Got reviews or advice on intensive driving lessons

AniJ

Anyone taken one of those week long intensive crash courses for learner drivers, like this one: <MOD SNIP - removed named driving school> ???
I emmigrated a few years ago and driving lessons here cost E70-80 a pop! I'm thinking of just flying home in the Summer and getting all the required lessons done in one go.
Are they worth it? Does intensive learning like that actually work? Roughly how much driving experience does someone, beside the set lessons, before taking the test?

Thanks

**Timbuk2**

Mod note: just a reminder that discussion of named driving schools isn't allowed. Recommendations can be given by PM.

OP - I've never done intensive lessons, so it would be interesting to hear from somebody who has.

I would imagine to that to become a better driver, taking lessons over a period of time with plenty of practice in between is the way to go. (keeping in mind that passing the test does not necessarily mean one is an experienced driver!).

Also be familiar with the lesson requirements in Ireland (if planning to get your licence here...) - there are a minimum amount, and each lesson has set objectives (which don't preclude intensive courses, however these objectives will be easier to meet with lots of practice between lessons)

dennyk

Do you hold an Irish learner permit already? If not, you'll have to pass the theory test first in order to get a permit, and you won't be able to sit the driving test for six months after being issued your permit, no matter how quickly you complete the EDT lessons.

An intensive course would really only be a good idea if you have a decent amount of driving experience. I did a somewhat accelerated series of lessons myself (2-3 hour lesson blocks over the course of a month or two with a normal ADI, not one of those really compressed courses), but I'd been driving in the US for a couple decades, so mine were really just practicing the test routes, learning what the testers would be looking for, and unlearning some bad habits. If you're actually a new driver, you'll likely need a fair amount of practice to get up to test standards, beyond just the 12 hours of lessons. The amount varies for everyone, of course; some folks take to it quite naturally, while others need more practice, but if you're a brand new driver, cramming all of your EDT lessons into a few days isn't likely to work well.

There's also the issue of test scheduling; test waiting times are so long that the RSA won't even publish them anymore, but anecdotally I've heard anywhere from 15-20 weeks in recent times. You can sometimes get in quicker via a cancellation slot, but that requires you to be available on very short notice (a few days or even a few hours), and there's no guarantee how long it might take even to get a cancellation slot. When I did mine last year, it took two months of ringing the RSA regularly to get a free slot, which was another month out. Trying to coordinate both your EDT lessons and your test in a single short trip would be very difficult.