Booking a driving test in another town or city is very common if there are no test vacancies near where the candidate lives.
There are some major problems with this IF you are looking for a local driving instructor to help you familiarise yourself with the area or take you for the test.
You are an UNKNOWN!
Driving Instructors are very reluctant to take pupils to test whom they don’t know. This is because instructors get penalised by the DVSA when pupils fail the driving test.
It will be very unlikely that the candidate will find a local instructor at short notice for that reason.
You do not know the area!
Every test area has its ‘quirky’ roads and junctions that can catch people out if they are unfamiliar with the route or situation. It is very important that the candidate gets an oversight from an experienced instructor of how the ‘land lies’ within the area itself.
Book an Instructor well in advance
The best way is to book a driving instructor, local to your test centre, well in advance of the driving test. I recommend at least 6 weeks ahead. You will need to take weekly lessons leading up to your driving test with that instructor.
This may be a lot of travelling and planning but it will all be worth it when you pass the driving test.
Be prepared to move the test
Be prepared to move your driving test if your instructor says you are not ready! You need to have a reasonable expectation of passing before you can take the test in a school car. Of course, you can always take the test in your own car if you desire.
If you can not find an instructor to take you to the test then it may be a good idea to move the test to a later date and possible a more local test centre.
Summary
Booking an out-of-area driving test can be difficult to find a local instructor willing to take you to the test at short notice. If you plan ahead and be prepared to put in the effort of taking local lessons in the weeks leading to the test then you should be OK.
Hope that helps.