To ask for your driving test tips but also your most disastrous test stories

[chillydawg]

One of my biggest fears is doing something completely insane and dangerous and hearing about other people who have done that would ease my nerves a bit, even if that sounds weird!

The test is today and I feel sick thinking about it.

Oh no One orecupforyheroad, any advice for me, I have booked my test for March and bricking it. I haven't taken a test since 1997. I am now learning on an automatic car which is douch easier, and feel so much better and more confident driving, bit the rest fills me with dread. I am worried about it already. I am just worried about my mind going blank.

Test doh.

Well Aeroflotgirl - a couple of things - one that has been mentioned on this thread - the examiner wants to see that you are a safe driver. So you do not have to drive with great skill and prowess - just show him that when you’re out on the road you’ll be safe. Pretend you’re taking your elderly grandfather for a sedate afternoon drive rather than someone who is examining your driving.

Another thing is to take your time, don’t rush, test candidates often panic and then start rushing everything, if you feel like this take a few deep breaths and try and relax.

Lastly, try and put it in perspective - it really doesn’t matter if you don’t pass. It’s not like you have a limited number of goes and that’s it, you can always take it again.

Think of it like when you were a baby and were learning to walk - after you fell over the first, second or third time - your parents didn’t say “you clearly can’t walk so you might as well give up”. They kept on encouraging you to walk and you kept on trying. It’s the same with driving - it’s just something new to be learnt.
Good luck!!

Did mine last month and passed, failed a few times before and nearly gave up , even if you don't pass you can do it again . On one test lesson before someone drove into the back of me and another I would have passed if I hadn't driven straight past the stop sign . Stay calm don't rush and be confident

Hints wise, do explain you decision making out loud or say "just checking the blind spots" , not as barmy as it sounds! Do make sure you exaggerate your head movements when checking mirrors etc yes you feel a bit of a plum but it works. First test, mounted the kerb to avoid hitting a bus after misjudging the gap down a narrow side road. Passed second time despite missing exit from roundabout as I just remembered my instructors words about driving safely being the most important thing so I just went round again instead of flapping. It's true that you only really start to learn to drive once you have passed your test. Did weeks of different types of parking practice to get it right as bad parking is the one thing I hate the most.

We had been for lunch and got to the Test Centre on the last minute so OH went to park the car, I couldn't find it when I came out with the examiner, I then disputed the colour of the car whose plate he asked me to read, he said green I said blue. To cap it all off he took me to a very narrow road into a housing estate and I stalled it. All of these made me mentally accept my fate and wonder how long it would take me to get a retest so when he said I'm pleased to say you're passed I was astonished.
Good luck.

I hit a horse on my test. I mean, obviously I didn't mean to do it but it just appeared out of nowhere. My test was in a rural area and the horse leapt the fence onto the road just as we were approaching. I slammed the brakes on but managed to hit the horse a glancing blow. It wasn't badly injured thankfully. The bizarre thing is I passed as the examiner said I remained calm and did everything right in the circumstances !

When I took my first test I was a really hesitant driver (so much so that looking back I really don't think I should have been entered for my test- if I'd passed by some fluke it would have been a nightmare for me and all other local road users).

At one point, I was supposed to turn left on to a 2 lane road, and then stay in the left hand lane. After waiting for ages for a space I was sure I could get in to the examiner said- 'Just as a reminder, when we EVENTUALLY get out of this road please remain in the left hand lane'. I knew from the tone of his voice that I had failed!

I passed first time with no notable stories and I was frankly amazed as I’m such a nervous driver!

I read a story similar to the toupee one which probably isn’t true but the mental image makes me cry laughing so I’m sharing anyway - one guy on a forum reckoned when they were stopped at a traffic light an errant football flew in the examiner’s open window and hit him on the head then bounced back out, and the guy doing his test laughed so much he couldn’t drive when the lights changed and so he failed. Like I say, probably not true but it still cracks me up if I think about it.

DH learnt to drive a few years ago and his instructor told him one of his pupils had failed her test that week because she'd swerved to avoid running over a dog that ran into the road. I can't help but think I'd be OK with failing my test if it meant I didn't kill something! (obviously I know why she failed - doing something like that can be dangerous, but even so...!)

I did mine in the USA so probably different. I passed though very nervous throughout, the examiner just said at the end when I told her my DH taught me that he was a very good instructor oh and in future I should wait till I reach the actual STOP sign before stopping. Duh! Yes, at one point I stopped at the STOP AHEAD sign on a winding country road where the actual STOP sign was around the curve. I did stop at the STOP sign too while inwardly cursing myself and sure I’d failed at that point.

Well I failed. Two majors (!) and seven minors. The examiner was really nice when giving comments and said I just needed to relax. Which is definitely true but so hard to do!

Thanks for all your stories, they're cheering me up and giving me hope!

BUT I did do a parallel park adequately so I was really chuffed about that! Gotta look for the positives

I was really clueless sitting my test even though I'd been learning on and off for years, 3 tests were cancelled by the test centre for whatever reason & I had to cancel 1, so by the time I finally sat my test id had consistent lessons each week for a year in an automatic but still felt really useless and wasn't confident, day before my test my instructor had sprung it onto me that they use a sat nav during the test, why she didn't teach me independent driving prior to this I don't know! So on the morning of my test she showed me how the sat nav worked, then the show me tell me, literally 30 minutes before!! I was shitting myself and felt so so unprepared.

The week of my test I was still having to ask my instructor if I could go at a roundabout if it was busy & needed step by step to bay park parallel park etc

Learning to drive never came easy for me, I had so many lessons.

On the test the examiner came out, he looked like a miserable old man, I thought fantastic just what I need! got in the car and asked me the show me tell me and off we went, but he was lovely straight away, told me to take deep breaths, nothing I did would surprise him, he had seen it all before etc etc.

I did not have a fucking clue about the sat nav and it really flustered me, too much to concentrate on and I had literally only been shown it that morning, so all the turn right 300 yards turn left 200 yards etc really confused me. I'm sat there trying to work out in my head what the fuck a yard was not realising I could just look at the sat nav arrow on the screen to tell me.

I just said look I'm sorry but I'm no good with the sat nav and he said you won't fail for asking questions as long as you do everything safely.

So each time sat nav lady said left 200 yards, I said to him this left or the next left and he told me not this one the next one and so on. can only imagine what a dip shit he thought I was 🤣

Got back to test centre, he said pull up behind the red car and turn the car off, I'm too busy thinking thank fuck we made it back, pulled up behind the red car but sat with my foot on the foot brake, turned to him and said put me out my misery, he said put your car into park first lol!

I passed first time 3 minors thank god as don't think I could do it again!

Thanks so much Onrmorecupfortberoad*, really great advice. This thread is really helpful😁😁

@chillydawg aw sorry to see your update how did you find it? Was you really nervous etc? X

I stalled on a roundabout twice. In the same test. Which was fun.
Sorry to hear your update. Onwards and upwards!

Oh no op, don't be despondent, what were your majors? Oh Danni, that is fantastic, well done you, I am going to save this thread😁😁

Wear a low cut top and hope for a pervy male examiner. I did for my 3rd test and passed.
However, for my 2nd test, i couldnt parallel park and i told the examiner I was done. I refused to drive any further. I knew I'd failed. I told him to drive us back but he said he wasn't allowed. So,he locked the car, left me on the pavement whilst he walked a long way down a steep hill back to the test centre. He gave keys to my instructor who had to walk all the way up the long hill to get his car (and me). He was LIVID.
That's my disaster story.

You’ll get it next time OP. Treat this as a rehearsal. Well done on the parallel parking though, 15 years on the road and I’m still hit and miss with that.

I was nervous but not too bad when I set off but then I did a few weird nervy things and got more and more flustered.

One of majors was I saw a lorry trying to enter the dual carriageway and I braked even though he obviously wasn't going to enter when I was coming towards him. Silly really but I hadn't encountered that before so it's all a learning curve!
Gonna book another lesson and then another test to keep momentum going!

I had to do an emergency stop to stop myself hitting a woman on a zebra crossing.

Still passed 😳

MY other major was I missed a gap and then took one that was too small to overcompensate

Honestly I'm laughing so much at some of these!

LOVE making the examiner walk back to the test centre.

I failed my first test because I drove into a parked car outside the test centre. I failed another as I misread a sign and nearly joined a motorway.

On the test I eventually passed, I did an emergency stop for a pidgeon It took me 7 attempts to pass and I failed on something different each time. I’ve now been driving for 10 years and I’ve never been in an accident that was my fault, or got a speeding ticket. I know I’m a safe driver- just needed extra time to take my test. And I still get in the wrong lane sometimes!

I’m sorry you didn’t pass today, but focus on next time!