For instructors
The standards check
Qualifying is not the finish line. Every ADI takes a standards check, usually every 4 years, using the same assessment as the Part 3 test. It checks that you teach well, using a client-centred approach where the pupil takes responsibility for their own learning.
01
How it's scored
- 17 competencies across 3 areas: lesson planning (4, max 12), risk management (5, max 15), and teaching and learning skills (8, max 24). Total max 51.
- Each competency is scored from 0 (no evidence) to 3 (all elements demonstrated).
02
The grades
- Grade A: 43-51, a high standard of instruction.
- Grade B: 31-42, a satisfactory standard, and you stay on the register.
- Fail: 30 or below.
- Score 7 or below in the risk-management area, or put anyone in danger, and it is an automatic fail whatever your total.
03
If you don't pass
- You get up to 3 attempts.
- If you still fail after that, you are removed from the ADI register and must pass all the qualifying tests again to rejoin.
04
When you'll be called: the triggers
You normally have one standards check per 4-year registration - but DVSA also monitors your pupils' test results continuously, and can call you in early. The monitoring applies once you bring 5 or more pupils to test in a rolling 12-month period.
| Indicator | Trigger threshold |
|---|---|
| Average driving faults per test | 6 or more |
| Average serious faults per test | 0.55 or more |
| Examiner physical intervention rate | 10% or higher |
| Pupils' pass rate | 55% or lower |
Hit 3 or more of the 4 triggers and DVSA writes asking you to book a standards check (gov.uk, indicators and triggers guidance). Your pupils' statistics are effectively your early-warning dashboard.
05
Official guidance
Last updated:
Start with a first lesson.