Can You Pass Part 1 Without Proper Training? Yes. Should You? No.

Most PDIs (Potential Driving Instructors – Trainees) start the same way. Download an app, hammer the mock questions, scrape a pass. Job done, right? No. (And let’s not forget that over 60% fail Part 1 on their first attempt.)

That’s the trap. Part 1 isn’t just a hurdle, it’s the foundation of your new career. Passing it without really learning is like building a house on sand. It looks fine until you try to live in it.

Passing the ADI Part 1 - PDI guide to becoming an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI)

Three Modules, One Goal

Becoming an ADI is like doing a college course. It’s split into three modules:

  • Knowledge and understanding
  • Skills
  • Application

They’re tested separately. But they don’t live separately. If your knowledge is weak, your skills and application will be shaky. Strong theory makes everything else easier.

Three Ways People Approach the Theory

When it comes to Part 1, there are three behaviours:

  1. Turn up, learn properly, then revise and consolidate before testing.
    This is what most college students would do.
  2. Revise with apps, memorise question banks, and scrape a pass.
    The most common ADI approach. But the apps don’t cover the full syllabus.
  3. Go in blind and hope for the best.
    Yes, some really do this. And yes, they usually fail.

The DVSA’s Safe Driving for Life app has some training elements, but it’s still based on the revision questions, not the actual publications. Commercial apps give you nothing but revision banks. They’re fine for practice, but they don’t teach you the why behind the answers. And that why is what you’ll need when you’re teaching.

Why Shortcuts Hurt Later

Passing Part 1 without proper study means:

  • You may struggle with your own driving when real-world road law and hazard perception show up.
  • You will struggle when teaching learners, because the facts matter.
  • You’ll be patching holes later that should have been filled from the start.

Competency 13 asks: Was the technical information given comprehensive, appropriate and accurate?

I’ve met PDIs who can list stopping distances but freeze when a pupil asks them to explain why they matter. That’s not a knowledge problem, it’s a training problem.

How To Do It Right

Model one is the way forward: learn, revise, then test. Here’s how:

  • Use the DVSA Reading List (or a proper alternative). That’s the real syllabus.
  • Get strategies that work: Book a Theory Test Explained Part 1 study session.
  • Plan your study in chunks. Don’t cram. Read a section, apply it, then test yourself.
  • Teach it back. If you can explain it to a friend, you understand it.
  • Mix methods. Reading, discussion, apps, practice tests. Not just one.

Plan the Journey, Not Just the First Step

Too many people go it alone and only find a trainer after they’ve already underprepared. A good trainer will support theory and deliver an integrated approach.

And don’t stop at the test. You should be planning your training, your teaching, and your business. That starts at the beginning, not halfway through. Do your homework. Read the contract. Plan for your worst day.

Top 5 Things to Remember

  1. The test bank is not the syllabus.
  2. Memorising answers isn’t learning.
  3. Strong theory makes you a stronger teacher.
  4. Invest in proper study early. It saves pain later.
  5. Passing isn’t the goal. Understanding is.

So yes, you can wing it. But should you? Not if you want to be the kind of instructor people actually deserve.

For more resources on training and developing as an instructor, visit ChrisBensted.co.uk.