Learning to drive can be a stressful experience. It can be especially frustrating if friends have passed their tests before you have, or if your siblings passed first time. But don't panic - you will pass eventually! My advice would be, don't tell everyone when your driving test is booked so that you won't have the added pressure of people pestering you about it. This takes the weight off your mind so that unless you don't pass no-one need know unless you want to tell them.

Practice makes perfect; the more hours you spend driving with friends or your parents means less hours that you will need to pay an instructor for lessons. Try to drive in all conditions so you are more prepared. Make sure you get experience driving in different weather conditions and in unfamiliar areas, drive at night and during bright daylight, on rural country roads and in busy city centres. More practice will build your confidence and you will be better prepared for your test.

Revising your theory test knowledge, reminding yourself of the Highway Code and what all the road signs mean, could help your confidence during the test. Double checking simple things, such as what blinking amber and static amber traffic lights mean, will make you more prepared and decrease the chance of you making simple errors on your test.

Don't be afraid to change to a new instructor. Many people find that a different instructor, seeing their driving with fresh eyes, can give more constructive instruction. A different style of teaching may suit you better. Ask your friends for recommendations or search online for quality driving schools.

Useful tactics that may help during your test include describing out loud what you are doing and why you are doing it. For example I am selecting a lower gear before I approach this sharp bend. This demonstrates your awareness and makes it clearer for the examiner. You could opt to have your instructor in the back of the car during your test if that makes you feel more comfortable.  You could practice manoeuvres at the test centre site and surrounding area before your actual test so you are more familiar with the routes. And also remember to exaggerate looking in your mirror.

Don't lose your motivation, Winston Churchill once said that "success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm". You need to maintain a positive attitude, keep practicing and continue with your lessons. Having a 'break' from learning will only set you back; you really need to be behind that wheel again!

Having said that, although you should keep practicing, only re-take your test when you are ready and feel confident that you will pass. Don't rush it or take it for the sake of it. The Guinness World Record for the most practical driving tests ever taken is 48 attempts! So remember that there will always be someone who has taken their test more times than you have. Good luck!