What is the London taxi license test which is said to be "the world's hardest exam?"

ByJames Barrett

The traditional taxi in London is called "Black Cab" because it is tall and uses a black car body. A taxi driver in London driving a Black Cab loved and loved by London citizens as well as travelers all over the world is a respected thing from Londoners. The reason is that the driver's license exam "Knowledge of London (Knowledge Test)" to qualify for driving the Black Cab is so difficult that it is called "the hardest exam in the world".

The Knowledge, London's Legendary Taxi-Driver Test, Puts Up a Fight in the Age of GPS
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/10/london-taxi-test-knowledge/

The driver driving the Black Cab in London is the best that passed the knowledge exam which is the only credential examination. In order to pass the knowledge test, it is required to have all "knowledge" about the geography of London according to its name, and the average learning time required for passing is about 4 years. Of course, since it is an average of 4 years, it often takes more than that before passing, and there are many people who drop off in the middle of the road.

The knowledge test starts with receiving a textbook called "Blue Book". This Blue Book is in the center of LondonCharing · CrossIt is necessary to acquire all knowledge on public facilities such as roads, buildings, stations, parks, etc. located within a radius of 6 mile (about 10 kilometers), centered on the statue of Charles I's crown. The number of roads in this range is approximately 25,000. Of course, it is required to fully grasp, including the existence of a one-way street and a dead end.

ByFmpgoh

Exams testing knowledge on all roads in London are required to clear not only the written exams but also one to one oral examination with the examiner in seven stages, and the time limit until each exam is passed It is said that it may be returned to the previous stage if it passes the deadline. Of course there are also practical tests on driving skills in the process of passing the written exam and oral exam.

The Blue Book has 320 routes including 640 start and end points, but one trial route is chosen from among these tests and answers the exact position of the specific point and the shortest distance route. In the written exam, it is required to draw the shortest route on a white map, and an oral exam with an interviewer that only the person who clears the written test advances the name of all the roads and intersections that pass by the shortest route and the method of turning right / left It is necessary to quickly talk back and forth.

Of course the knowledge tested in the knowledge test is a capability required for a taxi driver in London (so-called "cabby"), so the start and end points are not fixed and the route from the hotel and restaurant in between is also asked Candidates are required to input not only the road but also the location of every building.

ByOlivier Hill

In order to be asked a huge knowledge about the roads and buildings of London like this, every student will practice on-the-ground called "pointing" which actually takes a note by using a bicycle or a motorcycle to take notes. The former student who just broke through the knowledge examinations recently said that he traveled eight hundred thousand kilometers equivalent to two laps of the earth in three years and that the flash card for memorization had reached 40,000. Even more students go through not only pointing, but also prepare for an examination specialized in knowledge exams, and work hard with their colleagues in the classroom to refine their knowledge.


Cabby's brain, which will acquire superhuman memory as it is required to perfectly grasp every and all traffic information in London city, attracts attention of researchers concerning memory. Dr. Eleanor Maguire, a neurologist at the University of London, has investigated the brains of cabby and its preliminary students for 15 years and is the site responsible for memoryHippocampusIt is found that it is bigger than ordinary people. It has also been discovered that the hippocampus of the examination student is expanding by further passing the examination.

It is obvious that it is not a common thing to clear the knowledge test which is forced to take the examination life for several years before passing, but the number of candidates will not decrease. That is because the taxi drivers in London are all in a personal taxi fashion, they are both drivers as well as managers, so they can have a free lifestyle that allows them to decide on their own style of work. Also, it seems that new entries are difficult due to the existence of a too hard knowledge test, the number of cabby is constantly maintained at about 25,000 people, and there are merits that life is very stable .

There is a service similar to a taxi called "minicab (minicab)" in London, but mini-cabs are possible only by carrying guests who made phone bookings, the right to put guests on the street is given only to cabby I will. And since Black Cab is promised to be able to receive high quality service by an excellent driver with high knowledge, Black Cab will get a higher fare than mini-cab.

ByKaua'i Dreams

Nonetheless, considering that you can be forced to take the exam for many years, it seems that those who acquire other qualifications such as attorneys are advantageous from the viewpoint of income. For students who continue to study by dreaming of going through the most difficult knowledge exam and becoming cabby, rather than getting free lifestyle and stable income, "green badge (green Proudly attached to the chest, "Honor" that can receive the respect of London citizens may be the greatest motivation.