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show me tell me questions

Show Me Tell Me questions are the short vehicle‑safety questions you’re asked in the UK practical driving test: one you tell (explain) and one you show (demonstrate) while driving.

What Show Me Tell Me Questions Are

  • You get 2 questions in total:
    • 1 “tell me” at the start, before you drive (you explain how you’d do a safety check).
    • 1 “show me” while you’re driving (you physically operate a control, like wipers or windows).
  • They’re there to check you understand basic car safety and controls (lights, brakes, demisters, horn, etc.).
  • Getting one or both wrong = normally just 1 driving fault (a minor), not an automatic fail, unless your driving becomes unsafe while you’re doing it.

Examples of “Tell Me” Questions

You only explain what you would do; you don’t actually perform the check.

  • “Tell me how you’d check that the brakes are working before starting a journey.”
  • “Tell me how you’d check that the headlights and tail lights are working.”
  • “Tell me how you’d check the brake lights are working.”
  • “Tell me how you’d check that the power steering is working before starting a journey.”
  • “Tell me how you’d check that the indicators are working.”
  • “Tell me how you’d check the tyres to ensure they have sufficient tread depth and are safe to use.”

The exact wording can vary slightly, but the idea is always: explain a safe, sensible method that matches what the DVSA expects.

Examples of “Show Me” Questions

These are asked while you’re driving, and you actually operate the control when it’s safe.

  • “When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you wash and clean the rear windscreen?”
  • “When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you wash and clean the front windscreen?”
  • “When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you’d open and close the side window?”
  • “When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you’d switch on your dipped headlights?”
  • “When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you’d operate the horn?”
  • “When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you’d demist the front windscreen?”

Different guides list 7–8 show‑me questions and 14 tell‑me questions in the current format.

Typical Driving‑Test Flow

  1. Before driving:
    • Eyesight check.
    • 1 “tell me” question at the car, where you explain a safety/maintenance check.
  1. During the drive:
    • At some point on the move, the examiner asks the 1 “show me” question; you operate the relevant control while keeping the car under control.

If you answer incorrectly but drive safely, it’s just a minor fault; dangerous or uncontrolled use of the car’s systems during the show‑me can count as a serious fault.

Forum / “What Comes Up Most?” Angle

On learner‑driver forums, people often report being asked very common ones like:

  • Show me: wash rear/front windscreen, open/close window, demist front screen.
  • Tell me: check brakes, check lights, check tyres, check indicators.

Learners often say that once they practised them a few times in their actual test car, the questions felt much easier and were not what made or broke the test.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.