Disastrous driving test yesterday

[beezlebubnicky]

Took my first driving test yesterday, I've had over 80 hours of tuition, my instructor agreed I was ready and I've been driving really competently and safely and managing my mock tests well. Had an 8am rush hour test and everything went from bad to worse, I didn't feel that nervous initially but it was just a shit show. Did a right turn out of the test centre onto a busy road, took ages to get out and that had me rattled from the start. Then it got worse, traffic got busy and of course that's no excuse, but it was so stressful.

I drove in a way I never do during lessons, and ended up with 1 dangerous, 6 serious and 5 or 6 other driving faults. I even messed up the right reverse which I've never not managed easily; I knew I was too far from the kerb but I just kept going anyway, I'd given up. My dangerous fault was for trying to get out at a busy junction, kept looking left and right and when I went out there was a lollipop person who stepped back, suddenly a car surged forward and me and examiner both hit the brake at the same time. Also tried to hold back for a coach & it didn't have enough room to get past me. Failed for positioning, never normally have problems with that.

It could literally not have gone worse. The examiner was nice though and said he could tell I was nervous and my instructor wouldn't bring a student to test who wasn't ready. I cried all day yesterday and it was just so humiliating. I was prepared to potentially fail my first test, but not to get so many faults. I really just wanted to give up on the whole thing.

I'm not giving up and prepared to work on all the things I got a fault for , but I can hardly stand the thought of having to go through that again. I feel sick at the idea. I did breathing, mindfulness, got a good sleep, Rescue Remedy etc before test but just went to pieces anyway.

Did anyone else have a terrible test and then go on to pass?

@user1492538376 You poor thing, that must have felt so awful - but that's very inspiring to hear, that it went so well the second time! My instructor said to take the next test in isolation and it has nothing to do with how I may have performed on other tests.

My centre has about 20 test routes and I've covered all the roads used with my instructor at one point or other, but there's definitely some areas I prefer more than others.

I almost drove into a bollard on a huge roundabout and had to reverse to get off the roundabout! The examiner had me pull into a side street to calm down and when we carried on , I tried to drive through a no entry sign! 🤣🤣🤣

It was utterly horrific and all down to nerves!

I took my test 4 times before I passed. Been driving every day since.
You'll be grand. Lick your wounds snd then try again.

Yep, very similar here - I did something minor and convinced myself it was a fail so then just drove as I normally would, and passed first time.

...Let me guess: when she crashed the car, fifteen examiners scrambled out of it?!

Oh bless you @beezlebubnicky
Don't beat yourself up about it, everyone knows the first test is just a mock test 😉
Honestly, you will feel sooo much more confident next time purely because you now know what to expect!
You're a good driver, otherwise your instructor would not have okayed it for you to take a test.
You can do this! All the best for your next test 🤗

I'm a decent driver. First test, just literally went to peices.
Second test I can barely remember. 3rd test I aced it.

Take it as a good sign OP. You got all the crap over and done with in one test so there's nothing left to go wrong in the next one 😊

You had a horrible test, everything went wrong and you still didn't harm the car, yourself or anyone else.

Get your next one booked 🤞🏻

I failed 3 times when I was 17. My driving instructor couldn't understand it. The examiner was so stern and hostile from the moment I got in the car and I found the whole situation very unerving. I made the same silly mistake a few times but no other faults (mirror signal manoeuvre in wrong order) so I failed. Then I had the same examiner the second 2 goes and I just went to pieces each time, most unlike me but he just made me feel awful.

I took my teat again in a different test centre and had an examiner who actually spoke to me and smiled when I said hello. It made the world of difference, I felt less on edge and passed no issues. Don't internalise it, it was just nerves. You can do this!

I failed 3 times dyspraxia and confidence played a huge part.

I decided to take some more lessons in an automatic and then passed on the 4th occasion.dont give up you can do this.

My aunt, many decades ago, had only driven a couple of hundred yards down the road when the examiner told her to pull over. He then announced that they were going to get out of the car and walk back to the test centre... You did better than her.

I failed five times, highlights included taking the wing mirror off a parked car, falling out with the examiner and refusing to drive any further so she had to walk back to the test centre and nearly getting taken out by a bus in the middle of a roundabout.

I'd like to say it just made me a more confident and able driver and I'm fine now, but I fucking hate driving and will get out of it whenever I can. I'm not a danger or anything, it's just not for me.

UnaOfStormhold · Today 09:32

I made a mistake early in my driving test (stalled on a hill start) and was convinced that I'd failed.

I was as nervous and stressed as anything, I must have left imprints in the steering wheel! My first manoeuvre was a reverse round a corner and my front wheel crossed the white line.

I thought, "Fine, I've failed," and relaxed. I ended up with one minor, for engine braking, he didn't spot it.

I failed four tests, the last failure was the worst. The whole test has gone perfectly and I relaxed on the way back... And drove through a red light! Honestly thought I was going to throw up. I passed the next one though thankfully 🤣

beezlebubnicky

You're in good company, you know you can drive, you just had a bad day, that's all. You CAN do it and will do it.

I failed my motorbike test twice, the first time, the examiner said, "I don't need to tell you you've fucking failed, do I?" I had a nightmare, I did everything wrong, even though my instructor said I'd fly it. Second one, I was really ill and I didn't pull onto a junction, when the light went green - one bloody fault!

I was like you OP. I failed two tests within about the first 15 minutes, I was sick with nerves such that I wasn't safe to drive tbh, thank goodness for dual controls. I had the same horrible examiner for both so that didn't help im sure. The third test I did in our car without dual controls but went much better, I had a nice examiner and got almost to the end and then failed on something that I genuinely didn't understand or think was fair (but I know plenty of people will dispute their test results!) and was even more upset about that if anything. I cancelled my fourth test a few weeks in advance because of overwhelming anxiety again and I've not been able to go back to learning again since. That was in 2021.

I failed 6 before I passed. Only one was disastrous. The other 5 were fairly narrow fails.

Yes failed first test for almost hitting a skip and carrying on with someone at zebra crossing then passed next time.i did I almost crashed and almost run someone over so it could get better. Think like that. I had a minor on the theory bit at the end in those days but it was fine. You will be fine. Its the fear of the unknown. The longer your stuck at a junction, the shorter time your driving.

If it's any reassurance, I remember one of my siblings had numerous tests before they passed, the other two passed the first time.
I now could not tell you who is the one that failed so often.
It certainly doesn't make a difference in their life and it certainly doesn't show in how they drive - all my siblings are fine drivers.

Plenty of people fail at least once or twice before they pass, some people take even longer. You'll learn from this and it will make you a better driver in the long run. Just keep at it.
My driving instructor told me that for the test I was to imagine I was a taxi driver taking someone home and think about the examiner as a customer rather than an examiner. It definitely worked for me.

I failed loads of times and it was awful cried my eyes out after each one. Gave up in the end.
Then a few years down the line started up again with a different instructor (a woman this time) in a different area and with a totally different mindset and passed "first" time this time.
Give yourself a break before you try again, I'd wait until we're approaching longer days in the Spring. It's awful driving conditions out there at the moment.
I feel for you- it must be nearly 20 years since I first failed and I still remember how awful it was. Be kind to yourself its not the end of the world x

Oh no! We've all done this, but had the added humiliation of passing the driving bit and failing the bloody theory bit!!! But, it's a right of passage to fail first time and chalk it up to a practice test and you will do fine next time as you know what to expect xx (((hugs))) most folk will understand x

At least you didn't drive into a bus

I still don't drive and have since been diagnosed with dyspraxia.

I failed either 4 or 5 times and kept running out of money for lessons but I got there in the end.
My son took his first test in may and I told him to treat it as a mock and try his best and just see what the test is all about. Depending on the test centre over half of people usually fail first time.
Easier said than done but next time if you get a dangerous or do something you know will fail you try and stay calm and put it to the back of your mind and carry on with the test as if that didn't happen.
Good luck for next time.

I had a horrible first test in Spain. I was nervous and made a serious mistake - turned in a quiet a suburban road with no traffic to the left side of the road instead than to the right. The woman examiner didn't mince her words, I knew I had failed right then and there.

Can you book your next test at a time when the roads are not so congested? 8.00 AM is always busy while 10-11 has more fluid traffic.

Don't sweat it. It was your first attempt, and the big majority, fail it.

You'll be fine next time, put it behind you. At my second test, many years ago now, the car wouldn't start and the examiner and my driving instructor gave it a push! I was amazed to pass, guess he thought I'd passed the stress test.