Petrified of taking driving test. Utterly petrified!

[Feelingcrappy2]

I know this sounds pathetic… but I am just so nervous. I think it’s because there is a lot of pressure on getting the license now and it would really be life changing for me and my family.

I’m just so incredibly nervous and i’m scared that the nerves will get the better of me on the day.

Suppose i’m just looking for a little reassurance… i’ve heard that the examiners are really quite intense, is this the case?

DD had a really lovely examiner, they’re not all horrible! She could see that she knew how to drive and that the mistakes were just nerves. She messed up her manoeuvre and she allowed her to have another go, in which she succeeded. Passed first time :)

I passed not long ago.

i recommend practicing your manoeuvres inside out and the tricky chunks of your test routes- whether that’s a spiral roundabout or a big ring road. Practice practice practice. Once you feel more confident, it takes the pressure off.

REMEMBER:

you are allowed to ask for a 5 minute break to compose yourself

you CAN ask for clarification if you don’t understand an instruction

Take 2 paracetamol to keep your temp down if you get stressed..
And a Mars bar for energy..
Good luck.

Both of my DC had lovely examiners - DD’s pointed out a mistake, told her to do the manoeuvre again because he knew she knew what she was doing, and she went onto pass.

Take your time and focus on each step of the test, rather than thinking about it as a whole episode iykwim? Remember to set your mirror off at a slight angle so it’s obvious you’re looking into it, and take deep breaths to slow your breathing down and relax - there are guided meditations and hypnosis videos on YouTube specifically for driving test nerves so maybe worth trying them? You know you can do it, so try and reframe it as your opportunity to show the examiner you can drive. Good luck! 🤞

Thanks everyone. This is very reassuring to hear. Feel like i’m back at school taking exams again… in fact I don’t remember being this nervous then!

Rescue Remedy.

Mirrors mirrors mirrors..huge emphasis on them on the UK test.
Clearance to parked vehicles another thing
Take a minor for hesitation over a serious for judgement meeting/clearance

My examiner was really nice as soon as we were in the car I felt better, I hope you will have a similar experience. Good luck OP I was very nervous too. I watched loads of easy to follow videos on different parking methods and mock tests on YouTube in the days leading up to my test. I even drew diagrams and labelled how many turns of the wheel for each parking method

As far as I know, you can pick an instructor, pay him for 1 lesson, and if you dont get on with him/her, try another the following week. ad infinitum.

I forgot to say I was asked to pull over so many times and I think they're checking for mirrors signal blind spot manoeuvre (I can't even remember the order of that now!) I hesitated on a roundabout and went the wrong way to the sat nav. I also washed my front windscreen about 5 times when he asked me to wash the back one, he found it funny thankfully!

Hang on a minute.
You are talking about the examiner and not the instructor. Sorry, didnt read carefully enough.

People can take their tests, sometimes 5 times or more.
So if you fail first time, well so do about half the Uk population.

DD passed recently and said her examiner was lovely, asking what subjects she's doing and what's her favourite etc to get her relaxed. She messed up the parallel parking and was asked to try again. Passed with 1 minor.

Rescue remedy pastilles are pretty good btw.

Worst that can happen is that you need to resit - once you accept that then failing becomes an inconvenience, not a catastrophe.

and eat a banana before the test - remarkably effective in calming nerves.

Also there's a bloke on TikTok who gives loads and loads of helpful tips on driving tests. He explains it all in detail.