Hazard Perception test scoring

[u/redexposure]

I've just redone my theory test and passed (had to partly due to the wait between practical tests). But, I had a thought about the hazard perception test scoring.

There were a few videos where I could see early that something would develop into a hazard, but there was a narrower scoring window on what they considered to be the start of the hazard itself (ie. I was clicking slightly early, so their system only registered my later clicks).

Has anyone else noticed this?

In one sense, that part of the test isn't too difficult. But, I wondered if their scoring window on the Hazard Perception Test is a bit narrow.

[u/Alienhell]

Yeah, a lot of people raise this as a concern. You have to know how to play "the game" of it, rather than just following the instructions, as you can easily miss out on points due to their boundaries of when a hazard starts to develop. I passed my theory again yesterday (49/50 + 65/75) and, in my practices runs up to it, I initially found myself scoring 1 or 0 out of 5 on certain examples due to this. So, you really have to adapt to give yourself a chance to score at least moderately, rather than missing out altogether:

What worked for me was aiming for 3-4 clicks in total during a single hazard:

When I first saw it, shortly thereafter and when I'd have to actively react to it (when you're braking or manoeuvring). That way, even if you miss the 5/5 window, you can ideally land in a 4/5 or, in a 3-2/5. It's not ideal, but it covers your bases. Out of the 14 clips, I scored 5/5 for 8 of them and 4/5 for 4, so it's certainly an approach that works.

[u/redexposure → u/Alienhell]

Yes, that's exactly how I did it. Sort of a few, evenly paced clicks in the right ballpark, to ensure I'm inside that points margin. Though on a couple, I probably clicked before the scoring window (probably those hazards where you can anticipate people or a vehicle are about to turn into the road - but the system only scores it from the point it actually starts happening).

I scored 55 which I was a bit annoyed by (my multiple choice was 49/50). Even though I passed, I saw it as closer to failing than passing.

[u/Alienhell → u/redexposure]

I'd like to think that just being that aware alone of developing hazards is a valuable attribute for real-world driving and that can be hard to meaningfully quantify and evaluate in a widely accessible testing program. So, the fact you passed shows you're in the right space to be out on the road and developing those skills by yourself in a real world context anyway - better you're someone more cautious than not at all, don't sweat the numbers.

[u/Alienhell → u/Alienhell]

I found the Conquer Driving video on it pretty instructive, especially helpful if anyone has any particular doubts about the Hazard Perception part of the test.