First driving lesson

John,

You don't need to have passed the driving theory test before taking your first lesson. Of course it is always a good thing to know about the theory test so that it makes your driving practice easier during your lessons. Things like road signs, speed limits, road markings etc will be useful to you and these are covered in the theory test.

Most people tend to study for the theory test by themselves although help is available from the driving instructor most of the time.