Show me, tell me questions
At the start of the car practical test the examiner asks one “tell me” question. During the drive they ask one “show me” question. Both are about whether you can keep the car safe.
Two questions, one driving fault if you miss them
You explain the “tell me” answer before you drive. You do the “show me” task while you are moving, when it is safe. Getting one or both wrong is recorded as one driving fault. If your driving becomes dangerous while you answer the show-me question, that is a fail.
The official list, including the answers the examiner expects, is on GOV.UK. Read the car show me, tell me questions. The wording below is a guide so you know what to practise. Use the official page for the exact answer.
Show me, while you drive
When it is safe, the examiner can ask you to:
Wash the rear windscreen. Wash the front windscreen. Switch on dipped headlights. Set the rear demister. Sound the horn. Demist the front windscreen. Open and close a side window.
In a Paulos lesson you learn where those controls are in the car you will use, and you practise them without looking down for long enough to miss the road.
Tell me, before you move
The tell-me questions cover brakes, tyre pressures and tread, the head restraint, lights and indicators, the ABS warning, brake lights, power steering, the rear fog light, and main beam. Three of them ask you to open the bonnet and talk through oil, coolant and screenwash.
You do not have to get out for the light checks. You do have to know the car. That is easier when you have already done the checks on a lesson, which is skill 2 of the 27 driving skills.
Practise them in the lesson car
A generic diagram is not the same as the stalk in the car you will take to the test centre. Paulos instructors go through the questions in the tuition car, then ask them again on later lessons so they are not a surprise at the start of the test.
Pair them with the Highway Code sections on lights and tyres, and with theory practice if you have not passed that yet.
More ways Paulos gets you ready
Learn it with an instructor, on your roads
Tell us your area and we will match you with a Paulos instructor. The show-me and tell-me questions are part of the lesson, not homework you are left to guess.
Paulos School of Motoring teaches one-to-one in Newcastle upon Tyne, Leeds and Birmingham. Lessons are with a DVSA-approved instructor, pickup is included in the neighbourhoods we list, and nothing is paid on this page. Tell us your area and we will match you with a local instructor.
Ready to start lessons?
Send an enquiry with your area and when you would like to begin. We will be in touch to confirm availability.