Show Me, Tell Me Questions Explained (2026)

Show me, tell me questions explained

The show me, tell me questions are the gentlest part of your practical driving test — and the part learners worry about least once they understand how little is at stake. There are only two of them, the examiner asks one at the start and one during your drive, and a wrong answer costs you a single driver fault and nothing more. This guide, written by a DVSA approved instructor, walks you through how they work, gives you real example questions, and shows you how to revise.

What "show me, tell me" actually means

The examiner asks you two vehicle safety questions on the day:

• One "tell me" question before you start driving, while you're parked at the test centre. You simply explain how you would carry out a safety task — you describe it in words, you don't have to do it.
• One "show me" question while you're driving, where you demonstrate something using the car's controls — for example, washing the windscreen as you go.

That's it. Two questions, drawn from the official DVSA list, asked at two different points. They're designed to check you understand basic car safety, not to catch you out.

Tell me questions (asked before you drive)

A "tell me" question is answered out loud, in your own words. You won't need to open the bonnet or touch anything — you just explain the steps. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Tell me how you would check the brakes are working before starting a journey. (The brakes should not feel spongy or slack, and the car shouldn't pull to one side when you test them as you set off.)
• Tell me how you would check the tyres have enough tread depth and that their condition is safe. (No cuts or bulges, and at least 1.6mm of tread across the central three-quarters and all the way around.)
• Tell me how you would check the tyres have the correct pressure. (Use a reliable gauge, check against the manufacturer's guide in the handbook or door pillar, and check when the tyres are cold.)
• Tell me how you would check that the head restraint is correctly adjusted. (The rigid part should be roughly level with the top of your head, or at least the top of your ears.)
• Tell me how you would check the direction indicators are working. (Switch them on and walk round the car, or use a reflection in a window or wall, to see them flashing.)

You don't need word-perfect, mechanic-level answers — a clear, sensible explanation is exactly what the examiner is looking for.

Show me questions (asked while you drive)

A "show me" question is asked once you're on the move, and you demonstrate it using the controls without taking your attention off the road. Your examiner will never ask anything that puts you in danger, and you can wait for a safe, quiet moment. Common ones include:

• Show me how you would wash and clean the front windscreen. (Operate the washers and wipers.)
• Show me how you would operate the horn.
• Show me how you would demist the front windscreen.
• Show me how you would clear any mist from the rear screen. (The heated rear-screen button.)
• Show me how you would switch on the rear fog light(s) and explain when you'd use them. (In seriously reduced visibility, generally under 100 metres.)

The trick is simply knowing your car. Lessons matter here, because you'll be tested in a car you know inside out — in our manual Ford Fiesta, you'll have found every one of these controls long before test day.

How the scoring works

This is the part that puts learners' minds at ease. Getting a show me or tell me question wrong is recorded as one driver fault (a "minor") — and you can collect up to 15 driver faults and still pass. So even if you completely blank on a button, it costs you a single minor and the test carries on as normal.

There is one thing to be careful of: if you do the "show me" task dangerously — for example, swerving or losing control while reaching for a control — that could be marked as a serious or dangerous fault, and one of those is an instant fail. The answer is simply to wait for a safe moment and keep your eyes on the road. For the full picture of how faults are recorded, see our driving test guide.

How to revise

There are only a couple of dozen questions in total, and the answers are common sense once you've practised them:

• Read the relevant parts of the Highway Code so the safety reasoning behind each answer makes sense, rather than memorising scripts.
• Use the official list on GOV.UK, which has every current question and a model answer for each: the car show me, tell me questions.
• Sit in your lesson car and physically find each control — wipers, demister, rear screen, fog light, horn, hazards. Muscle memory beats memory under pressure.
• Ask your instructor to quiz you at the start and end of lessons until the answers come without thinking.

These questions are separate from your theory test, which covers the written knowledge and hazard perception — get that sorted early using our theory test guide.

A little reassurance for nervous learners

If you're anxious about being put on the spot, you're in good company — and these two questions are genuinely the easiest marks on the test to keep safe. We're specialists with nervous and first-time learners, and we work the safety questions into ordinary lessons so they feel like second nature long before your test.

Ready to feel test-ready?

Drive King's patient, DVSA approved tuition gets you confident with every part of the test, the show me, tell me questions included. Get in touch to book your lessons, and see our lesson prices to get started.

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