Booked your one-off practical driving assessment with Access Canberra? Good preparation on the day matters as much as your driving. Many learners lose their booking, and their fee, because of something simple like a missing document, the wrong car or arriving late. Use this checklist so nothing catches you out.

1. Documents to bring

Access Canberra asks you to bring:

• your ACT learner licence or other proof of identity
• your completed logbook, with all your required supervised hours accounted for
• your Hazard Perception Test (HPT) certificate
• the Access Canberra checklist, if you were given one

Put them in one folder the night before so you’re not searching in the morning.

2. Car checklist

For the one-off assessment you supply the car, and it has to meet Access Canberra’s requirements. If it doesn’t, you can’t sit the assessment. Check the night before:

• Registered (an unregistered vehicle permit isn’t accepted)
• Clean inside, with clean windows and nothing blocking your view
• Roadworthy: tyres, brakes, brake lights and indicators working
• Working seatbelts
• A working centre-mounted park brake (electric or manual) that the examiner can reach from the passenger seat
• No loose items in the cabin
• L plates on the front and back
• At least a quarter tank of fuel
• Working air conditioning and heating
• If the car model is on the compulsory Takata airbag recall list, a manufacturer document confirming the airbag was replaced

3. Timing on the day

• Arrive 15 minutes early. Access Canberra asks you to arrive 15 minutes before your appointment.
• Don’t be late. If you’re more than 5 minutes late, you have to rebook for the next available date and pay again.
• Have a short warm-up drive beforehand so you’re settled, but don’t tire yourself out.

4. The three mistakes Access Canberra sees most

Access Canberra lists these as common reasons learners are marked “not yet competent”:

1. Speed. Not following speed signs, or not anticipating speed changes, especially in school zones, construction zones and busy pedestrian areas.
2. Blind spots. Not using mirrors and head checks before changing lanes or merging.
3. Stop and hold lines. Overrunning the line at a stop sign or give way sign.

Practise all three on purpose in the weeks before your assessment. Say them out loud while you drive if it helps: “speed sign, 40 school zone”, “mirror, indicator, head check”, “stop behind the line”.

5. If you’re not yet competent

It happens, and it’s fixable. The examiner tells you why, and you’re emailed an assessment report. You must wait at least 48 hours before another attempt. Use the report: practise those exact skills with your supervisor or an accredited driving instructor before you rebook.

6. Booking and changes

You book the one-off assessment by phoning Access Canberra on 13 22 81, and you must be at least 17 on the day. There are fees for booking, rescheduling and cancelling, and you can lose your booking fee with less than 48 hours notice. Check the current fees and rules on the Access Canberra one-off practical driving assessment page.

Want a practice run first?

A test preparation lesson ($160) runs through what the assessment looks for and finds your weak spots, like head checks, speed changes and stop lines, so you can fix them before the day. Not sure the one-off assessment is right for you? Compare it with the logbook pathway in our guide: ACT logbook vs one-off driving test.

Book a test preparation lesson online or call 0412 246 846.

Information checked against Access Canberra in October 2026. Requirements can change; always confirm with Access Canberra before your assessment.