Driving schools will happily charge you for a laminated sheet of turns. I drove this test myself, mapped the routes I actually got, and I'm giving them away because gatekeeping test routes felt like a genuinely silly business model. Open the link on your phone, plug it into Google Maps, and drive it until it feels boring.
Jump to the routes ↓ Pass rate stats ↓ Theory & prep resources →
The Routes
Best-guess routes, not an official script. The examiner picks the route on the day, so learn the roads, not the order — and no route will catch you out.
The map links start from a set point (Google won't save a blank start). Open one and swap the start for your own location.
Pearse Road & Bakers Corner
Reverse around the corner, junction discipline, estate speed zones
Road by road notes
- Pearse Road reverse: Classic spot for the Reverse Around the Corner. No rush. Slow and steady, with constant mirror checks. Jerky corrections are marked.
- Bakers Corner right turn: Hold your lane position. Don't let buses or traffic push you wide. Commit early to where you're going.
- Residential streets: 30km/h and easy to miss the signs when nervous. Watch for them at every junction.
- Blind junctions in estates: Stop fully. Edge forward until you can actually see. A half-stop and a peek isn't good enough.
Common fail spots on this route
- Moving too fast during the reverse manoeuvre
- Wide right-turn position at Bakers Corner
- Rolling stop (not a full stop) at blind estate junctions
The Full Loop
Roundabouts, estates, junctions. Covers the whole test area around Pottery Road.
Road by road notes
- The Graduate Roundabout: Signal early and clearly. Commit to your lane before you reach it. Examiners watch for late decisions and hesitation here.
- Rochestown Avenue merge: Don't sit waiting for a perfect gap. Pick a safe one and go. Hesitating too long at a clear junction is marked as lack of progress.
- Estate roads (30km/h zones): The speed drops the moment you turn in. Very easy to coast downhill past 30. Keep glancing at the speedo in the estates.
- Watsons Estate hills: Hill starts and 3-point turns here are common. Take your time, smooth on the clutch. No rolling back.
- Re-joining main roads: Full mirror-signal-manoeuvre every time. A quick glance is not enough. Make it obvious you checked.
Common fail spots on this loop
- Late or no signal on the Graduate Roundabout
- Creeping past 30km/h downhill in residential estates
- Not checking left blind spot before pulling away from the test centre
- Lack of progress. Sitting too long at clear junctions counts against you.
Rochestown Lodge & Sallynoggin Loop
Car park ramp, Glenageary roundabouts, Sallynoggin estates. Overlaps the same roads as Routes 1 and 2.
Road by road notes
- Underground car park ramp: Low clearance, tight turn. Dead slow, watch for pedestrians on the ramp. The loop ends here too, so stay sharp to the last metre.
- Rochestown Avenue merge: Don't sit waiting for a perfect gap. Pick a safe one and go. Hesitating too long at a clear junction is marked as lack of progress.
- Glenageary mini roundabouts: Several in quick succession. Signal for each one individually. Bundled or lazy signals are the easiest minors to collect here.
- Sallynoggin Park into Thomastown: Same estate network as Routes 1 and 2, same rules. 30km/h the moment you turn in, full stops at blind junctions, speedo glances downhill.
Common fail spots on this route
- Clipping the ramp or kerb exiting the underground car park
- Hesitating too long merging onto Rochestown Avenue
- Missing a signal at one of the closely-spaced Glenageary roundabouts
Rochestown Lodge & Monkstown Farm Loop
Kill of the Grange, Monkstown Farm, Thomastown and the Granitefield estate. The longest hotel route. 8 km, ~26 min in traffic.
Road by road notes
- Kill of the Grange & Deansgrange: Straight into the busiest junction work on any of these routes, right past the RSA Deansgrange centre. Signal early, take the correct lane, hold your position.
- Monkstown Farm & Lansville: Estate roads at the far end of the loop, by Rockford Green and Monkstown Farm. 30km/h, parked cars both sides. A likely spot for the manoeuvre request.
- The Thomastown run: A long, faster-flowing stretch back down past Rollins Court and Thomastown. Build up to the limit. Crawling here reads as lack of progress.
- Killiney SC into Granitefield: Pedestrians and bus stops by the shopping centre, then tight estate streets at 75 Granitefield right before the finish. Same tight car park re-entry, so stay sharp to the last metre.
Common fail spots on this route
- Poor lane position at the Kill of the Grange and Deansgrange junctions
- Creeping past 30km/h in the Monkstown Farm and Granitefield estates
- Hesitating rejoining the main road by Killiney Shopping Centre
Pass Rate Statistics
Dún Laoghaire sits at 48.6%
That's 3rd out of 7 Dublin test centres — and the wait has dropped from 21 weeks to just 12. You're in a good position if you know the roads.
Source: testcentres.ie, sourced from CSO Ireland open data (datasets ROA30 & ROA36) · Figures refresh quarterly
Test Centre Info
Sometimes you'll be sent to Rochestown Lodge Hotel instead
If your confirmation names the hotel instead of Pottery Road, that's not a mistake — it's the overflow location. The two newest routes above start there.
Parking is in the underground car park. Arrive a little early to find it and get settled.
Location & Parking
Pottery Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Arrive 10–15 minutes early. Parking directly outside is limited, so allow a few extra minutes to find a spot nearby.
Overflow: Rochestown Lodge Hotel, 164 Rochestown Ave, A96 ETY8 — underground car park.
What to bring
- Current learner permit (not expired)
- Insurance certificate for the test vehicle
- Vehicle registration or lease document
- Your RSA appointment confirmation
On the day
Total test time is roughly 30–40 minutes including a short vehicle knowledge check before you drive.
The road drive itself is around 20–25 minutes.
What examiners mark
- Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre routine
- Progress at clear junctions
- Speed awareness in estates
- Roundabout lane discipline
- Observation on reverse manoeuvres
Tips from the test
Do a dry run at the same time of day
Morning rush on Rochestown Avenue is completely different to a quiet afternoon. Match your practice to your actual test slot time.
Say your mirror checks out loud
Sounds strange but it forces you to actually do them instead of forgetting under pressure. Your passenger will notice too.
Stop fully, then creep
At blind junctions: full stop, then inch forward until you can see. A rolling stop is not a stop. Examiners know the difference.
One minor doesn't fail you
You can accumulate up to 6 minors before failing. Don't let one small error spiral into more. Reset and keep going.
Hesitation is a fail reason too
Nervous drivers under-drive. They sit at clear gaps and do not commit. If it's safe to go, go. "Lack of progress" appears on a lot of fail sheets.
Drive the routes 3–4 times minimum
First time is discovery. Second is nerves. Third is where it starts to feel familiar. Familiar is exactly how you want to feel on test day.
From learners who used this
Thank you for building this. Driving schools have been charging a fortune.
Such an easy way to practice the routes, and the quiz! Made my life so easy. Thanks a bunch!
Get in Touch
Know a route that's been updated? Spot something wrong? Just want to say you passed? I read every one.
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— just a local who drove this test, mapped what he got, and reads every email 🍀