An Intensive Course is sometimes recommended for pupil’s who have already had a fair amount of driving experience, but is often not appropriate for first time drivers. Most courses are set on a basic package of between 10 and 40 hours and often include the cost of a driving test. The format, structure and location of the course will usually vary according to the operating practice of the individual instructor or driving school and the success rate of Intensive Courses can vary considerably.

Many pupils find that setting aside a fixed amount of time for a concentrated period of instruction enables them to focus on the task in hand and thrive on the challenge of a test-deadline. Others, even after steady improvement early on, reach a plateau about halfway through the course and seem to be unable to reach the standard of competence to take the test in the finite number of lessons available to them on an intensive course. Problems can also arise where pupils who decide that an Intensive Course is their preferred option then cannot accept that they might not be allowed the use of the instructor’s car for test if they have not achieved the standard expected of them in the time they have booked.

The cost of a course will usually depend on its content although it should be absolutely clear whether the course is “shared” or not i.e. sometimes, to reduce costs, there is more than one pupil at a time in the car during the lesson. Some courses are advertised as “Guaranteed” but potential customers should be extremely cautious about such claims as no-one can guarantee a pass, so the exact nature of the guarantee should be understood before booking. Most sensible people would steer well clear of driving instructors who say that a course is in any way guaranteed.