Learning to drive in Kettering will give you the edge when it comes to passing your driving test. Kettering town has grown in size since the housing boom. The town’s college of further and higher education ‘Tresham College’ is the town’s main educational establishment.
With students commuting from neighbouring towns such as Northampton, Corby and Wellingborough. Although not one of the largest towns in the UK, the city’s road infrastructure certainly boasts some challenging routes for any learner driver.
“population of 52,000 “
The town currently has a population of 52,000 residents – and this figure is set to rise with the housing boom that currently is going on in the UK. Although due to the commuter belt of the A14 and the A43 – the roads in Kettering are as complex and as busy as other towns such as Northampton and Rugby.
When it comes to how to learn to drive in Kettering – all learners will experience busy roads, dual-carriageways, bus lanes, and multi-lane roundabouts that are in the town.
Kettering has a large mix of new and old roads. The nearer the town centre you travel, the older part of the town you are. The old market town has lots of one-way roads, terraced streets and complex cross-road layouts.
All in which add to the learner driver’s road experience. Although the town isn’t as big as other towns nearby – the compact town centre, crossroads, and busy A14 all in turn ‘add value’ to the learner’s driving experience within the town.
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Driving Schools in Kettering
When it comes to learning to drive in Kettering, picking a driving school in Kettering will be a tricky challenge.
Due to the town having its own driving test centre – near the A14 dual-carriageway, the town attracts a lot of ‘driving schools’ from out-of-town, such as Cambridge and Bedford. There are a vast amount of driving schools in Kettering to pick from: some national schools, regional schools and there are lots of independent schools to choose from.
Many learner drivers will ask friends for recommended instructors, some will simply search in Google. When it comes to picking your driving school: here is a quick guide.
- Are they reputable? Where did you find them?
- How long have they been in business?
- Have they been referred by a friend or have they lots of reviews online?
- What courses do they offer?
- Do they offer evening/weekend/holiday lessons?
- What offers does the school have?
- Do they travel to your postcode?
- What do ‘other’ training courses they provide?
When it comes to picking your driving schools in Kettering there are a few things to consider. Local schools can sometimes offer a better service as they offer a more personal experience. Ie, they can be more flexible in their teaching hours, they tend to be slightly cheaper per hour against larger schools prices.
However- there are some benefits of learning to drive with larger schools, that the smaller and local schools can’t always provide. They may have a wider range of services, provide tuition in automatic cars, provide intensive driving courses in one week and so on.
Sometimes, learning to drive with a national school can also guarantee a certain customer service, again this is dependent upon each learner’s objectives.
Picking the correct school for you is the most important thing. Once you have chosen one of your driving schools in Kettering, it is advised that all ‘matters of business’ are discussed prior to starting your driving lessons.
It is important to know what each driving schools terms and conditions are! Some schools are strict on cancellations and will charge you, and some others are more lenient. You don’t want to get your finger burnt later on! So, best to get this information from the offset!
Theory Test Centre In Kettering
When it comes to your theory test, there is NOT a theory test centre in Kettering. Other nearby centres include theory test centres Northampton and Milton Keynes. However, there is a new theory test centre in Corby – so not to far to travel after all!
When you go to your theory exam, make sure you allow enough time for travel. Northampton is approximately 1 hour by bus, and you aren’t able to to get a train to Northampton from Kettering station under one hour, so this wouldn’t be a viable option for you! Unless of course you fancy preparing on your train ride! Waiting times for Northampton theory test centre tend to be about 4 weeks in length.
Northampton Theory Test Centre (nearest)
Sol House (Suite 201)
St.Katherine’s Street
Northampton
NN1 2QZ
You will need to pass two exams to qualify a pass for your theory test. The pass marks are 43/50 for the multiple choice, and 44/75 for the hazard perception. For more information on passing your theory test, please visit the DVSA website.
When booking your theory test- it is advised to plan early and allow up to 4 weeks for an appointment. Sometimes you may be able to get an appointment sooner, but in most cases, they book 4 weeks in advance. You should be prompt on the day of your test and allow an extra 15 minutes earlier.
You will have approximately one hour to sit your exam. Your results will be given to you in an envelope when you leave.
For more tips on learning to drive in Kettering visit here. Make sure you leave enough time to commute to Northampton for your theory test. If you are late, you will NOT be able to sit your exam and you shall lose your fee.
Driving Test Centre Kettering
The driving test centre in Kettering can be found near the A14 dual carriageway, approximately 3 miles from the town centre. The test centre is one of the new multi-purpose centres that the DVSA built approximately 10 years ago to accommodate for motorcycle tests.
It does have a well laid our car park which is for the sole use of the test candidates and driving instructors only. When booking your practical test it is advised to make sure you book in advance.The driving test centre in Kettering waiting times can be quite long – as much as 8-12 weeks. Sometimes, you may be able to get a late cancellation test, but these go very quick!
Pass Rate In Kettering 48.3%
There is a college of further education nearby, so during term-time, the waiting list increases due to the increased students in the town. The town also has its own train station; in turn, this results with lots of students from out-of-town to take their driving test.
All in which lead to an increase in the volume of traffic and waiting times. Due to the size of the town and its road networks – late cancellation tests can be hard to come by, so some students tend to find test dates at neighbouring towns. Test waiting times tend to be long all year round. The driving test centre address can be found here:
Kettering Driving Test Centre Address
Orion Way
Kettering Business Park
Kettering
Northamptonshire
NN15 6NL
It is advised to not be late for your driving test appointment. You should allow 10 minutes prior to getting parked and be seated in the waiting room. Also, please do not turn up before 10 minutes, as previous test candidates are still returning from their driving test.
The test centre management can issue warnings to driving instructors who persistently ignore this advice. This is standard procedure for most test centres.
Driving Test Routes In Kettering
There are about 10 driving test routes in Kettering. When learning to drive in Kettering it is advised to have some guidance on certain driving test routes within the town. It is important to have a varied training schedule, and guidance on test routes, and become familiar with certain areas within the ‘driving test centre area’.
Unfortunately, without such practice, a learner driver could innocently fail a driving test due to little experience on certain roads, or layouts.
There are certain places in Kettering, where it would be advised to gain some experience. Your chosen driving instructor will be able to advise you on these, but here is a breakdown on some common areas where learner drivers in Kettering can fail – to take note and get some practice in! These include:
- Practice joining the A14 slip roads from the 3 exit routes.
- Practice overtaking on the A14
- plan your exit off the A14 towards Corby
- Practice some routes around Burton Latimer
- Take the country route towards Rothwell town
- Practice the train station road ‘station road’
- Exit the town centre following signs for Northampton
- Practice driving to and from the test centre to become familiar with the business park
- Practice right turns at multi-lane roundabouts, especially near the test centre and towards the hospital and Corby exits of the town.
- Be confident in hill starts, as there are a lot of hill in the town.
These are places in which some familiarity will help you plan your understanding and journey. Be sure to seek the advice of your trainer when preparing for your driving test in Kettering. If you are from Northampton, but taking a driving test in Kettering, please visit here.
Learning to drive in Kettering will help you to become a competent and a rounded learner driver, having experienced lots of road experience working with complex road layouts, multi-lane roundabouts, high speed and traffic dual-carriageways with the likes of the A14.
With anything to do with learning – your reasons have to be strong enough; and when they are, anything is possible because your motivation and commitment to learning will increase, they will improve and ultimately you will achieve your goals! Good luck on your driving journey! Raise your standards.
