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Original poster

To ask you for your driving test tales?

106 replies

CrashTestDummy18 · 16/03/2018 12:39

Driving test next week (NC as don't want anyone to know when!)

Feeling rather apprehensive as I'm old and two of my kids have already passed their tests Blush

Thought that some tales of great driving tests would really help reassure me right now! Trying to get my positive and confident head on.

OP posts:
DSHathawayGivesMeFannyGallops · 22/03/2018 22:52

Good luck OP. This thread has also brought back the memory of my truly horrendous parallel park mid test. I did it so wide I asked to start again and he had to persuade me to continue it. I am also a world famous chatter box and gave the utterly lovely examiner 1 word answers until he gave up trying to chat! I just got nervous.

My instructor also had to conduct practice tests on me in secret because if he announced it as a mock I went to bits and cried. He used to surprise me with score sheets. Grin

Tatiannatomasina · 22/03/2018 22:56

I stalled on my emergency stop within minutes of it starting so thought bugger it, might as well not worry, ive failed. Got to my reverse round a corner which i was terrible at and there was a bloody great skip there. Hallelujah 😁 I passed and when the instructor told me i shouted "you are kidding". He offered to fail me if i wanted but i accepted with good grace 🤣

HildaZelda · 22/03/2018 23:05

First one: had the car four days and got a complete cf as the tester. I was 19 and he was a horrible intimidating man close to retirement who clearly didn't want to be there. "What are you waiting for? Get in your car now". Needless to say I failed.

Second one: went into the test centre and met the nicest tester ever. "C'mon so love til we go for a wee drive". He was so nice and I was much more at ease. I passed. I still remember him almost 20 years later. His name was Billy.

Jamiefraserskilt · 22/03/2018 23:21

Went to reverse round a corner and with all the turning around in my seat, my bra catch came undone. Luckily I had a big shirt on but as soon as I got out i was fiddling around trying to do it up as he told me i had passed. I was so intent on regaining decency, I missed what he said so assumed I had failed!

BothersomeCrow · 22/03/2018 23:34

Fourth test. School kicking-out time. Had to drive around for 40 minutes before I could do my emergency stop and then other manoeuvres, so I'd got over my nerves by then. Still couldn't believe I'd finally passed!

Previous tests included one in a car the instructor borrowed after his was written off (disaster), one with a totally clear sheet except for a fail for touching a kerb when reversing, at 1mph, and the corner was a weird angle with dips, a road hump, and only built that morning! And the one where the examiner was shouting at me be gite I even started the car, as I kept reading number plates way further than he could see, and then met steering lock for the first time and didn't know what to do. I did do one of the things he failed me for but he also failed me for my disability which DVLA is fine with (can't turn head, but that's fine as van drivers have to rely on mirrors not rear view anyway).

DieSchottin93 · 22/03/2018 23:37

I had a similar experience to Kittykat93. By the time I got to my last test number six Blush I just thought "ah fuck it, I bet I won't pass this time either" and was genuinely shocked when I did Grin

Just relax and concentrate (easier said than done, I know!) and if you don't want the examiner to make small talk with you do tell them! I found it really off-putting and by my third test I told the examiner at the start not to talk to me unless they were giving me instructions. Felt like a bit of a dick saying it but I found it easier to concentrate that way.

Good luck OP! Smile

kissbeforelippy · 22/03/2018 23:50

Passed second time after a week's intensive driving course. After successfully doing the parallel parking part of the exam, I told the examiner he smelt nice. Luckily he was a very nice man although a tad surprised by my observation.

InBlackwaterWoods · 22/03/2018 23:57

Good luck for tomorrow OP! let us know how you get on! Bet you're feeling nervous??
I'm approaching my test shortly (too scared to book it yet as don't feel ready) and i'm already nervy!!
Grin

Giggorata · 23/03/2018 00:13

I had to pass my test to be made permanent at my job, so no pressure! During the drive at whatever mph to keep up with the traffic bit, it became clear there was a fault in the car, as it wouldn't go up to the required speed. The examiner asked me if I’d left the brake on, and rather smugly I replied that the brake light wasn’t on, so no.
He got out to wiggle things, remarking that he might have to stop the test. I was in a state at the thought of having to do it all over again, but luckily it worked OK after that.
When he told me I'd passed, I had to ask him to repeat it.

CrashTestMummy18 · 23/03/2018 07:01

Strangely not very nervous so far, not altogether sure if that is good or bad. It's throwing down with rain :/ which means I'll be soaked walking to school before Angry test at 10.44

Got my paperwork ready, outfit planned, about to have some muesli and got Bach's rescue pastilles and a banana on standby!

WatchoutDSisdriving · 23/03/2018 08:07

Good luck!! Let us know how it goes Smile🍀

mrspicklepants27 · 23/03/2018 08:10

I passed first time last May. I was fairly sure I'd fail as I hadn't been learning long. I told myself, do your best, this is a good practice run! And by some miracle I passed. I cried the whole way home.. Happy tears of course.

UrsulaPandress · 23/03/2018 08:18

As all these stories shoe, so much depends on the examiner.

Although I am still reeling from the Dutch courage remark.

DonaldWeasley · 23/03/2018 08:26

I passed in my thirties and heavily pregnant. Stalled once (did a sort of emergency stop when I saw a load of kids I thought might rush into the road) but still passed. My instructor said that in her experience that as long as you were a safe driver, the examiners were a litttle more lenient with older women drivers on manoeuvres (whereas with young men they’d take any excuse to fail them). No idea if it’s true but might help you feel calm!

I also did lots of deep yoga breathing to keep me feeling nice and calm.

Lauren83 · 23/03/2018 08:27

I only passed last year at 34 and failed the first with 5 minors and a major (I stopped in the middle of a complicated junction when I had right of way and should of carried on) I was so nervous I tried doing a reverse round a corner with the hand break partially on then couldn't find the indicator as I got in a flap and my mind went blank. The second time I passed with 3 minors, from experience most people fail on a major rather than getting too many minors so really swat up on what counts as a major and all the road layouts, roundabouts and junctions etc on your possible test routes. Don't sweat getting a gear change wrong or taking a wrong turn etc as you can get a lot of minors before you fail, just try to make sure nothing constitutes a major. I was so caught up in thinking I would get loads of minors when I should probably have been swatting up ok the road layouts

CrashTestMummy18 · 23/03/2018 12:49

Gah. Nerves hit me in the first ten minutes and stalled once to often for examiners liking.

Oh well off to book another!

CrashTestMummy18 · 23/03/2018 12:51

Which was minors to a serious. But not a very serious serious really. And she said it was fantastic driving the rest of the time. Just nerves.

WatchoutDSisdriving · 23/03/2018 14:49

That’s a bummer Flowers

InBlackwaterWoods · 23/03/2018 17:17

Ah, sorry to hear this crashtest, thats a shame. I stall a lot if I'm nervous too! Good that the rest of your test went well though!

SrDuess · 23/03/2018 22:08

Where do I start...

Test 1:
Show me tell me questions, I was shaking uncontrollably and my jaw locked so I could barely talk to answer ( got them both right though!)

was so nervous I stalled 4 times before leaving the test centre.

My legs were shaking so much the examiner thought I was having a seizure and told me to pull over and calm down and did I need to call anyone Blush

Reverse round the corner I did fine but when I had to move off I still had the car in reverse.

Failed with 1 major 6 minors

Test 2:
Lovely, friendly, chatty examiner Smile

Drove well for first half Smile

Completed a parallel parkSmile

Heading back to test centre Smile

Driving confidently , cracking jokes, talking about my family....... straight through a bloody red light ! Angry

Test 3:

God knows how but I passed!

If I can do it op anyone can. I had about 40 hours of lessons.

NowApparently · 24/03/2018 06:08

I've only ever taken my test once, that was 7 years ago and I haven't dared repeat it since.

My instructor only ever showed me, very quickly I might add, how to parallel park once because 'no one ever does this and it never comes up in your test'. Needless to say, literally less than 2 minutes into my test I was asked to parallel park and I actually laughed. I mounted the curb, failed instantly which was highly irritating as I only got 1 minor throughout the rest of the test! That 1 minor I got was for hesitation when I didn't pull out in front of an HGV on a roundabout.

Ukulelehayley · 24/03/2018 06:33

I lived in Germany briefly and didn’t want to learn in a left hand drive so I booked my test and then lessons everyday for a week leading up to it and passed first time. Then my dad made me do the drive back to Germany the next day!

CrashTestMummy18 · 24/03/2018 08:10

Only got 4 other minors. Was ok about it yesterday but I'm furious with myself this morning! Angry

Rebooked for 4 weeks time (school holidays etc otherwise would have made it sooner)

Sherwil16 · 24/03/2018 08:19

I passed on my second attempt. The examiner was jovial (unlike the first, very serious one) and I felt more relaxed. I drove slightly up a kerb, didn't fail on anything else, but I got the impression that my examiner was going to pass me anyway. Perhaps he hadn't passed anyone recently and needed to improve his results.

IAmMumWho · 24/03/2018 08:33

Not so much as a text but I was on a learning lesson, my instructor was a lady and was very brutal so I took an instant dislike towards her.

Any way on my second or third lesson we were doing roundabouts, I did this ok but when I paid proper attention I realised she'd taken me on a motorway. I got all flustered and upset as I knew this wasn't normal so soon into learning. I pulled over safely and got out. Told her to take me home and I've never had a lesson since.