Failed my driving test today..drove like a twat to be quite honest with you..

[charliecat]

Was fine the hour before. Feel ill at the thought of having to do it again. Need some sympathy

Carry one [wank] oops

This has encouraged me to think about having another bash (haven't driven for 6 months) failed twice before that.....agree about the nervous driver thing. And as for all these people who pass first time hummm as the pass rate on 1st tests is about 50% there are an awful lot out there who didn't! (Apparently if you want to pass first time take it a test centre in Scotland - can't remember where, where the pass rate is a whopping 78%!)

aww, cc, sorry to read this but you don't want to pass first time, apparently they make the worst drivers! I should know, I'm one, and last week I reversed the car in a multi storey with the door open slightly and it swung open and I crunched it against the pillar. It has caused £1400 worth of damage! I had been penned in and was tryign to back out quickly to throw the kids in. I've also scraped the rear bumper a few times, I really have a problem getting OUT of car parks!

charliecat - you'll manage it. Failing once is nothing... I crashed into a milk float on my first test!
Eldest DD is taking her test tomorrow for the third time and I'm trying to keep her positive.... she is an overconfident driver I think and drives like a person who has been driving 10 years so there is a fine line between nerves and overconfident.
She has never really failed at anything and has taken it really badly and drove like an arse the 2nd time with more majors then the 1st time.

I was told by someone who knows (!) that the examiner looks at your overall driving and asks themselves 'would I want this person driving my elderly mother somewhere?' They want cautious but decisive... I hope this helps

Hey cc, bad luck, but I'm sure you'll do better next time.

I think most people are right, that they are very reluctant to pass you first time. When DH passed 2nd time he asked the examiner to explain the minors to him. He couldn't remember what six of them were for and one of them was a tenuous 'I don't think you demonstrated enough awareness of a parked bus'. DH countered with did you want me to shout 'ooh look a great big bus' or was not hitting it not enough for you. He actually should have failed because he drove over the kerb at one point but the examiner said most people, even him, hit that kerb and he thought DH was a good enough driver to pass, so the general feeling they get from you must count for something.

I recently found out that at our local test centre the pass rate is 43% and of that 43% only 21% are first timers. They don't make it easy for you.

Best of luck to you for next time!

Loving this thread BTW.
Now a few days have passed I think I went into shock, I was so bloody worried about indicating at the wrong turn off I wasnt looking in my mirrors, I am NORMALLY great with my mirrors...
I ballsed up my 3 point turn, really shit skinny road anyway, that was 1 serious fault.
The 2nd was me nudging out of a parking space, looking behind to check nothing was coming, turned forward to see a car right in front of me widely overtaking on my side of the road...
asnd 3rd was my approach to junctions, it was to quick apparently, didnt know what he was on about at first then realised id been trying to get right up to line instead of 4 ft short but he didnt know that, must have just thought I was heading right out on the road.
Considering how many things that could have gone wrong it want that bad....just an awful experience.

charliecat, sounds like you did few things wrong. I was the same on my first test (I am the one who failed 7 times, passed on 8th!).
I failed before I even left the test centre! Didn't know it at the time, but the first thing I had to do was reverse into a parking bay before leaving the centre. As you can imagine I fluffed it up very badly and panicked and stalled etc. Silly really. The rest of the test was pretty much down hill after that.
My 2nd test - the same witch of an examiner! She remembered me and It made me soooo nervous having her and I made more mistakes!

Now I have passed I realise that maybe I wasn't ready for my first test anyway (not saying you aren't) and it has built my confidence up no end! I never thought I would get there, but I did! And you will too!

I have driven so many different cars too through practising and with my instructor. This is good experience too. A friend of mine has driven one type of car and driven for 11 years! I've driven 9! lol!
When is

when is your next test? (DS is jumping on me so pushed button too early!)

Middle of august, am driving dps car at every opportunity.
I was saying that it would been a miracle if I had of passed my test because I do balls up 3 point turns/reverse parks 2 times out of every 10...so for me to get it right on a test under pressure would have been miracle like!
I hope the same feeling of gloom doesnt decend on me next test. Im going to TRY and grab it by the balls next time. Not sit there waiting for me to balls it up.

Good for you! It can feel like so much pressure is on your shoulders can't it. As I said before I took a test at 8.5m pregnant and wound myself up so much about it as of course I wanted to pass before baby arrived and so I failed! I then had to retake my theory as it ran out of date!

Best advice I can give is to stay focused and take your time, it's not a race to complete any manouvere. My instructor used to say 'keep it together'. I kept repeating this in my head!
If you feel like you are going too fast/losing control in your mind and getting flustered, just think 'keep it together'. The examiner is looking for you to take control and be confident with any mistakes and correct them. If you think you made a mistake, don't worry - just show you can cope! Easier said than done I know.

I know how you feel on the 3 point turns (or turn in the road as it is now!)as I just touched the kerb on my 6th test and that was only thing I failed on! So frustrating! With me it seemed to be one thing I was failing on! I wanted to kick myself!

Not too long til your next test so keep positive, you will be driving before you know it!

Passed on Saturday...3rd time Lucky and all that

Congratulations CC

Thanks VvV, when i searched my name and driving in the thread my "OMG my mum had booked me two driving lessons" thread popped up and its a year today that she did...how weird is that
So it took me just under a year to learn..quite good considering I used to crash the double buggy

Well done!

(I passed second time, but it took forever to get even to my first test because if my instructor tried to give me a mock test I'd lose it completely and nearly drive into a tree)

Message withdrawn

Driving tests aren't like A levels you know, not everyone passes! Go on, have another go!

Oops! But I was right!

Congratulations cc. Well done that girl!

congrats!!!!!!

Thanks....my mum asked me to reverse into a spot in sainsburys and I said FGS I cant do that!!!!!!
She was gobsmacked as it was the day before I was taking my test...I said you dont get asked to reverse park so I havent quite mastered that yet!

I'm sorry honey.

Ok... having read only the OP let me rephrase that...............

CONGRATULATIONS

Well done charliecat

Well done CharlieCat!!! See Rickman said you would do it before the end of the holidays and you have!