Comprehensive answers to your most common questions about driving lessons, tests, and more.
Our driving school stands out due to our RSA ADI-approved driving instructors who provide professional, friendly, and reliable service. We specialize in helping nervous drivers and beginners, ensuring high pass rates with guaranteed results. Our lessons cover all test routes and include block booking discounts, pre-test specialist training, and advanced road safety lessons. Additionally, no car sharing is involved, promising individual attention.
During your manual driving lessons, our experienced instructors will assess your current driving skills and identify any bad habits. You will learn how to operate a manual gearbox, including the use of the clutch and gear stick. Lessons also cover road signs, under-the-bonnet components, and secondary controls. You’ll receive tips on how to present yourself to RSA testers and master essential maneuvers such as reverse around the corner, hill starts, turnabouts, and navigating roundabouts.
To begin driving lessons, you must first have a driver permit (provisional driving licence). This requires passing the theory test, for which you can obtain an application form from the RSA. Once you have your valid permit, you can start your lessons with us, taking advantage of door-to-door pick-up and flexible scheduling.
The number of lessons needed varies by individual. After the initial few lessons, we can estimate the number of sessions you might need based on your learning pace. On average, most learners require about 35 to 45 hours of driving instruction to be ready for the driving test. We also recommend practicing on your own to enhance your driving skills further.
Yes, if your first learner permit for a car was issued on or after April 4, 2011, you are required to complete Essential Driver Training (EDT). This training is a mandatory part of preparing for your driving test in Ireland. EDT helps ensure that learner drivers acquire critical driving skills and knowledge to drive safely.
The duration of the driving test is usually about 40 minutes, but it can vary slightly depending on the day’s conditions and the tester’s requirements. The test is comprehensive, designed to evaluate your readiness to drive safely and independently.
Yes, your car should be roadworthy, insured, and have L-plates displayed during lessons as per Irish law.
Yes, as long as the car type matches the lesson (automatic or manual), you can switch during your course.
No, our lessons are suitable for complete beginners as well as those with previous driving experience.
Yes, we can provide lessons to foreign license holders in their own cars. We also offer a Reduced EDT course specifically designed for foreign license holders.
Pretest assessments are comprehensive evaluations of your driving skills and knowledge. They identify areas that need improvement to increase your chances of passing the driving test.
Any learner driver, especially those who’ve previously failed their practical test, can benefit from pretest assessments. They’re designed to build confidence and address common areas of failure.
We cover key problem areas such as hazard response, junction observation, vehicle control, and manoeuvres. These are areas where new drivers typically fail their driving tests.
Our pretest assessments provide a realistic simulation of the driving test. We identify and help you correct weaknesses in your driving, thereby improving your chances of success on the actual test day.
Pretest assessments are designed to restore your confidence by addressing the specific areas that led to failure in your previous test. We provide expert feedback and analysis to help you improve.
Our pretest assessments are conducted by expert instructors who provide comprehensive feedback. We focus on preparing you thoroughly to pass your driving test at the first attempt.
Pretest lessons are designed to prepare learners for the driving test, with a focus on familiarizing them with areas used during the test, understanding complex roundabouts, and covering all potential scenarios.
It’s advisable to start your pretest lessons after you complete the 12 EDT lessons. This allows you ample time for a thorough self-assessment and beneficial practice.
Absolutely. Our pretest lessons familiarize you with the driving test course, enabling you to face any potential difficulties with confidence on your test day.
We cover all common areas of driving test failure, such as correct hazard response, proper observation at junctions, vehicle control, and precise execution of manoeuvres.
Pretest lessons include an initial assessment, fault analysis, demonstration drives, and practical test preparation.
Our expert instructors, comprehensive course structure, and focus on your individual needs lead to high first-time pass rates, making us a preferred choice for pretest lessons in Cork.
Essential Driver Training (EDT) is a mandatory training course that teaches fundamental driving skills to learner car drivers. You are required now by law to sit the mandatory 12 EDT driving lessons.
Download Essential Driver Training (EDT) booklet.
The Road Safety Authority requires every new learner driver to complete the mandatory 12 EDT Driving Lessons. This measure is to ensure adequate experience and competency before granting a driving test date.
Any driver who has been issued a learner permit on or after 04/04/2011 is required by law to complete the 12 mandatory EDT Driving lessons.
Typically, EDT Lessons, once completed, do not need to be retaken. However, if a learner’s permit has lapsed for more than 5 years, a repetition of the EDT lessons becomes mandatory.
The logbook is a vital document brought to each driving lesson. It records your training, progress, comments, tips, and advice from the instructor. You won’t be able to sit the Irish driving test until all 12 driving lessons are completed and uploaded onto the Road Safety Authority’s EDT portal.
Download Sample EDT Learner Logbook.
A Learner Permit allows you to drive with certain restrictions, giving you the practice needed to become a safe, competent driver before you take your test. You must always have an experienced driver in the car acting as your Sponsor. The permit lasts for two years for the first and second issue, and for one year for a third or more.
After completing your EDT course, continue to practice your driving skills, focusing on areas where improvement is needed. You should aim to gain a broad range of driving experiences. When you feel confident and ready, you can apply for the driving test. We recommend taking a pretest assesment to gauge your readiness for the final test.
Holders of a current full foreign driving license from another country with which Ireland does not have a license exchange agreement can apply.
Applicants must hold a full foreign driving license, have held it for at least two years, the license must not have expired more than six months on the date of application receipt, they must be residents in Ireland, and hold an Irish learner permit.
The Reduced EDT program consists of six one-hour sessions. It covers important driving skills and behaviors, prepares learners for the practical driving test, monitors their progress, and helps to correct any poor driving habits, skills, and attitudes.
On the first Reduced EDT lesson, you’ll receive a personal logbook from our RSA-approved instructor. The logbook details the lesson plan for each session of the course. Your instructor will record your progress, sign the logbook, and upload it onto the RSA ADI portal as completed.
Upon completion, you can immediately apply to the closest test center. It’s recommended to get as much practice as possible on different road types and traffic conditions. We also offer additional pretest lessons and assessments to gauge your technical level as per the driving test marking guidelines.
While you can take two-hour lessons if you prefer, we recommend analysing your driving level in the initial lesson. Based on that, we’ll advise on a system of training that fits your availability and the times you can avail of our lessons.
DRIVEFirst is an insurance program from First Ireland, a leading insurance broker in Dublin. It is designed to offer significant savings to new drivers, including pupils of RoadMaster driving school.
As an RoadMaster Driving School pupil, you can save up to 30% off your first-time insurance with DRIVEFirst. This could amount to a saving of up to €1200.
All pupils of RoadMaster driving school are eligible for the DRIVEFirst insurance discount. You are required to complete a course of 10 or more lessons with us. Upon completion, you will be issued a certificate from RoadMaster Driving School Cork, which you can present to First Ireland to avail of the insurance discounts.
You can apply for DRIVEFirst insurance directly through First Ireland.
The DRIVEFirst insurance program caters to young drivers aged between 18 and 24. It’s designed to offer competitive premiums while promoting safer driving.
Opting to hire a car for your driving test ensures you have access to a dependable, professionally-maintained vehicle that is comprehensively insured and mechanically sound. This can significantly lower your stress levels, allowing you to concentrate solely on acing your driving test.
No, you are not obligated to complete your lessons with us in order to hire a car for your test. However, we do require that you have taken a minimum of 5 pre-test lessons with RoadMaster Driving School Cork to ensure you are fully familiar with the vehicle you will be using during your test. This helps to provide the best possible environment for your success.
Absolutely, our vehicles come with dual controls. They feature both a driver’s and a passenger’s side set of controls. This safety feature, common in driving instruction vehicles, allows the instructor to intervene and take over the car’s operation if needed during a lesson.
Ideally you give us as much notice as possible if you require a car for your test, however we can sometimes facilitate short notice car hires. To guarantee availability of a car for your test you should give at least 7 days notice to us.
Ready to take the next step on your driving journey? Don't let another day pass without making progress towards your driving license. By booking a lesson with RoadMaster Driving School Cork, you're investing in top-notch instruction that brings you closer to your driving goals.
