An email alert from the DSA.
I must say, this is a bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted – these downloads are only really valid for another 7 months – but in the meantime they are still useful.
The lowdown on the new official DSA downloads for learner drivers and riders
The Driving Standards Agency’s (DSA’s) best-selling official car and motorcycle theory test guides are available as fully interactive downloads for the first time.
It’s estimated that 73 per cent of UK households have access to the internet. And 99 per cent of 16-24 year olds – the age group most likely to be learning to drive or ride – have internet access.
So the new official DSA interactive downloads are a significant development, making key information and advice available at the click of a button and giving theory test candidates the best start to their revision.
The Official DSA Theory Test for Car Drivers Interactive Download – £9.99
The Official DSA Theory Test for Motorcyclists Interactive Download - £9.99
Written by the people who set the tests, learner drivers and riders can be revising within minutes using The Official DSA Theory Test for Car Drivers Interactive Download and The Official DSA Theory Test for Motorcyclists Interactive Download. Both products include every question that candidates could be asked in their theory tests until January 2012, together with the DSA explanations of the answers and a full digital version of The Official Highway Code. Not only that, but with no postage and packaging costs to pay, the new download costs less than the equivalent book and CD-ROM titles, making it the ideal choice for learners who need to start revising right away.
In November 2010, the Driving Standards Agency announced that it would stop publishing the multiple choice questions and answers used in the theory test from January 2012, to ensure that new drivers and riders learn the principles behind the theory, rather than just learning the answers. TSO, DSA’s official publisher, is 100 per cent behind this initiative, and from January 2012 all official DSA products will include revision questions rather than the live questions.
The official DSA interactive downloads already include practice for the case studies part of the test, which was introduced in 2009 to assess learners’ ability to apply the theory they have learnt to specific situations. Uniquely, there are also references throughout the downloads to the publications which provide the source material for the questions: The Official Highway Code, The Official DSA Guide to Driving – the essential skills (or The Official DSA Guide to Riding – the essential skills for motorcyclists), and Know Your Traffic Signs.
DSA strongly recommends that all drivers and motorcyclists study these source materials, not only to prepare themselves fully for their theory and practical tests, but to also become safe road users for life. These references will enable learners to relate theory test questions to the background information, aiding their knowledge and understanding of the theory. The theory test downloads also include an additional optional voice-over for those with dyslexia and/or reading difficulties.
These user-friendly downloads provide theory test candidates with the closest experience to actually taking their test. Results from the mock tests are analysed to highlight areas for further revision, and customised tests can easily be built to enable candidates to practice just the sections which need more work.
For more information, including a video trailer and free preview, go to: tsoshop.co.uk/dsadownloads now.
EDIT: The most recent DSA news update says the change comes into force from 23 January 2012.