When to Change Driving Instructor Before the CBR Practical Exam

Maybe. But “this feels wrong” is hard to act on. Give yourself better evidence.

Write down what keeps repeating

For the next lessons, record the actual feedback. Late shoulder check. Speed too low after the turn. Hesitation at equal-priority junctions. Whatever it is.

If the same behaviour keeps appearing, you have a pattern. That still does not tell you whether the problem is the teaching or the skill — but now you have something real to inspect.

Look at what happens after feedback

Does the instructor explain why the problem matters? Do you get a specific exercise for it? Does the next lesson revisit it in a different situation? Can either of you say what improvement would look like?

“Be more confident” is not a training plan. Neither is driving around until something hopefully fixes itself.

Change the plan before you change the person

Ask for one or two lessons built around the repeated issue. Track what changes. If the feedback becomes more specific and the behaviour improves, good. If the explanations stay vague, the same problems are never trained directly and you still cannot tell what to do differently, changing instructor may be reasonable.

There is no magic lesson count. Count evidence, not frustration.

What to ask before paying a new driving school

Book an assessment lesson, not an immediate promise of an exam date. Ask the new instructor to identify your two main repeated problems and describe how they would train them. Compare that with your current feedback. A different instructor may explain the same issue more clearly; a different car does not automatically fix late observation, poor positioning or hesitation.

Before switching, get the balance of unused lessons, refund and cancellation terms in writing. Check whether a practical exam or interim test has already been reserved in your name. The CBR steps depend on that answer.

Your exam is already booked. Can the new school keep the same date?

No. CBR’s current switching procedure says that a booked practical exam or interim test cannot continue on its original date at the new school. Ask CBR to cancel it at least 10 working days before the test, wait for confirmation (CBR says within five working days), withdraw the old school’s authorisation in Mijn CBR, then authorise the new school to make a new booking. Your old school may charge according to its terms.

If there is no existing reservation, the CBR procedure is simpler: revoke the old school's authorisation in Mijn CBR and authorise the new school. An assessment lesson with the new instructor can be arranged separately, but it is not a substitute for changing the authorisation.