PDI Part 3

What Is the PDI Part 3 Test?

The PDI Part 3 test is the instructional ability part of the ADI qualifying process.

By this point you should already have passed:

• ADI Part 1 – theory and hazard perception

• ADI Part 2 – driving ability

Part 3 looks at whether you can apply your knowledge to a real driving lesson.

The examiner observes you giving a driving lesson to a pupil and assesses your performance against the competencies used by the DVSA.

These are grouped into three main areas:

• Lesson planning

• Risk management

• Teaching and learning strategies

The important point is that these areas aren't separate little boxes. A weakness in one area can quickly affect another.

For example, if you don't identify that your pupil has poor observation when approaching junctions, that can affect their speed, positioning and decision-making. If you fail to recognise the original problem, it becomes very difficult to provide the correct support.

That is why successful PDI Part 3 preparation is about learning to teach what is happening in front of you, rather than simply delivering a pre-planned lesson.

PDI Part 3 Isn't About Spotting Faults – It's About Solving Them

A trainee instructor can become quite good at spotting mistakes.

"Check your mirrors." "Watch your speed." "More observation."

"Try to position earlier." The difficulty is that constantly pointing out faults doesn't necessarily help the pupil improve. The instructor needs to find out why the problem is happening.

We use the FAULT Method as a simple way of thinking about this.

F – Find It

First, you have to see the fault. That sounds obvious, but if you don't recognise a significant weakness, you can't analyse it or help the pupil correct it. Suppose your pupil repeatedly changes position without effective mirror checks. If you don't identify that pattern, it is likely to continue throughout the lesson.

A – Analyse It

Once you've found the problem, work out what is causing it. This is where KUSC can be particularly useful:

• Knowledge – do they know what they should do?

• Understanding – do they understand why?

• Skill – can they actually do it?

• Confidence – are nerves or uncertainty affecting them?

Don't automatically assume the pupil doesn't know something. They might understand mirrors perfectly well but become overloaded when dealing with a busy roundabout. That requires a different solution from a pupil who simply doesn't understand when mirrors should be checked.

U – Understand It

Now establish what the pupil was thinking. Questions can be extremely useful here. "What were you looking at as we approached?"

"What made you decide to go?" "When did you realise you needed to brake?" "Which mirror would have helped before you changed position?" The aim isn't to interrogate the pupil. You're trying to understand the cause of the problem so you can provide the right help.

L – Learn From It

Once you've established what happened and why, give the pupil something useful to work with. This is the coping strategy.

Instead of simply telling somebody to "look earlier", help them understand what they are looking for and when. Instead of repeatedly saying "mirrors", develop a strategy that helps them remember the appropriate mirror check before changing speed or direction. The solution needs to match the cause.

T – Try It Again

This part is easily overlooked during PDI Part 3 training. Once you've worked on the fault, give the pupil another opportunity to practise it. If necessary, start with fully guided help. As they improve, reduce your input to prompted support. Eventually, allow them to attempt it independently.

The learning cycle therefore becomes:

Find it → Analyse it → Understand it → Learn from it → Try it again.

That's much closer to genuine learning than simply telling a pupil what they did wrong and moving on.

PDI Part 3 Training Should Build Knowledge Before Performance

One of the biggest problems we see with PDI training is trainees being expected to practise teaching subjects they don't properly understand themselves.

Sitting in the driver's seat with a trainer in the passenger seat isn't going to magically create that knowledge.

Before trying to teach dual carriageways, for example, can you confidently explain:

• the different types of dual carriageway?

• speed limits?

• joining and leaving?

• slip roads?

• lane discipline?

• overtaking?

• appropriate observations?

• signs and road markings?

• the risks involved?

The same applies to roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, country roads, meeting traffic, junctions and every other subject you may encounter.

You can't reliably teach knowledge that you don't possess.

This is why effective PDI Part 3 training should combine knowledge development with practical teaching experience.

Should You Take a Trainee Licence Before PDI Part 3?

A trainee licence can provide experience, but don't make the mistake of believing that simply teaching lots of learner lessons guarantees that you'll pass Part 3.

Experience and effective training aren't automatically the same thing. You could teach the same weakness incorrectly hundreds of times. The important question isn't:

"How many hours have I taught?"

It is: "Am I becoming better at identifying, analysing and solving my pupils' learning needs?"

If you're using a trainee licence, your development should continue alongside the lessons you're delivering.

Common PDI Part 3 Mistakes From working with trainees preparing for Part 3, certain problems appear repeatedly.

These include:

• failing to identify significant pupil faults

• identifying faults but not analyzing them

• giving solutions before establishing the cause

• talking too much

• spending too long parked discussing theory

• asking questions when the pupil needs direct help

• giving too much instruction when the pupil is capable of working independently

• failing to adapt the lesson

• repeatedly saying things such as "mirrors" or "slow down" without developing a strategy

• not giving the pupil another opportunity to practice the corrected skill

• concentrating on delivering the planned subject rather than responding to the pupil

A particularly important question to ask yourself throughout your training is:

Is the pupil actually improving because of what I'm doing?

If the same significant fault is happening at the end of the lesson that was happening at the beginning, something in your teaching strategy probably needs to change.

Fully Guided, Prompted and Independent Instruction

An important skill for PDI Part 3 is knowing how much help your pupil requires.

If the pupil doesn't know what to do, asking endless questions isn't client-centred.

They may need you to teach them. You might initially provide fully guided instruction, helping them through the complete process. Once they start to understand it, reduce your support.

Now you might prompt:

"What are you looking for here?"

As their ability improves further, let them deal with the situation independently.

This gives you a simple progression:

Fully guided → Prompted → Independent

The important thing is that the level of support changes according to the pupil's performance.

How to Prepare for Your PDI Part 3 Test

Don't spend your final weeks trying to memorise clever phrases to impress an examiner. Concentrate on becoming a better instructor.

Before your test, you should be comfortable with the major driving subjects, understand the risks involved and be capable of explaining them simply.

Then practice the instructional process. Can you spot the fault? Can you establish why it happened? Can you help the pupil understand it?

Can you provide an appropriate solution? Can you give them another opportunity to practice? And most importantly: Did it work?

That final question is one of the most valuable questions you can ask yourself.