Passing the driving test in Qatar remains a big challenge for learners, many of whom have gone through the process unsuccessfully for nearly six months, according to sources.

The passing percentage, though, has shown signs of improvement since January as compared to the situation in the July-December period last year, an instructor from a leading driving school in Doha told Gulf Times.

He said about 10 of the 25 male candidates passed the test on a single day towards the end of last month. Before that, the number of successful learners would often be around five a day, he added.

“The numbers keep changing, sometimes it is more than 10 and in some cases it is less than five,” the instructor noted. “But recently, it has been more than five.”

He estimated that less than 20% of the total male candidates passed the test, on an average, adding that women can take the test on Sundays.

The instructor said trainees get a number of hours to hone their skills, particularly those taking the full course, and it is up to them to prove to the police that they deserve to get a driving licence.

At another driving school, a source said 14 out of 50 female candidates passed the test on a single day recently while eight males out of 50 cleared it.

One female candidate who had failed on all four attempts felt the process was too long. She said it took her more than five months to get a date for the test.

She enrolled in the last week of August 2015 and had to wait for a couple of weeks before attending a theory class. She took the theory exam and was allowed to go for driving lessons in December.

She took her first driving test in February this year but failed to secure a licence even after her fourth and final test on March 6. “Some of my friends who had enrolled in other driving schools spent nearly a year but still failed,” she lamented.

Failure to pass on all four attempts in the full course will send a candidate back to the driving school again.

Some of the others who failed the test spoke of similar experiences, saying they had to save money and hoped to convince the police that they were qualified to drive on Qatar's roads.

Some expatriates admitted that they spent a whole month practising back home during their annual leave before enrolling at a driving school in Doha again.

“I have to take it now before it gets more difficult to secure a driving licence. Besides, I need it for my job,” said a Filipino who recently re-enrolled for a full course.