Down about driving test

[Glitterblue]

Feeling really down. I did my first driving test today and only had 4 minors but he gave me a major for a junction where I was turning right onto the bypass, you check the right, stop in the middle and check what’s coming from the left before pulling out and continuing. He said I never looked left at all that’s absolutely not true! I know I did. I’m so so careful at junctions and careful checking all my mirrors and that certainly isn’t a place I’d just pull out! Not that I would anywhere but if there was one place I wouldn’t it’s there! It happened to be completely empty both directions which is unusual. I did stop in the middle though and I did check. I now can’t get another test until January and I could really do with getting through that test! My instructor said she will look for cancellations though. I so wish I’d taken her on the test!

It sounds like you were probably very hesitant with your driving. Most people need much more practice than they "think" they do so it may be for the best if you wait until January.

Get on the DVSA site and refresh, refresh, refresh

You will definitely get a cancellation but you need to be on it a lot!

Good luck for the next one

I actually wasn’t hesitant - when I say I’m so careful I mean mirror checking etc. I always make sure I check carefully but I’m not one to wait and wait while loads of opportunities pass. My instructor said I was ready to pass, she doesn’t understand why he gave me that major, I’ve had hours of practice - she actually said she feels bad taking more money from me for more lessons. I’ve practised outside my lessons too, everything else went ok. I feel so frustrated that I know for sure that I did check left!

Also when I said I stopped in the middle to check, you’re supposed to go to the middle and stop there to check from the left.

They really put you through your paces on the test. If they have the slightest doubt they fail you in my experience. I'm a nervous driver and it took me a few goes. My instructor came with me on the final test which really calmed my nerves and I passed.
Keep going and hopefully you get a cancellation soon :)

@jackstini thank you so much. I hope I won’t be nervous next time - I thought I would be today but I actually wasn’t. Ah well, I’ll just see it as a trial run and now I know what a test is really like! He took me to the most horrible carpark for the manoeuvre as well, one that has really confusing entrances and exits and it’s busy. No examiner had ever taken any of my instructor’s pupils to that one so I’d never practised it with her but thankfully I’d practised it with my husband! Much busier than I was used to for the bay parking but I managed it. I’m annoyed that that was the manoeuvre I was hoping for too because it’s the one I can do best at any time (ie if nervous!). Never mind, I’m just going to practise the life out of it all and try again.

Having your instructor on test wouldn't have affected the result, but they may have been able to further explain the result.

What I would say is that having sat in on something like 600-700 tests as an instructor, I have only once seen a serious fault given where I would happily say that it simply didn't happen (which didn't affect the result of the test as there was another serious fault which definitely did happen). I have seen many occasions where the student is certain they did something (or didn't do something) and I know the opposite is true.

My guess would be that is likely to be to do with timing of observation, what sight lines are available etc. It is likely that the examiner felt there was enough of a gap in your observations for significant risk to occur (which given it sounds like a busy fast road wouldn't have to be much of a gap at all). So even if you did look left, was it too long before you emerged? Was there something that was partially blocking your vision at the point of observation? Obviously I can't know, but those are the kind of things I see my learners do on test (and of course far more often on lessons) which can result in serious faults even though the learner believes they looked (which they did, but examiners aren't assessing observation, they are assessing effective observation).

@Glitterblue , to get a cancellation use DrivingScout it's a one off fee but they'll check cancellations and auto book for you. We had a test booked in December and got a cancellation for August which was only 3 weeks away at the time.