Driving Test - 8th Feb. Tips?

[watforddude]

This will be my second driving test failing my first one with 3 minors and 3 majors

1st major - the woman told me it was a red light at the traffic lights which i already knew which pissed me off

2nd major - as pulling off the indicator didn't turn it self off and i went past a junction with it on (no cars down a very quite road) my friend got a minor for this

3rd major - 3 cars were going round a roundabout and the first 2 cars came off in the correct exit for the lanes they were in and assuming it was safe i started to go and the 3rd changed its mind and went off on the wrong exit.

does anyone have any tips before and during the test that have helped them

Thanks for all replies

[Will404]

Something in this thread I made ages back may help:

http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-automo...ing-drive.html

And some tips from me would be;
-Take your time checking at junctions/rounderbouts... waiting tooo long is only a minor, whereas pulling out on someone is a major.
-Dont panic if you think that you have done something wrong (at the start of my test I mucked up the reverse round a corner, but still passed)
-(mabi) have your instructor in the car... this made me feel more at ease , and if you do fail he probablly knows exactly whyy


GOOD LUCK M8

[Guy]

3rd major - 3 cars were going round a roundabout and the first 2 cars came off in the correct exit for the lanes they were in and assuming it was safe i started to go and the 3rd changed its mind and went off on the wrong exit.

NEVER assume anything.

You will never know what peoples intentions are, they may be in a lane for a specific exit, or signalling to turn off at a junction, but don't ever take that as guarenteed fact that they will do this.

You mentioned yourself that you were still indicating when you went past a junction. What would have happened if there was someone waiting there, they saw you indicating and assumed you were going to turn off into that junction?

[watforddude]

NEVER assume anything.

You will never know what peoples intentions are, they may be in a lane for a specific exit, or signalling to turn off at a junction, but don't ever take that as guarenteed fact that they will do this.

You mentioned yourself that you were still indicating when you went past a junction. What would have happened if there was someone waiting there, they saw you indicating and assumed you were going to turn off into that junction?

That i was going to turn into the road so they would come out then bang

[Guy]

That i was going to turn into the road so they would come out then bang

Yep, spot on

Just take your time, and double check everything. Yes things like indicators should self cancel, but don't take that for granted.

[pp05]

I passed on my 3rd time. Nerves and lack of preparation the 1st two times saw me fail.

So remaining calm was key for me.

Don't look at the test as a whole. Look at the individual components - e.g.. turning left into a street. Stopping at giveway etc. Each time you do one of the basics right - in your head tell yourself 'I did that really well'.. (it's like you're the examiner and you're ticking it off).

You are not concerned with passing but doing the individual bits right. If you think you might have made a mistake and feel it rising[kicking yourself] calm yourself by focussing on the next instruction and tell yourself - 'I've done this excellently 1000 times already'.

Lastly, if there is anything you're not 100% on have an lesson and just do that one thing. I think the biggest thing for learner drivers is they don't give themselves enough time to take in all the details in front of them (partly because our heads are racing, we are on spotlight) which means they leave stuff to the last minute. Slow your mind a bit to give yourself all the time to do what you need to right.

Good luck!

This will be my second driving test failing my first one with 3 minors and 3 majors

1st major - the woman told me it was a red light at the traffic lights which i already knew which pissed me off

2nd major - as pulling off the indicator didn't turn it self off and i went past a junction with it on (no cars down a very quite road) my friend got a minor for this

3rd major - 3 cars were going round a roundabout and the first 2 cars came off in the correct exit for the lanes they were in and assuming it was safe i started to go and the 3rd changed its mind and went off on the wrong exit.

does anyone have any tips before and during the test that have helped them

Thanks for all replies

[KidChameleon]

Mirrors!

I got two minors on my test because I wasn't checking my mirrors on roundabouts. I can vividly remember the examiner telling me about it after the test and I've had it stuck in my mind ever since. Even if you are checking mirrors, make it obvious. The examiner probably won't see a flick of your eyes, so move your whole head.

[matty-hodgson]

Don't run anyone over .

[kalniel]

1) Don't get pissed off with your driving instructor. But do over-exaggerate actions which they will be checking for - mirror checks, preparations for approaching junctions etc. They'll also have an ideal window for things such as speed and braking distances, try and keep within it.

2) Get to know your car really well with lots of practise. So you always know whether an indicator will turn off by itself or not.

3) Observe the real world - watch what people do, rather than what they say they'll do.

[BEANFro Elite]

Concerning the indicators, with the Vauxhall Corsa and Ford Focus, if you indicate for example, right and you haven't started turning right, it'll require at least a 180 degree rotation of the steering wheel to guarantee it will self-cancel, any less, and you'll probably have to cancel the signal yourself.

I passed my test first time, with five minors (and three days later I became a dad ), but thats not important, what is important, is to stay calm, stay focused and when driving down the quieter roads, be extra vigilant for people walking out from in between cars which means drive at 20-25mph as opposed to 30 mph especially if the road bends to one direction and cars pulling out suddenly, these things have all caught some of my friends out on their tests.

It may also be worth pointing out that, you should have a light but healthy breakfast on the mornings of your lessons and your test, a good breakfast will help you to maintain good concentration, this means, fruit, cereal and even a glass of water, if your lessons are later in the day, then you can eat things like chicken, rice and at least one green vegetable again with either water or a fresh fruit juice, don't over do it though as you'll be bursting for a slash during your test which is the opposite of what you want, lol, it may sound rediculous but in my early driving lessons, I was very distractable and rather sloppy, after about two months I changed my diet on my lesson days and there was a stark improvement in my level of concentration, skill and control of the car.

Good luck Mr. Watforddude

[watforddude]

The test is at 9.37 and my driving instructor will be picking me up at half 8

I think what I did last time was try to rush it so it would end quicker, the worst thing about it is that you don't know if you have failed till right at the end!

Thank you all for your advise so far

[matty-hodgson]

the worst thing about it is that you don't know if you have failed till right at the end!

They do that so they can watch what you're doing right 'til the end, then they can tell you exactly what you've done wrong so next time, you hopefully won't make the same mistakes.

Oh and, good luck!

[watforddude]

Well I will let everyone know on the 8th

[mikemikemi]

.......

And some tips from me would be;
-Take your time checking at junctions/rounderbouts... waiting tooo long is only a minor, whereas pulling out on someone is a major.

................

Be careful with this though, some of my friends have failed for hesitation for waiting too long.

I passed when talking to my instructor, I found it relaxed me.

Also, if you end up in the wrong lane or think you'll miss a turning you've been told to take, don't try and make the turning, just keep going and apologise. They can't fail you for missing a street as it's a test of driving not your ability to follow directions.

[kalniel]

Yeah that's a really good one - drive first, navigate second.

(I should add, unless you're near a motorway and in danger of getting on it!)

[watforddude]

that is one of the things i was worrying about, what the examiner would say and were they will tell me to go, thats one of the things i was concentrating on most.