff shortages, DVSA strike action, and ferry cancellation for our students in Argyll. If a cancellation wasn’t stressful enough, sometimes this can be at very shorty notice.

When a test is cancelled, DVSA will contact you by letter, and provide a new test date, if they know ahead of time that your test will not go ahead. If your test is cancelled on the day of your test, they will send you an email to inform you, after 0800hrs, which may also include a text or a phone call. Another test will be sent to you automatically, so you do not need to contact DVSA about this.

The exception to this is examiner strike action. Not all examiners belong to a union, or the same union, so when strike action is called, you MUST show for test, since your examiner may still have shown up to work. Unfortunately, this normally results in disappointment, but this is the same procedure for everyone, and the DVSA will automatically send you a new test date.

In both of the above cases, you will not loose your test fee that you paid to the DVSA, however, your instructor will still need to be paid for the pre- test lesson you had booked, and the hour you had booked for test. You can claim this back as compensation from the DVSA. We cannot do this for you, due to privacy laws, so you need to pay as normal first, then claim the money back, but we will sign off your application for you, so you are reimbursed as quickly as possible.

The link to the DVSA compensation scheme can be accessed here

NB We appreciates that you have been working hard towards this day for months, and we understand your disappointment if you are affected. Unfortunately, there are a few, who think we have mind control over DVSA examiners, or a Godly influence over the weather, where our student’s get special treatment, and honking the horn will ‘part thy floods for thine test to go forth’. Ask questions, and we will guide you, but do bear in mind that it’s also outwith our control, and not our fault either.

Good luck, and as always, stay safe!