Always be best prepared to pass your driving theory test in the UK in 1st attempt. Because according to most of the learner drivers and instructors, driving theory test in the UK is becoming harder and has become a challenge. Here are few facts related to the driving theory test pass rates.

-1/3 people who appear for driving test now fail. Through the pass rate at its lowest ever level, many learners are complaining that the test has become too hard. Tough, because moves are already under way to make it even harder.

- It takes learners 46 hours of tuition on average to pass their test at a cost of approximately £1,000 at current rates. That compares with 32 hours in 1988, according to statistics compiled by the Transport Research Laboratory.

- The signs are the test is about to get even harder. The Driving Instructors Association (DIA) is approaching for a compulsory "driver's record book" with pupils having to complete a "syllabus" and have skills ticked off by their instructor before they are able to take the test.

- The representative statistics reveal that approximately 1.7m people in Britain took the test between April 2004 and May 2005. Merely 707,018 walked away with a license, a 42% pass rate. When the test was introduced in 1935 the pass rate was two-thirds.

- Many learners are now shying away from the driving theory test altogether who have failed two or more times. In 1966, more than 2m people took their test (half passed) and there were almost as many candidates in 1988. Then the numbers started declining, dropping to 1,670,302 in the following financial year.

- This is hardly shocking, because the test is growing in complexity all the time. A theory test was additional in 1996 and manoeuvres such as reverse parking and reversing into a bay were added in 1991 and 1999. A computer hazard perception test was incorporated in 2002, followed by a "show me, tell me" exercise to test drivers' knowledge of basic car maintenance in 2003.

- Most of the learner drivers complain they are being discriminated against compared with earlier generations. Getting your driving license, they say, is a more challenging, lengthy and expensive business than before.

- "The current pass rate is terrible compared to previous years," admits Mike Ambrose, road safety consultant for BSM, the UK's largest driving school with more than 3,000 instructors. Robin Cummins, until last month chief examiner for the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), the government body that administers all driving tests, admits he is "not happy" with the declining pass rate.

- "At the moment we have a circumstance whereby pupils can put themselves forward for the test at any time despite of whether a professional instructor says are they ready or not," says Peter Laub, head of road safety for the DIA, which represents more than 13,000 UK instructors.

So it goes without saying prepare, prepare and just prepare to get the driving license in 1st attempt. Practice entire official DSA driving theory test questions and hazard perception clips. Go through the highway code book for more detailed preparation.