Since 2021 the examiner grades the practical test against a fixed catalogue and records everything on a tablet, the electronic test protocol (ePP). If you know what is on it, you know what matters in every situation.
Before the drive
The examiner introduces himself, checks your ID and whether the prescribed training is complete. Then he asks you to adjust the seat, mirrors and everything personal, and watches whether you think of everything. That result already goes into the protocol. Next comes the safety check: you show, by sample, that the vehicle is in proper condition. Then he explains the procedure and wishes you success.
The eight driving tasks
The catalogue of driving tasks describes eight driving tasks, some with partial tasks: entering and leaving zip merges and changing lanes, curves, passing and overtaking, crossroads and junctions, roundabouts, rail traffic, stops and pedestrian crossings, driving straight. Added to that are the basic driving tasks such as parking and the emergency stop. For each task the catalogue states the expected behaviour, and for special cases there are subclasses, for example turning left with right before left, with signs, with traffic lights or with a police officer.
- Entering and leaving zip merge, change of lane
Zip merge (e.g. joining the Autobahn) · Leaving zip merge · Change of lane - Curves
- Passing, overtaking
Passing stationary objects and bottlenecks · Overtaking other road users - Crossroads, junctions, entering roads
Crossing · Turning right · Turning left · Entering a road - Roundabout
- Rail traffic
Driving near and crossing railway tracks · Nearing a tram and tram tracks - Stops (public transport) and pedestrian crossings
Nearing and passing bus and tram stops · Nearing and crossing pedestrian crossings - Driving straight
The five areas of driving competence
Every requirement belongs to one of five areas: observation of traffic, positioning of the vehicle, adaptation of speed, communication and handling of the vehicle. Environmentally friendly driving is added to that. These are exactly the columns the examiner sees on the tablet, and in the exam simulation you see after every answer which column you hit.
What a mistake weighs
For each task the catalogue gives examples of above-average performance, minor mistakes and severe mistakes, including those that end the test at once. The hazard potential is decisive. For some criteria there are guide values for distances, speeds and correction times. Taking someone's priority or endangering a pedestrian weighs heavily; a hesitant start is a remark.
What the examiner does during the drive
He observes and records only events, good and bad, with a few taps on the tablet. If you drive as expected, there is nothing to record. If you make a mistake, he later tries to bring about a similar situation again, to see whether it was a one-off or a recurring mistake. This is called the adaptive test strategy: the further course of the test depends on what has happened so far. In practice: one mistake is not the end, but the same mistake twice weighs heavily.
The grading and the feedback
After the drive the examiner rates every driving task and every competence area across all situations as very good, good, sufficient or insufficient, and then decides passed or failed. He tells you the result, explains his rating of the five areas and the decisive driving tasks with concrete events, and gives you tips. Shortly after, you receive written feedback, usually electronically: the overall rating of the five areas and the eight tasks, notes on everything that was not very good, and the individual particularly good performances and mistakes. That applies after a passed and after a failed test.
What that means for you
Practise the situations from the catalogue, not random ones. In every situation pay attention to the five areas, above all observation: the examiner sees where you look. And if a mistake happens: keep driving calmly and do not repeat it next time, because that is exactly what he tests.
Source: TÜV SÜD's explainer video on the practical driving test (October 2022) and the catalogue of driving tasks of the TÜV | DEKRA arge tp 21, part of the examination guidelines. This description is our summary; the guidelines and the Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung are authoritative. Watch TÜV SÜD's explainer (YouTube)
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