Contact the IAM or RoSPA for details of your local Group. From them you can become an Associate Member of either organisation, and can benefit from free assessments and advice on your driving, prior to you taking a test, and from lectures and discussions about driving matters which are usually held on a monthly basis. The "observers" who do this have passed an advanced driving test themselves, but give their time voluntarily and usually have no professional driver training experience. Their role is to give feedback rather than to teach, and you will have to fit in with their timetables for your driving assessments.

Find a professional driving instructor (ADI) who can give you useful training in preparation for one of the tests. It would make sense to choose an ADI who had passed at least one of the tests, and could show evidence of maintaining that standard; and who could demonstrate (by qualifications such as the RoSPA Diploma, or proven experience, or both) his or her ability to teach effectively at this standard of driving (in contrast to the basic learner level). Obviously you will have to pay for the training, but you can control better when you have the training, and you may feel there are other advantages to dealing with a professional trainer.

The IAM is a much larger organisation than RoSPA, and can probably offer more fringe benefits of membership. Many more people have passed the IAM test than the RoSPA test.

On the IAM test there is just one pass standard. You receive verbal feedback at the end of the test. If you continue your annual subscription you retain your official status indefinitely.

The RoSPA test is graded Pass at Gold, Silver or Bronze standard, or Ungraded. You receive verbal feedback at the end of your test, and a written report subsequently. To retain your official status you have to take retests at intervals - after 3 years if you pass at Gold or Silver standard, after 1 year if you pass at Bronze. All retests are free of charge, if you are ungraded you can also retake the test after 3-6 months free of charge; but there is an annual membership subscription.