About Orkney
Orkney is a DVSA driving test centre serving Kirkwall and the surrounding Orkney Islands area. In 2025/26 it recorded a car practical test pass rate of 64%, against a national average of 50.0%. The figures on this page are drawn from the official DVSA driving test statistics (gov.uk).
Is Orkney an easy or hard test centre?
At 64%, Orkney’s pass rate is well above the national average. That puts it in the top 10% of all 293 DVSA car test centres by pass rate – one of the easier test centres in the UK. A lower pass rate does not mean the test itself is different; it usually reflects the local road network and traffic conditions examiners route candidates through. Intensive, structured tuition matched to those specific local roads and junctions is the single biggest lever a learner has over their own result here.
Orkney pass rate in context
Out of every 100 candidates who sat a car test at Orkney in 2025/26, 64 passed. The Orkney driving test centre pass rate is 64% for 2025/26, the 25th highest of the 293 UK test centres tracked by GetMyPass – 14 points above the national average of 50%. That result sits inside the top 10% of the national table.
Locally, Haddington recorded 64%, Alness 62% and Peebles 65%, so Orkney is mid-pack among its neighbours. None of this changes what happens in the car – the marking standard is national – but it does describe how demanding the roads around Kirkwall are, and it is why preparation matched to the local routes moves your odds more than anything else.
Waiting times are the other number to plan around at Orkney: DVSA figures for May 2026 put the national median wait for a car practical test at 9.7 weeks, with the 10% availability measure at 21.8 weeks (GOV.UK, published 18 June 2026), while the DVSA’s December 2024 regional update put Scotland at just over 15 weeks, before waits eased across Britain through 2026. GetMyPass advises learners using Orkney to get test-ready first and then search GOV.UK’s free change-your-test service for earlier dates, because a cancellation slot is only useful to a candidate prepared to pass on it.
Nearby test centres compared
Candidates with a flexible pickup area sometimes weigh Orkney against these nearby DVSA centres – the 2025/26 figures side by side.
| Test centre | Pass rate 2025/26 | vs national average (50%) |
|---|---|---|
| Orkney (this centre) | 64% | +14 pts |
| Haddington | 64% | +14 pts |
| Alness | 62% | +12 pts |
| Peebles | 65% | +15 pts |
Test routes around Kirkwall
Test routes from Orkney draw on the roads immediately around Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, so candidates should expect a mix of town-centre driving, residential streets and the faster A-roads that connect Kirkwall to the rest of Scotland. Local instructors who train regularly on these exact routes are best placed to prepare you for what examiners actually test here.
Booking your test at Orkney in 2026
Practical driving tests at Orkney are booked directly with the DVSA at gov.uk – test booking is self-book only, and since 12 May 2026 third-party scanning or slot-finding apps are banned under DVSA rules. Once booked, you can change your test date up to 2 times, and you need to give at least 10 working days’ notice to do so. Test fees are set by the DVSA at £62 on weekdays or £75 for an evening, weekend or bank holiday slot, and are paid by the learner, not GetMyPass. What GetMyPass does is get you test-ready fast and help you watch for genuine early availability – we never book or arrange your test for you, and the DVSA examiner alone decides who passes – we simply help you maximise your chances.
FAQs
What is the pass rate at Orkney?
The figure GetMyPass holds for Orkney is a 64% car practical test pass rate in 2025/26, measured against the 50% national average. On that number it sits at #25 of the 293 DVSA car test centres with published data, making it one of the easier test centres in the UK. The DVSA refreshes these statistics every year, so treat the rate as a snapshot of local difficulty rather than a fixed fact about the centre. What actually moves your own odds is preparation on the road network examiners test on – the junctions, roundabouts and traffic patterns around Kirkwall. That is the gap structured local tuition closes, and it is exactly where a GetMyPass intensive course concentrates your hours before test day.
How do I book a driving test at Orkney?
Booking is something you do yourself rather than through GetMyPass: driving tests at Orkney are booked directly with the DVSA at gov.uk, and since 12 May 2026 the DVSA has banned third-party scanning and slot-finding apps, making self-booking the only route. Choose Orkney as your preferred centre when you apply. A booked test can be moved up to 2 times, and each change needs at least 10 working days’ notice. Fees are set nationally – £62 on weekdays, £75 for evening, weekend or bank holiday slots – and you pay the DVSA directly. What we handle is different: a GetMyPass course times your training so you reach test standard before your date arrives, with honest guidance on realistic waiting times around Kirkwall.
Can GetMyPass help me pass faster at Orkney?
GetMyPass can compress the journey, though nobody can promise the result. Our intensive courses around Kirkwall are planned against the road network examiners at Orkney actually use – the junctions, roundabouts and traffic conditions that decide most tests here. Training runs day by day with one instructor from first lesson to test day, which keeps progress compounding instead of resetting each week. Since Orkney is one of the easier test centres in the UK, the course leans into the situations local learners find hardest. The DVSA examiner alone decides who passes, and we make no guarantees about the outcome; what we control is how ready you are when you walk in, and readiness is what a GetMyPass course is engineered to maximise.
Where is Orkney located?
Students booking with GetMyPass sit their test at Orkney itself, which serves Kirkwall and the wider Orkney Islands area. The DVSA confirms the exact site address, along with parking and waiting-room details, when you book your test. Plan the journey in advance: know where you will park, how long the drive takes at that time of day, and where you will wait before the test starts. Candidates travelling from further afield should build in a generous buffer, because rushing in at the last minute is a poor way to start a test. On the day itself, your GetMyPass instructor meets you ahead of the appointment and confirms the route to the centre in advance, so finding the site is never left to chance.