Carmel (Caernarfon) Driving Test Centre
The Carmel (Caernarfon) driving test centre is located in Carmel, Wales (LL54 7AA). Below are the official pass-rate statistics, multi-year trend, demographic breakdown, and how this centre compares against the UK average and its neighbours, all drawn from the DVSA quarterly statistical release.
Pass vs fail at a glance
87 passed, 37 failed, 124 total
How Carmel (Caernarfon) compares
Carmel (Caernarfon) performs well above the UK average. Learners passing here are more likely to pass than at most other UK centres, though this can also reflect quieter test routes and fewer challenging junctions.
Where Carmel (Caernarfon) ranks among 152 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Most common faults at this centre
The fault categories most frequently recorded against learners on test. Knowing them lets you target practice on the things examiners are most likely to penalise.
- 1Junctions - observation10
- 2Mirrors - change direction9
- 3Move off - safely8
- 4Junctions - turning right7
- 5Response to signs - traffic lights6
Per-centre fault breakdowns are derived from the DVSA national fault distribution applied to centre-level test outcomes.
Pass rate by demographic
Estimated wait time and demand
Wait times at Carmel (Caernarfon) have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is comparatively quick: learners booking at Carmel (Caernarfon) typically wait around 7 weeks from booking to test day.
Wait time is estimated from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times (Dec 2024) and the DVSA Despatch blog updates, combined with this centre's test volume. Real availability fluctuates with examiner staffing and cancellations, always check the official DVSA booking service for live slots.
Centre details
Address
Tests offered at Carmel (Caernarfon)
- HGV/LGV
For other test types at this location, search the DVSA centre finder with postcode LL54 7AA.
Accessibility & facilities
Parking, toilets, and disabled-access details vary by centre. Check the official DVSA find a driving test centre tool with postcode LL54 7AA, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA hgv/lgv centres across Wales, Carmel (Caernarfon) is the one covering Carmel, Gwynedd and the surrounding LL54 7AA area. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. Only 124 tests sit on the record at Carmel (Caernarfon) for 2023-24-2024-25. That puts the centre in the tail of the volume distribution; treat any single-period rate as indicative, not definitive.
If you've been told Carmel (Caernarfon) is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 70.2% is 21.5 points clear of the UK hgv/lgv average of 48.7%, which is rank #30 out of 152. First-attempt data for Carmel (Caernarfon) is missing from the DVSA's DRT122C release. It's not a low number, it's no number, the centre is small enough that DVSA omits it from that particular table.
All figures shown are aggregated from the DVSA quarterly statistical release covering the most recent reporting periods available. Pass-rate calculations exclude tests cancelled by the candidate or examiner. Sample sizes and methodology are described in the source attribution at the foot of this page.
What learners should know about Carmel (Caernarfon)
- Carmel (Caernarfon) passes higher than the UK average, but the marking sheet is identical to every other DVSA centre. The bias is in the routes (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- Carmel (Caernarfon) is a low-volume centre (124 tests on record). Period-to-period swings can look dramatic without much underlying change, read the multi-year aggregate rather than any single quarter's figure.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Carmel (Caernarfon) routes. Local instructors know which junctions are the centre's hardest and will drill them.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Carmel (Caernarfon), the DVSA's official cancellation pool refreshes constantly. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for better odds.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Carmel (Caernarfon)
Arrive at Carmel (Caernarfon) with about ten minutes to spare and know your parking options in advance, they vary site to site across the DVSA network. The DVSA centre finder (postcode LL54 7AA) maps the centre and its surroundings. Waits here run around 7 weeks at low demand, so you can usually pick a date without a long wait. Don't set off without your provisional photocard licence; the test cannot start without it, and your car needs L plates and a working interior mirror. If Caernarfon LGV is fully booked, Carmel (Caernarfon) is the next closest centre, roughly 5 miles away.
The practical lasts about 40 minutes and uses the standard DVSA format nationwide. After an eyesight check at 20 metres and one show-me and one tell-me question, the examiner sits in for the drive. Roughly 20 minutes of that is independent driving, either following a sat nav set by the examiner or following road signs, and you will complete one of four set manoeuvres; about one in three tests includes an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
The result is given immediately when you get back. Whatever the outcome, the examiner reads through the marked faults and prints your DL25 feedback form; pass and they take the provisional licence to trigger your full one by post. The threshold is the national one, 15 driving faults at most and zero serious or dangerous, which 70.2% of Carmel (Caernarfon)'s candidates reach right now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Carmel (Caernarfon)?
Is Carmel (Caernarfon) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Carmel (Caernarfon) compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Carmel (Caernarfon) each year?
Which driving test centres are near Carmel (Caernarfon)?
When is the best time to book a test at Carmel (Caernarfon)?
How do I book a test at Carmel (Caernarfon) and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Carmel (Caernarfon)?
Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
Edited by Vikas. DVSA data period: 2024-25.