VicRoads statistics released this week show drivers completing their test in Horsham had a 73 per cent pass rate last year, compared with the 66 per cent state-wide average pass rate.

Ararat’s pass rate was 83 per cent – the fourth highest in Victoria.

However, that figure dropped from 93 per cent in 2013.

Wimmera Driving School owner Adam Hall said he did not believe it was easier to pass the test in Horsham than metropolitan areas.

‘‘Kids get nervous during the test, it’s not so much their driving – it’s the nerves on the day,’’ he said.

‘‘They do uncharacteristic things you’ve never seen them do before.’’

Mr Hall said students who were relaxed during their test tended to have a higher chance of passing.

‘‘It’s really about keeping calm and keeping your nerve,’’ he said.

In metropolitan Melbourne, Sunshine, 53 per cent, Werribee, 56, and Dandenong, 57, had the worst success rates.

Swan Hill, 63 per cent, had the lowest pass rate of the regional testing locations.

VicRoads vehicle and road use policy director James Holgate said people should not be fooled into thinking driving tests were easier to pass in regional areas.

‘‘It is important to recognise that variations in pass rates can arise from differences in the demographics of applicants, and from testing in different traffic environments,’’ he said.

Mr Holgate said young drivers in the Wimmera had a healthy pass rate because they spent a lot of hours practising.

‘‘The higher pass rates in rural areas such as Horsham and Ararat cannot be statistically compared with other metro centres, such as Sunshine,’’ he said.

‘‘For example, Ararat does on average nine tests each week, compared with Sunshine where there are up to 215 tests each week.

‘‘Each area and driving environment has its own area specific driving challenges.

‘‘It is important to recognise in regional areas that most drivers are predominantly locals aged 18 to 21, who have an 80 per cent pass rate anyway.’’