How to pass SERU first time: a study plan

Nobody can promise you will pass first time, and we will not pretend to. What we can do is give you a sensible plan based on the one thing the handbook is clear about: the Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding Assessment (SERU) is based on the information in the TfL PHV Driver's Handbook. So the handbook is your syllabus. This plan turns it into short daily sessions.

What the handbook tells you about the assessment

The introduction says new applicants and existing drivers need a good knowledge of all the information in the handbook, that you will do an assessment based on it as part of the application, and that you should read all of it carefully. It also says the glossary words and the website links are there to help but you will not be tested on them. The handbook does not state the number of questions, the time allowed, the pass mark or the question format. Do not trust any website, including this one, that claims to know them unless it points to TfL. Check the TfL page for the current details and fee.

The ten sections to cover

1. London PHV driver licensing
2. Licensing requirements for PHVs
3. Carrying out private hire journeys
4. Staying safe
5. Driver behaviour
6. Driving and parking in London
7. Safer driving
8. Being aware of equality and disability
9. Safeguarding children and adults at risk
10. Ridesharing

A two-week plan

This is a suggestion, not an official programme. Stretch it or squash it to fit your life. Thirty to forty-five minutes a day is enough for most people.

Week 1: read and note

• Day 1: read the whole handbook once without taking notes, to see the shape of it.
• Day 2: section 1. Make a list of every time limit and number (three-year licence, seven days, 21 days, age thresholds for medicals). Our reporting guide helps.
• Day 3: sections 2 and 3. Focus on bookings, what you must never do without a booking, lost property and when you can refuse a job.
• Day 4: sections 4 and 5. Safety steps, drugs and alcohol, and unacceptable behaviour.
• Day 5: section 6. Bus lanes, ranks, red routes, PCNs, charges. This section has many specific rules, so make a "can / cannot" table. See driving and parking rules.
• Day 6: section 7. Safe driving, seatbelts, windscreen vision, vehicle checks.
• Day 7: rest, or a light re-read of your notes.

Week 2: apply and test

• Day 8: sections 8 and 9. Equality, assistance dogs, safeguarding signs and who to call.
• Day 9: section 10, then re-read any section you found hard.
• Days 10 to 12: do a practice round on our practice questions, one or two sections at a time. For every wrong answer, find the passage in the handbook and read it again.
• Day 13: do a mixed practice round. Skim your list of numbers and your can / cannot table.
• Day 14: light review and an early night.

How to revise well

• Use your own words. If you can explain a rule to someone else without looking, you know it.
• Learn the reason behind rules. Why can't you pick up without a booking? Why must you not wait on a taxi rank? Rules with reasons are easier to remember.
• Group the similar-sounding rules. For example, stopping (allowed briefly) and waiting (not allowed) in section 6, or what must be reported immediately and what need not be.
• Read questions slowly. Words like "never", "must", "should" and "may" change the answer. The handbook itself uses them carefully: "must" is a rule, "should" is strong advice.
• Do not rely on the glossary alone. It is not tested but it helps you understand the text.

If English is not your first language

The handbook is written in plain language, and its glossary explains harder words. Read slowly, look up words, and make your own word list. Remember that SERU also counts as the evidence of your English reading and writing skills, while speaking and listening are tested separately. Our English language requirement guide explains this.

Before the day

• Check TfL's page for the booking process, current fee and what to bring. Our licence cost calculator shows how the assessment fees fit into your total.
• If you need support for a disability or health condition, ask TfL in good time. We have not confirmed what adjustments are available, so we cannot say.
• Do not cram the night before. Sleep helps recall.

What we cannot tell you

We do not know the real pass mark, the number of questions, the time limit, or how many people pass. We do not publish or collect real exam questions, and you should avoid any site that claims to. If you do not pass, check TfL's page for the resit rules and fee before booking again.

General study advice, not an official TfL guide.