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Hazard Perception Test
14 video clips, 15 hazards, 75 points available. Here's exactly how to score the maximum.
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What is the hazard perception test?
The hazard perception test is the second part of the DVSA theory test, taken immediately after the multiple-choice section. You watch 14 video clips filmed from a driver's perspective on real UK roads and click whenever you spot a developing hazard — a situation that would require a driver to take some action, such as slowing, steering or stopping.
Of the 14 clips, 13 contain one scoreable hazard and one clip contains two. There are 15 developing hazards in total, and you can score a maximum of 5 points per hazard — giving a maximum score of 75 points.
How is the hazard perception test scored?
Each developing hazard has a five-second scoring window. The earlier you click within that window, the higher your score. Clicking at the very start of the window scores 5 points; clicking later scores 4, 3, 2, or 1. Missing the window entirely scores 0 for that hazard.
The most important rule — do not click randomly
If the system detects a pattern of rapid, repeated clicking — an attempt to game the test — it records a score of zero for that entire clip. Do not click more than once every few seconds. Click purposefully, once you have identified a genuine developing hazard.
What counts as a developing hazard?
A developing hazard is not simply anything unusual on screen. It is specifically a situation that is actively getting worse or more threatening and that would require a real driver to act. Examples include:
- A pedestrian stepping off the pavement into the road
- A parked car door beginning to open in front of you
- A vehicle pulling out of a side road into your path
- A cyclist swerving toward the centre of the road
- A vehicle braking sharply ahead
- A child running toward the road
- An oncoming vehicle drifting toward your lane
Things that are already stationary or do not worsen — a parked van, a bend in the road — are potential hazards, but not developing hazards until they start to affect your course of action.
Tips for passing the hazard perception test
- Watch ahead, not just directly in front — hazards often develop in the middle distance
- Click as soon as you see the hazard beginning to develop — earlier is better
- Do not click repeatedly — one deliberate click per hazard is the correct approach
- Remember that one clip has two hazards — stay alert throughout
- Practise using the RED app with real DVSA-style clips before test day
- Do not click on the clip with two hazards only once — you need to identify both
Hazard Perception Test FAQs
No. The video clips play continuously from start to finish without any option to pause, rewind or replay. You must watch and respond in real time, as you would when driving.
If you fail the hazard perception section but pass the multiple-choice section, you must retake the full theory test — both sections. You cannot retake just one section in isolation. There is a mandatory 3-working-day waiting period and the full £23 fee applies again.
No. The DVSA has a large bank of clips and the 14 shown to you are selected at random. This means you cannot memorise specific clips — you must develop genuine hazard perception skills.
At DVSA test centres the test is conducted on a computer. You click using a standard computer mouse. There is no touchscreen option. During practice at home or on the RED app, you can use a touchscreen device, but make sure you also practise using a mouse before test day.
The maximum score from a single clip is 5 points (for one developing hazard) or 10 points (for the one clip that contains two developing hazards). With 15 hazards at up to 5 points each, the maximum total score is 75 points.
