The practical motorcycle test is split in two. Module 1 is manoeuvres on a closed off-road pad and takes about twenty minutes. Module 2 is a ride in real traffic with an examiner following you and takes about forty. You have to pass Module 1 before you can sit Module 2, and both have to fall inside the two years your theory certificate is valid.
Module 1 — the off-road module
Held at a DVSA Motorcycle Manoeuvring Area. No traffic, no other candidates riding at the same time, and an examiner watching from the side. The exercises run in a fixed order:
- Wheeling the bike and parking it on the stand.
- A slalom and a figure of eight.
- A slow ride alongside the examiner.
- A U-turn.
- Cornering followed by a controlled stop.
- Cornering followed by an emergency stop.
- Cornering followed by a hazard avoidance — the swerve.
The last two need a minimum speed through the speed trap, and that is where most Module 1 failures happen: riders arrive too slowly, are asked to go again, and tighten up. On a large bike the required speed is higher than it sounds from the sofa and lower than it feels on the pad.
You are allowed a small number of rider faults. A serious or dangerous fault ends it, as does putting a foot down in the U-turn or running outside the marked area.
Module 2 — the on-road module
This is the one that looks like a driving test. It starts with an eyesight check — a number plate at 20 metres — and some questions about carrying a passenger and checking the bike over.
Then you ride, with the examiner behind you on a bike or in a car, giving directions over a radio. It covers:
- Normal, angled and uphill starts.
- A stretch of independent riding, where you follow road signs or a route you have been given rather than turn-by-turn instructions.
- Junctions, roundabouts, dual carriageways where the route has them, and ordinary town traffic.
You are allowed a number of rider faults here too — more than in Module 1, because there is far more road to cover. One serious or dangerous fault is a fail regardless of how the rest went.
What examiners actually mark you down for
Observation, mostly. Riders who fail Module 2 usually ride the bike well and look at the wrong things: no lifesaver before a manoeuvre, no mirror check before slowing, a blind spot never checked. The second most common is road position — sitting too far left through bends and at junctions, where you can see less and be seen less.
Neither is a skill problem. Both are habits, and habits are what the training hours before the test are for.
If you fail
There is a minimum wait before a retest — three clear working days for either module — and the fee is payable again, plus whatever your school charges for the bike and the instructor. A failed Module 2 does not cost you your Module 1 pass, but a Module 1 pass has its own validity window, so do not leave a long gap between them.
Fault allowances, fees and waiting times are set by DVSA and change occasionally. The current figures are on GOV.UK; your instructor will know them too.