Where to take the Test

roundcrisis

What is the best location to take the driving test, I m going to apply for the license

Is it true I cant drive without company in the car (ie: going to work?) I see a lot of people in cars with big L all over the place and theya re on their own
Pls help!

All tips and tricks welcome!


PS: I m in Dublin

Paulmee

I took my test in Naas, a lot of new routes for every test. I passed on my third time. Id still recommend it.
Ive heard Dundrum is quite good. I drive through there quite often and it is quiet during the day. That shouldn' be a reason to pick a place.

Obviously practice is the main thing. Pick the closest place to you, and practice all the time. Ask others of the test routes and use them to prepare yourself. 4-5 lessons help also.

On the subject of sole L drivers, its not enforced that you must have a person with you, well not down the country anyway.
IMO its a stupid law- how are you suppose to learn if your progress is hampered by the availablity of having someone in the car who has a full licence.

Stark

Is it true I cant drive without company in the car (ie: going to work?) I see a lot of people in cars with big L all over the place and theya re on their own
Pls help!

Legally you can drive on your own if you're on your second provisional licence but need company if you're on your 1st licence or 3rd or subsequent licence.

Seth Brundle

I did mine in Carrick on Shannon when there was only a roundabout and crap parking to tolerate. Now they have a set of traffic lights there so the test is obviously going to be that bit more difficult!

jlang

Potato Man wrote:

Ive heard Dundrum is quite good.

There is no test centre in Dundrum. There are test centres in Churchtown (near the Super Valu) and Rathgar (Orwell Road). Administratively these are the same centre. If you apply to either Churchtown/Rathgar or Churchtown or Rathgar, they can send you to either at their choice. At least that was the case till very recently. Some of the routes from each overlap.

I wouldn't particularly recommend it as a test centre because the wait is one of the longest in the country. Others in Dublin are at Tallaght, Finglas and Raheny and a few others are within striking distance - Naas, Wicklow, Navan etc.

There was a problem in Naas where they used to be allowed have four testers on duty, but an investigation of the offices led to a reduction in the amount to three (under some health/safety rule). Result: a huge backlog developed that hasn't been worked through yet, despite the fact that Kildare has one of the fastest growing populations in the state.

Details of waiting lists and pass rates are available at www.drivingtest.ie. The details are a couple of months old, but I don't think anything's changed substantially in the meantime. Pass rates don't vary much, but the wait is much shorter in some centres.

Borzoi

Having done tests in Rathgar and Finglas, I'd say go with Finglas as the area has lighter traffic, fewer parker cars and less 'odd' traffic arrangements.

But bear in mind that you want to be able to practice in the area, so you know the routes so if you live in Dun Laoghaire, there's probably not much point!

roundcrisis

HI everybody, thanks so much for your help, i ll go for Finglas most likely as I work close enough
but what happens if a police stop me driving on my own?
is it serious?
This is very important, i dont want to buy a car wait a year and then=> be able to use it!!!

Paulmee

jlang wrote:

There is no test centre in Dundrum.

My bad, i meant Churchtown.
Thats what happens when you post at about 5 o clock after a long day at work.

conZ

I've applied for my test in Ennis (though, I am from Ennis).

Test wait is something like 11 weeks, and pass rates are about 65%.

totoal

Slightly off topic but... I applied for the test because my 2nd provisional had expired - Can I get my 3rd provisional once a get a receipt of application for test?

Thanks.
T

Seth Brundle

as far as Im aware yes - check out http://oasis.gov.ie for more advice

alias no.9

The only thing you should worry about for selecting a test centre is how soon you want to do it and how convenient the test center is. If you need it in a hurry then maybe a letter from your employer will help. After that, concentrate on your own driving and not other peoples tales of woe because the only thing you can control is your own driving, everything else is incidental.

mudflapgirl

roundcrisis wrote:

but what happens if a police stop me driving on my own?
is it serious?

It generally depends on what part of the country you're in and what you're stopped for. Most Gardai turn a bit of a blind eye to it depending on situation. If it's a major offence (speeding or whatnot) it might be a bigger deal. I've only been stopped once and since I'm on my 3rd prov. he let me off - I'd only been stopped at a checkpoint for tax/insurance anyway. I've heard they can be bad if it's your 1st prov.

Re; test centres
Having applied for Naas (I was living 10 mins away at the time) last August (30th to be exact) I was still waiting when I moved to Carlow 3 months ago. Rang them to let them know I'd moved and gave them my new address - they told me I'd be waiting til after christmas in Naas and to change my test centre to Carlow. I did that and shaved 7/8 weeks off my waiting time. It's ok to change test centres if you need to and sometimes it works out better for you if you need to. Apparently people do it all the time. I was a bit dodgy about it though, was I pushing other peoples dates back? Changing test centre will make my life easier but I feel a bit guilty about it.

Dublin is the worst place IMO, I'd waited 18 months for my date and failed it cause of a brake light that shorted out while I was waiting to do it. (I'd checked them before going in and the rain had shorted it by the time I got out )