Practice sessions that feel like lessons actually reduce your preparation benefit. Eventually, your home practice needs to replicate exam conditions, not replicate the experience of being coached.
What real test simulation looks like:
- Your supervisor gives no verbal input during the route, no hints, no corrections mid-drive
- You drive a complete route without stopping to ask questions
- Your supervisor notes errors silently and debrefs only after the route ends
- You make every decision independently: when to stop, when to change lanes, what speed to maintain
The CAA Ontario Graduated Licensing guide explains the minimum supervised driving hours required, but supervising is not the same as coaching. The hours are most valuable when your supervisor lets you drive on your own ability.
DriveTest evaluators expect candidates who can operate independently under observation. Every silent practice session you complete before your exam moves you closer to being that candidate. Structured G2 and G road test coaching at Steer’nGo can help you design these simulation sessions so they match actual examiner expectations.
Track Your Mistakes and Correct Patterns
Untracked practice doesn’t improve. If you’re making the same mistake on every third lane change and nobody writes it down, it stays invisible until an examiner documents it for you.
Build a simple mistake log:
- After each practice session, note what went wrong specifically
- Identify whether a mistake appeared once or multiple times
- Bring that list to your next lesson so your instructor can address the exact pattern
- Confirm in the following practice session whether the correction held
This loop, lesson, practice, log, lesson, practice, log, is what separates drivers who improve efficiently from those who plateau and spend months wondering why their test performance isn’t getting better.
Avoid Reinforcing Bad Habits During Practice Driving
Unstructured practice doesn’t just fail to build skills, it actively builds the wrong ones. Every time you complete a shoulder check halfway, pause briefly instead of stopping fully, or let a merge happen passively because another driver accommodated you, that partial technique gets reinforced.
Common bad habits built outside of supervised lessons:
- Casual mirror checks that skip the physical head turn
- Speed adjustments that are reactive rather than anticipatory
- Rolling through stop signs without full commitment to a complete stop
- Relying on the other driver to make space rather than identifying your own safe gap
If you’ve been practicing independently for weeks and aren’t improving, the problem isn’t practice volume, it’s practice quality. A single corrective session is often enough to identify what’s being reinforced incorrectly.
Driving school Ottawa with Steer’nGo to reset your habits before test day.
Make Every Practice Session Count
Between-lesson practice is irreplaceable, but only when it’s deliberate. Focus on single skills, use low-stress environments to build foundations, simulate exam conditions as you advance, and log your mistakes so your instructor can close the gaps.
At Steer’nGo Driving School in Ottawa, we teach you how to practice, not just how to drive. If your home sessions aren’t translating into test-ready performance, let’s identify why, and fix it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours of practice driving do I need before my G2 test in Ontario?
Ontario’s Graduated Licensing System requires a minimum of 12 months at the G1 level. Quality, structured practice, not just hours logged, is what determines test readiness and first-time pass rates.
Is it better to practice driving every day or in longer sessions?
Shorter, frequent sessions produce better skill retention than occasional long drives. Daily 20–30 minute focused practice on a single skill builds stronger habits than one extended session covering everything at once.
Can my parents supervise my practice driving in Ontario?
Yes. Ontario allows any fully licensed driver with four or more years of experience to supervise a G1 holder during practice. However, a professional instructor provides corrective feedback that a parent typically cannot.
What is the best way to practice highway driving before my G test?
Start by observing highway traffic before merging. Practice entering at full acceleration lane speed, selecting an adequate gap, and completing a shoulder check before committing. Repeat the sequence on multiple on-ramps per session.
How do I know if my between-lesson practice is actually helping?
Track your mistakes after each session and compare them over time. If the same errors repeat, your technique isn’t improving, which signals a need for instructor correction before reinforcing the wrong habit further.