A car park manoeuvre exercise is one of two official low speed manoeuvre exercises built into basically every Practical Driving Assessment (PDA) in Western Australia. Known as “Stopping for Shopping,” the exercise sends you to a nearby car park where your assessor will ask you to complete a forward park and a reverse park into two different bays, and getting it right matters for anyone booking a Practical Driving Assessment.

What Is “Stopping for Shopping”?

“Stopping for shopping” is one of two official low speed manoeuvre exercises that are built in to basically every Practical Driving Assessment (PDA) in Western Australia, together with “left something behind.” The Department of Transport (DoT) says that during the exercise your assessor will tell you to drive to a nearby car park, where you’ll need to do two separate manoeuvres: a forward park, and then a reverse park, into two different bays.

The DoT’s guidance is fairly straightforward:

• Keep left as you go through the car park.
• Stay switched on for pedestrians, trolleys, and prams.
• Remember car parks are shared, low speed zones where attention matters just as much as the actual parking.

Step-by-Step: The Forward Park

• Pick a safe empty bay, try not to choose the one that feels squeezed between two huge vehicles, unless there is no other choice. Give yourself a bit of room to breathe so your line in and out isn’t awkward.
• Indicate early, like really early, before you swing into the bay. You want anyone behind you or next to you to get a clear heads-up about what you’re doing, not a last-second surprise.
• Check your mirrors and do a full head check before turning in. The goal here is simple, make sure nobody is overtaking and that no pedestrian is cutting across your path, even if it looks like they’re “just standing there”.
• Once you’ve parked, straighten the wheels. After that, glance at your side mirrors to confirm you’re properly seated within the bay lines — if you’re poking over the boundary line, it’ll most likely cost you points.
• Before you reverse out, do a full 360-degree check around the car. Car parks can have those blind corners and random moving pedestrians, so it matters as much as a normal on-road head check.
• When you move off, indicate to the right and do a right-hand head check before pulling away.

Step-by-Step: The Reverse Park

• First, check your mirrors, and indicate left as you spot a bay you want to reverse into.
• Drive just a bit past the bay, something like level with it or maybe a couple of car lengths beyond it, then stop to start reversing. Keep your indicator going the whole time.
• Before you move, do a full 360 degree scan, look around, properly, then ease forward to begin reversing. Go slow, adjust the wheel as required to bring the car into the bay, and once you’re in, do the fine tune bit with small steering changes.
• As you reverse, turn your body and check over your shoulder through the rear window, don’t just lean on mirrors. A reversing camera can help, but treat it like an extra tool not a substitute. Examiners usually want to see you checking with your own eyes, not watching a screen the whole time.
• When you’re fully parked, apply the park brake, put the car in Park (or Neutral with the handbrake on, for manuals) and then cancel your indicator.

Common Ways People Lose Points, When They’re Learning

• They skip a “head check” or do it too fast, especially that 360 degree look before they reverse, like it’s optional or something.
• They end up parked or positioned outside the lines of the bay, or they’re right next to another car, kinda too close.
• They hit the kerb or worse, climb up onto it, even slightly.
• They forget to switch off indicators, even after turning, and then it becomes a habit.
• They move off without doing one last head check in the direction of travel, which is kinda a big deal.

How Is It Scored?

The Department of Transport will assess this exercise as part of the overall PDA, so its more about marking driving faults, both critical and non-critical. They dont really publish a hard, public points chart for every single exercise. If you’ve seen numbers floating around (like “13 points, 8 to pass” or something similar) from driving schools or random online forums, take it as an informal guide, not as a confirmed DoT policy. For the official wording on assessment criteria, look up the Department of Transport PDA info at transport.wa.gov.au or just ask your assessor on the day, directly.

What stays consistent, and is backed up by the DoT, is this: one clumsy move usually wont be an instant fail. It’s the critical safety errors that dominate, things like hitting the kerb hard, unsafe reversing, or not dealing with a hazard properly. A slightly off park, or similar minor stumble, just doesn’t carry the same weight.

Get Hands-On Practice Before Test Day

Reading the steps is one thing, but building that muscle memory for smoother head checks, accurate bay positioning, and a steady reverse really takes time with feedback. If you’re getting ready for your PDA in Perth, think about:

• Booking a lesson with Drivesolo Driving School.
• Practicing the “stopping for shopping” exercise in a real car park with feedback on the spot.
• Following Drive Solo’s Facebook page for updates.

At Drivesolo Driving School, we can put you through the “stopping for shopping” exercise in a real car park, fix your technique on the spot, and help you feel test-ready with quiet confidence.

This article is general guidance based on publicly available Department of Transport WA information and is not a substitute for official DoT resources. Always confirm current PDA requirements at transport.wa.gov.au.

FAQs

1. What is Stopping for Shopping in the WA PDA?

Stopping for Shopping is one of two official low speed manoeuvre exercises built into basically every Practical Driving Assessment (PDA) in Western Australia, together with Left Something Behind. The Department of Transport says your assessor will direct you to a nearby car park, where you’ll complete a forward park and a reverse park into two different bays.

2. How is the Stopping for Shopping exercise scored?

The Department of Transport assesses this exercise as part of the overall PDA, marking driving faults both critical and non-critical. They don’t publish a hard, public points chart for every exercise. Critical safety errors, such as hitting the kerb hard, unsafe reversing, or not dealing with a hazard properly, carry the most weight, while a slightly off park is a minor stumble.