How to Prepare for SERU: A Simple 4-Week Study Plan

Most drivers prepare for SERU while working, so the best plan is one that fits around your shifts. This four-week plan splits the 10 handbook sections into small chunks, tests you as you go, and finishes with timed practice. Around 30–45 minutes a day is enough.

Before you start

• Download the latest PHV Driver’s Handbook from the TfL website.
• Take our free SERU mock test to see where you stand.
• Write down the sections where you dropped marks. These are your focus areas.

Week 1 — Licensing (Sections 1 and 2)

Start with London PHV Driver Licensing and Licensing Requirements for PHVs. These sections are full of numbers: ages, time limits, how long licences last and who you must tell about changes. Make a one-page list of every number and deadline you find and read it every day.

At the end of the week, do the Section 1 and Section 2 quizzes.

Week 2 — Journeys, safety and behaviour (Sections 3, 4 and 5)

Cover Carrying out Private Hire Journeys, Staying Safe and Driver Behaviour. Think about real situations: a passenger who wants to change the destination, someone who seems drunk, a complaint. For each one, ask yourself what the handbook says you should do and who you should tell.

Do the Section 3, 4 and 5 quizzes and re-read anything you got wrong.

Week 3 — Driving and equality (Sections 6 to 10)

Work through Driving and Parking in London, Safer Driving, Being Aware of Equality and Disability, Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk and Ridesharing. Section 6 has lots of detail on red routes, bus lanes and taxi ranks, and Section 8 covers wheelchair-accessible vehicles and assistance dogs. Give these two extra time.

Finish the remaining section quizzes. By the end of this week you should have practised every section of the handbook.

Week 4 — Timed practice

Now switch to full SERU mock tests. Our mock tests mix fill-in-the-blank, short passage and multiple-choice questions, with a 60-minute timer, so you get used to working through a full paper.

• Aim for one mock test a day.
• After each test, review every wrong answer and find the rule in the handbook.
• If the same topic keeps catching you out, go back to that section’s quiz.
• Track your scores in your dashboard. You want to see them rising and steady before your assessment.

Tips that make a difference

• Read every question twice. Many questions turn on one word, such as “immediately”, “within” or “only”.
• Watch for “2 correct answers”. Some questions need two answers. In our SERU mock tests you only get the mark if both are right, so practise picking both.
• Don’t skip the equality and safeguarding sections. They feel like common sense, but the handbook is specific.
• Don’t memorise the glossary word for word. The handbook says you will not be tested on the meanings of glossary words.

Don’t forget the other tests

SERU is only one step. To get your licence you also need to pass the Topographical Skills Assessment and the English speaking and listening test. MASTER PCO offers Greater London topographical training and English listening & speaking training too. Contact us to book.