Driving test

_sheep

I'm sure this thread pops up here the whole time but i did a quick search and didnt find what im looking for, prehaps if i missed it someone can link me

I have my driving test Thursday week (12th) and basically im just wondering what to expect on the day. Ive been getting vast amounts of conflicting information and i have no doubt someone on here can help me. What im after is a rundown of the tester will do with me. I was lead to believe there was a QA on the rules of the road, him showing me signs etc but someone has told me that as i did the rules of the road in my theory test he wont be covering this.

Anyone familiar with the route in Thurles ? Anyone do their test recently care to share any tips/tricks etc? Is there anything i should do to prepare ?

robo

No matter how good a driver you are, it is always best to take a few lessons with a driving school who know the route. They will show you where the testers usually do the 3 point turn, reverese around a corner and hill stop-start!
You need do this as soon as you can so you can see how you get on and can then go and practice the route. So once you are familiar with the routes that the tester can take, you should be ok.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.

_sheep

Right, just booked 5 lessons for between this weekend and next thursday. Should get a fair idea of the route and what im doing wrong.

aodh_rua

If you can still get some lessons around the route, get them. One on the morning of the test is good too as it'll help you get in the right frame of mind.

As for the test itself - you'll be called into a room by the tester and asked to sit opposite them. They'll seem very odd - all cold and no emotion. That can be disconcerting as it's not normal, but it's just an attempt to give everyone the same experience. The tester will ask for some details about your car and will take a look at your provisional. You'll then sign a statement that your car is roadworthy. Once all of that is out of the way, he will move on to do some theory stuff. You can expect to be asked about how to react to some common situations (what to do when taking the second exit at a roundabout, what do you do if you're dazzled by oncoming headlights etc.), and then you'll be asked to give the meaning of a number of regulatory and warning signs.

Once that's over, you'll take the tester to your car. He'll get you to check your brakes and indicators and then you're off. I imagine the order is different depending on the test centre, but you'll certainly have to demonstrate taking left and right turns, a hill start, reversing round a corner and a turnabout. A lesson will show you where the tester will ask you to do these as there are only a limited number of routes.

The tester has a set form that he will use to grade your performance. If you get a lesson the instructor should have a copy. It is divided into a number of headings to do with different elements of driving (progress, movind off, turning left\right, etc). It is also divided into different types of faults. You can have as many minor faults as you like, they won't affect your result. Next there are intermediate faults. You are allowed a certain number of these in total (I'm sure someone else will remember how many) but no more than six in any one line. If you get two or more serious faults you'll fail.

When you're back in the test centre after your ordeal, you'll return to the desk you started from. The tester will give you some feedback and fill out either a fail cert or a certificate of compotency. Again, they'll be very neutral and won't necessarily tell you if you've passed or failed until they hand you your cert (pink for fail - green for pass).

Hope this is of some use - best of luck!

_sheep

Thanks aodh_rua exactly what i was looking for it'll give me something to think about while im waiting. Ive booked a lesson for 8am on thursday morning, the test is at 9.15am, I was wondering maybe if this was a bad idea but obviously not

Thanks guys

Lisapeep

No, doing a lesson in the hour before your test is definitely a good idea! I did that and it really helped me to focus my mind. You should also ask the instructor at your lesson for a list of the theory questions that they can ask. There is only a limited number of fairly easy questions that they could ask and my instructor was able to show me the full list of possibilities!

Best of luck!

Going Demented

What Aobh Rua said is exactly what happened when i took my test over a year ago. (Note: I nearly knocked over the instructor by starting the car in gear when he was checking my indicators and stuff - fortunately it did not matter).

I took 4 lessons for my test which included one the hr before the test. I found i could only do half an hour of the lesson as i was just physically sick and getting too nervous. It was good to do the route before the test though.

Best of luck in the test.

_sheep

I just found out now that ill be doing my test in waterford city. I was expecting and hoping to get it in Thurles but the person sorting out my test could only get it in waterford at the short notice i asked them to sort it for me.

Anyone familiar with the route in waterford ? I know the city pretty well so a rough guide would be very cool

daggeredge

aodh_rua wrote:

If you get two or more serious faults you'll fail.

2 or more serious faults?
i was failed on one "over dependancy on my mirrors reversing round the corner"
In other words i didn't look out the back window long enough goin round the corner
and she was proper smug about it 2!
I think being male doesn't bode well.....

also try and get your test in the morning/afternoon, by the evening they have their "quota" worked out and you have to drive like a demigod to pass the damn thing, as they'll tend to nitpick in an attempt to stay on quota...
in the event they do give you an evening time be 20 mins early...they like that cos they can go home earlier after the test

also check this outhttp://www.2pass.co.uk

its an English site but it gives flash animations and directions as to all the moves.... (don't worry bout the parralel parking ,thats not in the test!)

_sheep

Thanks daggeredge, have my test practically first thing in the morning so at least thats some good news. Thanks to Going Demented aswell

aodh_rua

daggeredge wrote:

2 or more serious faults?
i was failed on one "over dependancy on my mirrors reversing round the corner"

Sounds dodgy to me - I'm pretty sure that you are allowed one serious fault, but I'm not sure how it combines with the less serious ones (one serious and five intermediate one might mean a fail?) Then again, if you do have a serious fault, they'll probably make an effort not to pass you by hitting you with other things.

One other piece of advice for _sheep - check out www.ism.ie . It's the Irish School of Motoring website - they've lots of useful info on how to handle the test.

elexes

daggeredge wrote:

(don't worry bout the parralel parking ,thats not in the test!)

is this true ?

sceptre

elexes wrote:

is this true ?

Yes. No parallel parking, no emergency stop.

Lisapeep

You can be failed for one major fault as far as I know. A girl I know had to stop on a narrow road while a big digger did some sort of manoever and blocked the whole road ahead. She was failed for not putting on her hazard lights to warn other drivers of the blockage ahead - terrible!

Don't worry about these things though - just do what you've done all along in your lessons!

aodh_rua

Lisapeep wrote:

You can be failed for one major fault as far as I know. A girl I know had to stop on a narrow road while a big digger did some sort of manoever and blocked the whole road ahead. She was failed for not putting on her hazard lights to warn other drivers of the blockage ahead - terrible!

Don't worry about these things though - just do what you've done all along in your lessons!

My bad - just checked the back of my test sheet (yes - I kept it), and it says you can fail for getting....

Grade 2: 4 of the same fault, 6 or more under the same heading and 9 or more overall

Grade 3: 1 or more

sikes

this magic quota does not exist. also you cant fail on the theory alone.