What is the process?

The process comprises 6 stages - although these stages often get mixed up, and some people often refer to the badge day talk as “Stage 7”. There are also a number of stages that aren’t numbered, but nevertheless, just as important.

To make it easier to understand, we will deal with the stages in order;

Blue Books;

Not officially a numbered stage of the knowledge, but nonetheless a necessity. Without learning the blue books from beginning to end, you will struggle to progress to the latter stages of the knowledge. Just because you heard that someone ”did their ‘map test’ without finishing the blue books”, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea! The right advice will always be to complete every single run from start to finish. You may also find that runs will change during your time on the blue books & the knowledge in general, so it’s always wise to keep up to date with changes, and re-run anything that has changed. You will need to constantly and consistently “call-over” the runs on a daily basis to be able to remember them. It is recommended at this early stage that you try to call-over 80 runs per day. Before you get to 80 runs, just call-over the runs you have already learned, numerous times until they start to stick in your memory. You will continue to call-over your blue book runs throughout your knowledge journey, well into the advanced stages. In addition to calling the runs, it is important to “pen-up” the runs on an “A-Z Premier map of London”. Ideally you will have a laminated version of this map which will allow you to use a dry-wipe marker to mark up the runs. This allows you to see the direction of the runs across the map, helping you to build a mental map of London. Running the blue books, calling-over and penning-up are covered more extensively in the learning sections of the website.

Pointing;

Again, not an official stage of the Knowledge, but obviously a vital part of the process. Throughout your knowledge journey you will “collect” points of interest. Depending on your chosen study path, you may incorporate some pointing into your blue book runs, or you may start pointing after completing the runs. There is no right or wrong way, it comes down to personal choice. However, the method devised on this website advises you to collect some points whilst running your blue books, to help you build up the ability to correctly collect points. The blue books published here start to incorporate a small number of points from blue book 2 (runs 81-160) and the runs in blue books 3 & 4 have between 2-8 points to collect at either end of a run. This method has been devised to help the student feel an early sense of progress, whilst still being ready for the examination process upon completion of the blue books. You will continue to collect points throughout your knowledge journey until your last “Stage 5” appearance. Once you are a cab driver, you will still continue to collect points as they appear and change over the years. You never really stop learning! Pointing is covered extensively in the learning section of the website.

Stage 1 - Induction;

Upon applying for The Knowledge, you will be invited to a Knowledge of London induction, presented by one of the examiners. They will talk you through many of the requirements of the Knowledge, much like this website does. You MUST arrive at your induction in smart attire! For men, a suit, shirt & tie and polished shoes are the bare minimum. For ladies, smart formal attire that one would expect to wear for an important job interview. Treat this visit, and every subsequent visit to the knowledge of London office as an interview, and dress accordingly. A little effort goes a long way!

Stage 1a - Stage 1 Examination or “Mock Map Test” or “Self Assessment”;

The stage 1 examination is a mock test that is compulsory for all students. The test has had some recent changes, most notably that it is now computerised as opposed to being the pen & paper based “written assessment”. It also doesn’t include any maps! The phrase “map test” stems from an older version of this test and has stuck throughout the years. The test is in two sections, both worth 50 points, totalling 100. The first section requires you to fill the gaps in the runs. You will be given five questions, each question consists of a run that will have three roads missing. You have a multiple choice selection, A, B or C, which all contain three roads. Your job is to choose the answer that contains all the missing roads from the run. Each question is worth 10 points. The runs used in the mock exam are taken from the first 80 runs in the Blue Books.

The second section uses points of interest around the start and finish points of the runs from section one. You will be asked to select the correct road location of 25 points of interest. Each point of interest has six possible answers of which only one is correct. Each correct answer is worth 2 points.

From the date you are accepted on the knowledge, you have a period of 6 months in which to take this test. No scores are recorded as it is purely there for you to gauge your current progress. Depending on your approach to doing the runs and points, this could vary greatly from one student to the next, so bear in mind that a student that is doing runs before points may struggle with section two of this test. It matters not whether you score 0 or 50 on section two at this stage, but scoring points on section one is a good indicator of how you are understanding the Blue Book runs. 

Point-to-Point:

Another unofficial but necessary stage of the Knowledge. Like the blue books, you will continue to call-over “point-to-point” throughout your Knowledge journey. Point-to-point involves using the current level of knowledge you have acquired to recite a route between two random points of interest. The blue book has set start and finish points, whilst point-to-point is the practice of calling runs from any point to any point. While it is possible to do this alone, it is highly recommended that you find yourself a “call-over partner” to help you do this. The idea being that you pose questions to each other and take turns in answering them. You will always learn more from working with others. Point-to-point is covered in detail in the learning sections of the website.

Stage 2 - Stage 2 Examination or “Map Test”;

The real version of Stage 1a. Commonly referred to as the “Map Test”. This test follows the same structure as described in Stage 1a, although this time you can be tested on any of the 320 Blue Book runs. Also, this time your score is recorded and you need a score of 60/100 or more to progress to the next stage. You have up to two years from being accepted on the Knowledge to take this test.

It’s important to score highly on the first section of this test as it allows you some breathing space in section two. Getting an answer wrong on section one will lose you 10 marks, whilst an incorrect answer on section two only loses you 2 marks. If you get all five answers correct in section one, you only need to get 5/25 correct in section two to pass. Of course, it is important to study your points of interest before the test to fully maximise your chances of passing, as a good performance on section two can bail you out if you choose an incorrect answer on the first section.

The runs in section one of the test are based on the blue book runs but may not be exactly the same as the runs you have learnt. It will require you to use your wider knowledge to ascertain the correct answer from those provided. In most cases you can use the process of elimination to narrow down the choices until you have an answer that you are confident with.

Stages 3 to 5 - Appearances;

Without a doubt the most daunting part of the knowledge process is “appearances”! Not only a test of your acquired knowledge, but a test of nerve, resolve & character. Each appearance comprises 4 questions. The question format will be the same as you would have tackled in “point-to-point”. Only this time you don’t have the benefit of having a map in front of you to help you if you get stuck. You must first identify the location of the points of interest. If you can’t identify the location, you must “drop” the point (in other words, tell the examiner that you don’t know the whereabouts of the point) and the examiner will give you another. Each dropped point is one mark deducted from your possible maximum of 10 marks for the question. You will also lose marks for incorrect road names, hesitation & indirect routes. Using an illegal or impossible route, banned turn or u-turn will result in losing all 10 marks for that question.

Appearances are split into 3 stages. Stage 3 appearances - commonly referred to as “56’s” due to the 56 day intervals between each appearance. Stage 4 & stage 5 are commonly referred to as “28’s” and “21’s” respectively, for the same reason. We will refer to them as 56’s, 28’s & 21’s from here on in.

In an ideal world, appearances would get progressively more difficult as you move on through the stages, but with the knowledge having a very unique “curriculum” and examination process, you could argue that this is not the case. The difficulty of an appearance is subjective to the level of the student in receipt of that particular appearance. So although Transport for London would like to have you think that each stage gets progressively harder, it may be the case that you are more knowledgeable in the latter stages, thus making it feel somewhat easier. It’s also the case that each examiner has their own style. Some examiners may focus mainly on long lines and big points while others may focus on more difficult points, perhaps with restrictions, and also lines that are more intricate. Some may mix up these styles. As you progress through the Knowledge you will begin to understand each examiner's quirks and where their particular expertise lie. Being able to get into their head before they get into yours will give you the edge in an appearance.

To advance through each stage you need to build up a score. You start with 0 and require a minimum of 12 points to progress to the next stage. Scores are dependent on which grade you receive. The grade you receive is dependent on your overall score for the appearance. It can be broken down as follows;

Each appearance comprises 4 questions, each worth 10 points.

Each appearance is worth a maximum of 40 points and is graded as follows;

Grade A = 36 points and above and is worth 6 points towards your stage score

Grade B = 32-35 points and is worth 4 points towards your stage score

Grade C = 24-31 points and is worth 3 points towards your stage score

Grade D = 0-23 points and is not worth any points towards your stage score

What’s more, 4 “D” grades on a stage will remove any points already gained on that stage. For example, you could score 2 B’s & 1 C, acquiring 11 points, but 4 D grades will wipe out those 11 points completely.

This is called being “red-lined”. It basically means that you start the stage again with no score on the board. Changes to the red-lining system in 2022 mean that you can no longer be red-lined back a stage with 2 consecutive red-lines. You will continue to stay on the same stage until you acquire your 12 points. New time limits have been introduced for each stage, 3 years for 56’s, 2 years for 28’s and a year for 21’s. If the limit is exceeded then a meeting is held between the student and an examiner. Knowledge HQ have confirmed that if a student reaches the stage where a meeting is necessary that it is purely guidance related and to help determine a course of action to help them get back on track.

Ideally you want to progress without receiving any red-lines. This is the quickest way to get through the appearance process. Upon receiving 12 points at stage 5, you will receive your “Req” (short for both requisition & required standard) which is the term used for successful completion of The Knowledge of London! This is also referred to as your “Handshake”, as it is the first time you will be allowed to shake the hand of a knowledge examiner. Appearance preparation & management are covered extensively in the learning section of the website.

Stage 6; Suburban Runs & Final Appearance

Upon receiving your Req you will be given a further set of runs to learn taking you out to the suburbs and in & out of Heathrow Airport. Compared to what you have just accomplished, this is childsplay! The current number of runs stands at 27, and you will only be tested on the exact runs you have learnt. You will need to notify TfL once you’re ready to take your final appearance - commonly referred to as your “finals”. Once this final appearance has been passed, you are ‘almost’ officially a Licensed London taxi driver!

The Unofficial Stage 7; Badge Day

You may hear this referred to as ‘Stage 7’, but it is not officially a stage mentioned in the TfL handbook. Once you have passed your finals you will be invited to attend Knowledge HQ for your badge day, receiving your Green Badge and a final talk from a knowledge examiner about the do’s and don'ts of driving a cab, as well as our cabbie etiquette. Once you step out of there for the last time, you are then free to “ply for hire” on the streets of Greater London, in a world famous London black taxi!