The fault library
How the test is markedMoving off without checking the blind spot
The examiner marks a fault if you pull away from the kerb without checking your mirrors and looking over your right shoulder. A cyclist or car in your blind spot has to brake or swerve.
Moving off without a signal
If another road user could benefit, you must signal before pulling out. Pulling out with no indicator leaves the driver behind guessing.
Stalling or jerky clutch control
Repeated stalls, kangaroo jumps or revving loudly show poor control of the clutch and accelerator, and are marked under vehicle controls.
Driving too close to the centre line
Hugging the centre line puts you too close to oncoming traffic. Examiners expect a normal driving position in the middle of your lane.
Passing parked cars too closely
Squeezing past parked cars leaves no room for a door opening or a child stepping out. Allow at least a car-door's width.
Straddling lanes
Driving over the lane line on a dual carriageway blocks two lanes and confuses drivers behind.
Weaving — poor steering control
Wandering across your lane, over-steering or crossing your hands shows poor steering. It's marked under steering control.
No mirror check before turning left
Turning without checking your left mirror can cut across a cyclist on your inside — one of the most common Grade 3 faults.
Emerging from a junction without looking
Pulling out of a side road without looking right, left and right again forces traffic on the main road to brake.
Changing lanes without a blind-spot check
Mirrors don't show everything. A car can sit in your blind spot — changing lanes without a shoulder check is a dangerous fault.
Not yielding to pedestrians crossing a side road
When you turn into a side road, pedestrians already crossing it have priority. Driving at them is a serious fault.
Turning without signalling
Other drivers and pedestrians rely on your indicator. No signal before a turn is marked as a fault under signals.
Giving a misleading signal
Signalling left too early — before a side road when you mean to stop after it — can trick a waiting driver into pulling out in front of you.
Leaving the indicator on
An indicator still flashing after your turn tells everyone you're about to turn again. Check it has cancelled.
Cutting the corner turning right
Turning right early cuts across the corner into the wrong side of the new road — straight at any car waiting to come out.
Swinging out before turning left
Swinging right before a left turn confuses following traffic and gives a cyclist room to come up your inside.
Not stopping fully at a STOP sign
At a STOP sign you must come to a complete stop at the line, even if the road is clear. Rolling through is a Grade 3 fault.
Pulling into too small a gap
If a driver on the main road has to slow down because you pulled out, the examiner will mark it — even without a near-miss.
Approaching a junction too fast
Arriving at a turn too fast means late braking and a wide, unsteady turn. Examiners want you in the right gear at the right speed.
Not yielding to traffic from the right
At a roundabout you must yield to traffic already on it, coming from your right. Entering in front of them is a dangerous fault.
No left signal when exiting
Drivers waiting to enter need to know you're leaving. Signal left once you've passed the exit before yours.
Wrong position or signal for a right turn
Taking an exit past 12 o'clock means approaching in the right lane with a right signal. Approaching on the left without signalling misleads everyone.
Undue hesitancy at a roundabout
Waiting when there are clear safe gaps holds up traffic. Examiners mark 'undue hesitancy' as a fault under progress.
Exceeding the speed limit
Going over the posted limit — even briefly — is one of the most common Grade 3 faults on the Irish test.
Driving too slowly (progress)
Crawling well below the limit when it's safe holds up traffic and is marked under 'Progress'.
Following too closely
If the car ahead brakes and you're too close, you can't stop. Keep at least a two-second gap — four in the wet.
Late, harsh braking
Braking suddenly because you didn't plan ahead risks being hit from behind and shows poor anticipation.
Passing a cyclist too closely
Irish law asks for at least 1.5 m when passing a cyclist at over 50 km/h (1 m below). Squeezing past is a serious fault.
Overtaking into oncoming traffic
Starting an overtake without enough clear road ahead forces oncoming drivers to brake — a dangerous fault.
Not stopping at a zebra crossing
You must yield to a pedestrian on a zebra crossing. Driving through while someone is on it is a dangerous fault.
Going through a red light
Crossing the stop line on red is an automatic Grade 3 fault — and very dangerous.
Stopping in a yellow box junction
You must not enter a yellow box unless your exit is clear. Getting stuck in it blocks the junction.
Crossing a continuous white line
A continuous white centre line means no overtaking — you must not cross it. Examiners treat it as a serious fault.
Stopping over the stop line
Stopping with your nose sticking into the main road puts you in the path of passing traffic.
Mounting the kerb when reversing
Hitting or mounting the kerb during the reverse around a corner is a common Grade 3 fault.
Swinging wide when reversing
Ending up in the middle of the side road — or on the wrong side — means poor control and is marked as a fault.
Reversing without all-round observation
You must keep checking all around while reversing and stop for pedestrians or traffic. Missing them is a dangerous fault.
Hitting the kerb during the turnabout
Touching or mounting the kerb in the turnabout (three-point turn) is marked under turnabout control.
Turnabout without checking for traffic
You must look all around before each stage of the turnabout and give way to traffic. Ignoring an approaching car is a dangerous fault.
Rolling back on a hill start
Letting the car roll back on a hill — even a little — is marked under the hill start and handbrake.
Not using the handbrake when stopped
If you're stopped for more than a moment — on a slope or at lights — not applying the handbrake can let the car creep.
Coasting downhill
Holding the clutch down or rolling in neutral removes engine braking, so speed builds up. It's marked under vehicle controls.
Not yielding to a bus pulling out
In urban areas you should let buses pull out from a stop when they signal. Racing past forces the bus to brake.
Stopping across a junction
When pulling in, never stop opposite or across a side road — it blocks drivers and hides you from them.
Not anticipating hazards ahead
Spotting a person getting into a parked car, a ball rolling out, or a child near the kerb — and slowing early — is 'anticipation'. Reacting late is a fault.