01
Test timing
Do I need a test booked?
No. If you are unsure about readiness, the 90-minute assessment is the recommended first step. If your Full test is booked for 25 January 2027 or later, check the new NZTA process before enquiring.
Full licence test preparation
Prepare for the current Full test with focused coaching.
A practical 60-minute lesson to strengthen observation, hazard commentary, planning and the independent decisions expected during the current New Zealand Full licence test.
At a glance
- 60minutes of coached driving
- $85standard 60-minute lesson price
- ✓Hazard commentary and test-format practice
- ✓Verbal feedback and practice priorities
Important licence-system change
For Full licence tests before 25 January 2027.
This service prepares drivers for the current Full licence practical test. From 25 January 2027, the car licensing system changes: a Full licence practical test will no longer be required and hazard perception will move to the Restricted practical test.
CDS will review and update this service when NZTA releases further practical guidance. If your test is near the changeover date, check the latest NZTA information before booking.
Read the NZTA change informationWho it is for
Preparation shaped around the driver—not a generic test route.
Full test preparation is for Restricted Licence holders getting ready for the current Full test, whether the test is booked or still being considered. It can also help drivers preparing for an overseas-licence conversion practical test, returning after time away from driving, rebuilding confidence or responding to a previous unsuccessful test.
You do not need to have learned with CDS before. Most preparation is based around Pukekohe, but the coaching remains useful if you intend to sit the test elsewhere because the focus is safe, transferable driving—not memorising a route.
What the lesson covers
Build the awareness behind safe independent driving.
Alistair keeps the lesson fluid, adjusting the balance of coaching and independent driving to the driver’s current ability, confidence and test timing.
- 01Focus
Observation and planning
See developing situations early
Strengthen scanning, mirror and blind-spot checks, road positioning and forward planning so decisions are made with time and space rather than at the last moment.
Earlier awareness - 02Focus
Hazard commentary
Identify the hazard and explain the response
Practise identifying relevant hazards aloud, saying where they are, considering how they may develop and clearly stating the action being taken. Alistair also explains how the concise spoken task is presented in the current Full test.
Hazard detection and response - 03Focus
Independent decisions
Choose safe speed, space and gaps
Develop consistent judgement around following distance, gap selection, speed choice, signalling, lane use, intersections and roundabouts across the road conditions encountered.
Calm, lawful choices - 04You receive
Feedback and next steps
Leave knowing what to practise
Alistair gives verbal feedback during the drive when useful, then finishes with a debrief and specific practice priorities. A written report is available as a separate paid add-on.
A clear practice focus
How the session works
Coaching when it helps. Space to drive independently when you are ready.
The hour can include an initial discussion, coached driving, independent driving, hazard commentary practice and a final debrief. The order and time spent on each part remain flexible.
Alistair coaches and corrects issues when he considers it useful. A dedicated 60-minute pre-test warm-up drive for Restricted or Full candidates can be booked as a separate $85 service.
Full test preparation lesson
60 minutes · $85
- Coached practical driving
- Current Full-test hazard commentary practice
- Difficulty matched to ability and confidence
- Verbal feedback and practice priorities
This is professional preparation by CDS, not an official NZTA assessment. No driving school can guarantee a pass.
Enquire about a lessonVehicle for the lesson
Practise in the vehicle that best supports the goal.
If the driver and Alistair are both comfortable using the vehicle intended for the test, that vehicle is recommended because it allows the driver to practise with familiar controls, dimensions and visibility. Vehicle use must be agreed when booking.
Manual lessons require a suitable student-supplied manual vehicle. Any student vehicle must be safe, legal and appropriately insured.
Choose the right starting point
Preparation develops the drive. An assessment establishes the baseline.
Full preparation lessonCDS skills assessment
60 minutes · $85
90 minutes · $130
Active coaching and correction during the drive
More formal observation and evaluation
Verbal feedback and practice priorities
Written skills report and clearer readiness judgement
Written report available as a paid add-on
Written report included
Best when known skills need development or refinement
Recommended first when readiness and priorities are uncertain
CDS generally recommends beginning with the 90-minute assessment. Alistair can then recommend a suitable follow-up lesson if one is needed.
Warm-up drive and vehicle use
Prepare in the vehicle you will use for the test.
A 60-minute pre-test warm-up drive for a Restricted or Full practical test costs $85. It can be completed in the student’s own suitable vehicle. If the student then uses that vehicle for the test, the total CDS fee is $85.
Anyone wanting to use the Toyota Aqua for the practical test must book the complete $170 package. This includes the $85 60-minute pre-test warm-up drive and an additional $85 test-day Aqua-use block of up to 60 minutes. Aqua test use cannot be booked on its own.
The driver must hold a valid New Zealand driver licence. All bookings are subject to the Aqua being available at the scheduled test time. Alistair is likely to attend to provide the car, but the candidate takes the practical test independently.
Ask about the warm-up and Aqua packageCommon questions
Know what to expect before booking.
Full preparation is normally based around Pukekohe and focuses on skills that transfer to any suitable test location.
02
Test route
Will we drive the exact route?
No. Most preparation takes place around Pukekohe, but the aim is safe and adaptable driving. The pre-test warm-up drive is booked separately and does not claim to reproduce an exact route used by the testing provider.
03
Written feedback
Is a report included?
Not in the standard $85 lesson. A written report can be added at extra cost, or it is included within the 90-minute, $130 CDS skills assessment.
For the current test format, assessed skills and hazard-response task, see the official Drive Full licence test guide and NZTA Full licence practical test information.
Prepare with a clear focus
Start with the service that answers your next question.
Choose a Full preparation lesson for active coaching, or begin with a CDS skills assessment when you need a clearer view of readiness and priorities.