When You Need to take a Standards Check
The main purpose of the motorcycle trainer standards check is to assess your ability to teach pupils who are taking a compulsory basic training (CBT) course.
There is no charge for the standards check. But, you should be taking at least one during each four-year period that you stay registered as a motorbike trainer.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency will schedule a date and time for your standards check by contacting the training body where you are teaching.
It is important to be aware that the DVSA can remove you from the motorcycle trainer register if you miss your standards check on a regular basis.
Note: A guide on how to become an Approved Motorcycle Instructor (AMI) explains the different rules for taking a motorcycle trainer standards check in Northern Ireland.
Motorcycle Trainer Standards Check Procedures
An examiner from the DVSA will watch while you train a pupil (or group) at your motorcycle training body. The rider(s) will be taking a normal lesson from the compulsory basic training (CBT) course.
The lesson you conduct must include practical riding exercises (i.e. elements C or E of the CBT syllabus). Even so, you can also include some theoretical training and a pre-ride briefing (i.e. elements A, B, or D).
You are going to need:
- Your motorcycle registration certificate
- A roadworthy motorcycle (e.g. one that has valid road tax and MOT certificate)
- A student motorcycle rider (or a group of pupils)
Important: Neither your mentor (nor training body authority holder) can take part in the lesson you conduct.
How the Marking Works
The DVSA examiner will be checking for evidence that you are meeting the national standard for driver and rider training (DVSA/NS/DRT).
You can read through detailed guidance that examiners follow when they carry out motorcycle trainer standards checks. They will mark you on seventeen (17) areas of competence – grouped into three categories:
- Lesson planning
- Risk management
- Teaching and learning skills
The examiner will fill in a motorcycle trainer standards check report form (DVSA SC1(M/C)) while you complete your assessment. The template lists all 17 areas of competence.
You will receive a score from zero (0) to three (3) for each of the seventeen competencies. Hence, adding them up will give you a total score.
Motorcycle trainer Standards Check Results
Your examiner will discuss your performance after you finish the lesson and present you with the result. It might take around fifteen (15) minutes for them to provide you with feedback on how you performed.
Your mentor (or training body authority holder) can join you during this part of the discussion. Following that, the DVSA will send your completed standards check form to you by email.
- A total score from 0 to 30 is a fail (unsatisfactory performance)
- A total score from 31-42 is a pass (satisfactory performance)
- A total score from 43-51 is a pass (showing a high standard of instruction)
Faults that Result in Automatic Failure
As a result, you would automatically fail your Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) motorcycle trainer standards check if:
- You fail to score at least eight (8) points in the ‘risk management’ category.
- The examiner needed to stop the lesson because you endangered yourself or someone else.
- You failed to follow the syllabus of the compulsory basic training (CBT) course.
- You assessed a pupil’s road riding ‘incorrectly’ (e.g. you presented them with a CBT completion certificate but, in fact, they should NOT have passed at all).
What if You Fail Your Standards Check?
If you fail the standards check the DVSA will allow you two (2) more attempts to pass. But, if you fail the third attempt:
- They will remove you from the motorcycle trainer register.
- You would need to retake the motorcycle trainer qualifying tests again to be able to rejoin the register.