Learning The Knowledge Black Cab London
Ever fancied becoming a London Cabbie? then be prepared for a very hard long education …just as long as any University Degree.
To drive a Black Cab in London you must pass ‘The Knowledge’ exam. It takes on average 3 years to pass the exam and during that time you must memorise some 50,000 points of interest (hotels, embassies, restaurants etc) within 6 miles of Charing Cross and some 24,000 streets.
Knowledge Students
It takes time to gain The Knowledge and students have to take many exams to go forward to the next level, 7 of 10 never make it. If you ever notice a moped or scooter driving around in London with maps fastened on the back of the windshield then this is someone out and about learning The Knowledge.
There are approximately 7,000 students learning The Knowledge today – 1,500 attend the Knowledge Point School (teacher Derek O’Reilly) where this reportage was taken for Swedish daily finance newspaper Dagens Industri.
It has been proven that the brains of students taking The Knowledge expand!
Taxi drivers given brain scans by scientists at University College London had a larger hippocampus compared with other people. This is a part of the brain associated with navigation in birds and animals.
Not surprisingly London Cabbies are voted the best in the world year after year.
