I was searching online to find out more about BBDC lessons and the tests, unfortunately there was not much. So, I decided to contribute my experience! I took 31 driving lessons for my Class 3A license and passed my TP Test within 5 months from the day I signed up and spent $2600 in total.
Signing Up Process:
Head over to the customer service desk and let them know you would like to sign up for driving lessons and get the queue number. *Caveat (It is slightly less crowded in the morning around 9 am)
My signing up process on 12 December 2018, 2p.m took me 4 hours. The crowd was attributed to the large number of students who were on holiday and were trying to sign up for their driving classes.
Their queuing system is structured to make you visit 2-3 counters for the different sign up processes – document verification, signing of documents, eyesight check, photo-taking, payment at self-service kiosk, verification of payment and receive documents, introductory video and BBDC portal.
Well, the waiting time for certain counters was long (this indicates the bottleneck in the process). Most of the chairs were occupied so many were lingering around the self-service kiosk waiting for their numbers to be called.
They will make you take a photo on the spot and this will be used for your license! So make sure you are looking fine, cos I wasn’t ready and regret the photo on the license.
I finally got to the point of making the payment and was recommended to top up $200 to cover administrative and theory training costs. I made payment at the self-service kiosk and watched an introductory video before heading back home. They do teach you on how to use their portal to book your lessons as well as try out their other features.
I was pretty stoked about my lessons and read through the complementary book which I received as part of the ‘welcome package’.
Note : There used to be online sign up which I believe they have restarted in 2020 <do check with BBDC directly>
Before I begin rattling about the lessons, let me give you a overview of your journey as shown on BBDC website and the acronyms used.
Acronyms : BTL / FTL : Basic Theory Lessons, Final Theory Lessons
Theory Lessons & Tests
There are 2 Basic and 2 Final Theory lessons that you MUST attend. Well some do back-to-back lessons, so you don’t have to waste additional effort travelling. After the Basic/Final Theory lesson, you must attend a practice session and book for an evaluation.
This is a boon and bane in BBDC – you must pass the evaluation in order to book for the actual Basic and Final Theory Test (BTT / FTT). However, the actual test is almost the same as the evaluation thus once you pass the latter you should do well for your actual.
Well I attended the two basic theory lessons separately within the week and started to practice on the BTT simultaneously. I relied heavily on online mock tests. There are a few websites which offer excellent preview to the actual tests <just google, you will find a few>. But let me be honest, if you were to simply practice blindly without really understanding the content, it would be a waste of time. Tackle the Basic Theory Test first, so you can apply for your Provisional Driving License (PDL) and start on the practical lessons!!
Tip: Read the BTT book ($6) you can purchase from the counter, carousel (the version doesn't really matter), or online. During the lesson, some instructors do highlight questions that are commonly asked, take note of them. When you attempt the mock questions online, for those that you're unsure of, jot it down and revise again.
I attended one BTT practice to understand what it was like to use their computer and to make sure the answers I saw online are credible. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures or write down the questions. There would be an instructor invigilating the room. The questions were similar to the online version so I booked the my BTT Evaluation immediately. The evaluation and actual test, have the same procedure as the practice and you have to score 45/50. I managed to pass the test on 6th January 2019 in 25 minutes (usually people are able to handle the test within 20-30 minutes). Your score will show up right after you click submit. After passing I waited for about 3-4 hours and paid $25 on the SPF website and applied for my e-provisional driving license.
Meanwhile, I gained access to book my practical lessons. I got a shock, when I saw the first practical lesson available was on 25 February. That was like one month away! Nonetheless I bought it, in case I can’t get any slots. Based on what I read online, there are many people who sell away their lesson slots last minute. Well I can attest to it, 95% of my lessons were bought using try-sell. So now and then check out the portal for lessons! With that I snatched my first and second lesson four days later on 10 Jan.
Here is a snap of my theory lessons.
For the Final theory, the preparation would be the same. Try to clear it as soon as possible, so you can get it out of your way. The Final theory practice, the school has a lot of questions and I could not finish in 45 minutes, so I had to attend another one. For the test, I didn’t book immediately as I wanted an earlier test date, so I was waiting for people to cancel their test dates. If you don’t want to risk it, book immediately after passing your evaluation.
Read on more on the practical lessons in my part 2!