Sharing my experiences with BBDC Class 3A course in a two-part blog. I would be sharing my experiences on each stage in-depth and timeline and continue elaborating on Traffic Police Practical Test (TPPT) and total fees spent in the next part.
I registered for driving after Christmas 2023 and started theory lessons in January 2024. But because of the horrible wait for practical lessons, I could only start my lessons in end June 2024. Finished the syllabus in end August 2024, went for my first test in October 2024 and my second attempt in November 2024. So i would say my driving experience was 5 months? Not the longest but just begs the question of why am I paying a one-year membership fee to BBDC when almost half the time was spent waiting for practical lesson.
Timeline
Total fees incurred: $2,959.23 + $25 (for Provisional Driving License) + $50 (to apply for Qualified Driving License) = $3,034.23
| Step | About | Timeline | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enroll online | Whenever you want to start learning driving | Just submit the online form online and make payment |
| 2 | Set up account + photo-taking + colour-blind test | Physically go down to BBDC | |
| 3 | Theory lessons | Anytime from the date you start online enrollment subject to availability | – Synchronous Zoom lessons – Do NOT need to attend in sequential order as the topics are independent of each other |
| 4 | Basic (Final) Theory Practice/Evaluation/Test | About 2 months to complete both BTE, BTT, FTE, FTT | – Must pass BTT first to take FTE |
| 5 | Practical lessons | About 2 months to finish the syllabus | Total of 19 lessons – Stage 1: 5 lessons – Stage 2: 6 lessons – Stage 2: 5 lessons – Stage 4: 2 lessons – Stage 5: 1 lesson |
| 6 | Revision lessons | There was a one-month gap between finishing Stage 5 and my first TPPT. | Did eight lessons for the two tests |
| 7 | TPPT | Similarly, there was a one-month wait between tests. | Two attempts. Passed on my second attempt. |
Online enrollment
This is probably the easiest step of the whole driving experience. All you need to do is simply go on to Bukit Batok Driving Center (BBDC)’s website, sign up an account and enroll into either Course 3 (for manual cars) or Course 3A (for auto cars), pay the fees for enrollment fee ($98 excluding prevailing GST), the four theory lessons ($17 excluding prevailing GST per 100 mins theory lesson) and the $3 fee for those who enrolled online.
Setting up account + colour-blind test + photo-taking
After successful registration, please go down to BBDC physically with your physical NRIC to get your eyesight checked, attend a briefing session on how to book lessons (I don’t think this is compulsory tbh) and photo-taking. No registration required, just walk-in. Do note that at this point, you are able to book physical lessons AND theory lessons already. Prepare to spend at least 30 mins to 1 hour here depending on peak hours.
- Bring glasses or contact lens, if any
- Bring physical NRIC card
Theory lessons
There are four theory lessons you must attend in total and they are held ‘live’ over Zoom. There is absolutely no need to take the lessons in any order as the topics covered are independent of each other. Basic theory generally focus more on the traffic signals, road signs etc while final theory lessons cover the driving conditions, car gears etc.
Practice, Evaluation and Tests (Basic theory and Final theory)
For BBDC, there is a need to pass their own evaluation tests – Basic Theory Evaluation (BTE) and Final Theory Evaluation (FTE) before you can sit for the Traffic Police’s Basic Theory Test (BTT) and Final Theory Test (FTT). You are NOT able to book for any BTT until you have passed your BTE, and you cannot book your FTT until you have passed BTT and FTE.
BTP + BTE
To help prepare for BTE/FTE, BBDC has their own Basic/Final Theory Practice which are OPTIONAL for students. You can book the BTP and FTP when you are booking your theory lessons and you can book as many sessions as you want.
Unlike what other learners have experienced, I found the BTP pretty unnecessary to prepare you for the BTE. Sure, some questions were repeated since the BTE takes questions from the same database but honestly just doing the Traffic Police mock BTT papers is sufficient. I did one BTP one hour before my BTE and managed to get 100% for my BTE on my first try. BTE tested quite substantially on giving-way at uncontrolled junctions, road signs, lane rules and no question on demerit points system was asked at all.
Reading the theory and Q&A books sold online AND doing the Traffic Police mock papers are sufficient. If you are scared of failing, then doing one BTP BEFORE your BTE, preferably on the same day, should be sufficient.
FTP + FTE
There was about 1-1.5 months gap between my basic theory and final theory as I wanted a break from the studying bits. But I found the FTP and FTE easier to handle as there was less memorisation and more about the car knowledge. Note that the final theory will still test on clutch even if you are doing Class 3A so you still need to understand what it is for.
Like the basic theory, I read mostly the books, practiced the official TP questions and tried to understand the theory than pure memorising. On the day of FTE, I had two FTP sessions and passed on my first try. For the FTT, I just went for the test straight without any FTP on the day itself and passed on my first try.
Despite passing by BTT early, I did not apply for the e-Provisional Driving License (e-PDL) after completing BTT; there was no point since I could not go for my practical lessons yet. Moreover, there is a 2-year expiry to e-PDL so I am incentivised to drag it out as long as possible.
Practical lessons
Stage 1: Basic stage + TPDS
Almost half of my lessons were done at night (1920 – 2100) as I am working full-time.
There are 11 subjects in total and it took me five lessons to clear stage one.
Stage One is really the basics of driving. On my first lesson, my instructor mainly let me drive in rounds around BBDC, taught me the basics of car etc. Quite a fun experience thinking back. On my second lesson, my instructor already took me out to road and we mainly did left turns at Bukit Gombak and Bukit Batok. After completing five subjects (Note: Do not confuse ‘subject’ with ‘lesson’. The former refers to the subject in the driving syllabus while latter refers to each lesson attended. Normally one lesson clears two subjects), I was able to book the mandatory Traffic Police Driving Simulator (TPDS) which consists of three 20mins stimulator pass/fail lessons. Each lesson has to be done two days apart but can be booked one-shot. Learners are advised to book it ASAP as the venue for TPDS is quite small and can only host a few students at one time.
Do note that there is an expiry date of 2 years.
Duration: 5 lessons
Stage 2 + DS
In Stage Two, the instructor will introduce safety checks so you are required to do your own safety checks before changing lanes, moving off, turning left/right etc. In Stage Two, learners would learn how to change lane properly, overtake, turn left, turn right, perform U-turn and drive in roundabout. Thinking back, it is probably the hardest stage as there were many things to grasp here. A good foundation here will be valuable in the final driving test.
Duration: 6 lessons
Driving Simulator (DS) is a component introduced by BBDC. 50-mins long, DS aims to introduce defensive driving techniques e.g. following too closely etc. It is similar to TPDS except that an instructor is present to explain everything. It is conducted in groups of 2-3 students. This component can be done after completing Subject 1.11.
There is no expiry to DS.
Stage 3 + PPL
Finally, out of the road and impatient Singaporean drivers and in I was in BBDC circuit where everything were safe and slow. In the circuit, or playground as I fondly call it, speed must be super slow as the lanes are narrow and the distance from one station to other short. In the five lessons in BBDC, the instructors would teach parallel parking, vertical parking, S-course, crank course, directional change, ramp, slope, emergency brake and 3-point turn. The last item is not tested.
Each obstacle has its own difficulty and its way of overcoming it. But unlike road driving, circuit driving can actually be mastered (I got zero demerit for my second attempt in circuit) IFF you remember the sighting points and turning points.
Personally, this is the station by increasing difficulty order:
- Crank course
- Literally just going slow and doing full lock left/right
- Slope
- Because you need to ensure your wheels do not hit chevron or double white line
- S-course
- Because you have to keep checking your left/right side
- Ramp
- The very hard part is reversing backwards
- Vertical parking
- The trick is to turn slightly later once your rear wheel meets the “line”.
- Directional change
- The difficult part is to full lock right immediately after you reverse
- Parallel parking
- The difficult part lies in ensuring your car is left to the kerb.
Duration: 5 lessons
Risk Forecast Lesson (PPL 5.01) is an e-synchronous theory lesson conducted over Zoom to remind learners of the possible risks etc on the road. As Stage 3 is conducted in circuit, PPL is mainly there to refresh memory of road driving which I found very helpful for Stage 4 and Stage 5.
Stage 4 + 5
These two stages do not really have much difference. It’s just introducing you to the test routes and practicing circuit stations. But for Stage 5, the instructor will gauge your readiness to book test. If they think you are not ready, they could fail you for stage 5 and ask you to book another lesson. If you pass stage 5, you can book the TPPT.
Duration: 2 (stage 4) + 1 (Stage 5) = 3
Most learners pass Stage 5 at one go.
That’s it for today. I will continue sharing about my two TPPT in future post.
Cinematic Frame of Mind 