How long should you practice Subject 3 before taking the test?
2 Answers
Generally, practicing Subject 3 for about 3-7 days is sufficient before taking the test. Although Subject 3 involves many test items, they are all basic operations such as turning, making U-turns, and shifting gears. These fundamental skills have already been introduced during Subject 2 training, so you have a foundation—you just lack some road experience when driving in real traffic. The exact duration of practice required depends on individual learning efficiency. In most regions, Subject 3 practice begins only after successfully scheduling the test. For test scheduling, the earliest you can secure a slot is about 10 days before the exam. This means that in most areas, after scheduling Subject 3, you only have around 10 days to prepare, including arranging a coach and waiting for practice time, leaving about a week for actual practice. Additionally, in some high-demand areas, coaches may only schedule practice sessions three days before the test. Key Points for Subject 3 Gear Shifting: When shifting gears, avoid looking down at the gear lever. If you shift into the wrong gear, you can return to the original gear and try again. Speed: On roads without specific gear-shifting requirements, it is best to drive at 25 km/h in 2nd gear. Lights: Pay attention to the timing when using turn signals—activating them too early, too late, or for too short a duration can affect your test score. When using turn signals, it's best to hold the lever to prevent it from automatically turning off as the steering wheel returns to the center position.
I practiced for the entire three weeks before daring to sign up for the driving test, going to the driving school four days a week. At first, the instructor said my throttle control was unstable, but after more practice, I realized the key was to look far ahead and not always focus on the front of the car. The parallel parking took the longest to master—I could never align properly with the roadside line until the instructor taught me to use the raised part of the windshield wiper as a reference point. I also spent three extra nights practicing the nighttime light simulation test, as I was always a beat slow with switching between high and low beams. Although the driving school only requires 16 hours of practice to sign up for the test, I felt it was safer to practice all the test items at least twenty times, especially the straight-line driving, which is a notorious failure hotspot.
