I passed my test on attempt 6

Cantab.

I passed my test there at the beginning of December in Raheny. I was so chuffed cos I've been at it for years and it was my 6th attempt!

I'd say it was my own fault because I never did it in my own car (all our cars are autos) and I really wanted to do it in a manual so as not to be restricted all my life.

Anyway, why should it take so long for a bloody driving test? It's so annoying and I really feel sorry for those people queueing up for tests (50% of them will fail), especially the ones who really need their cars for work.

It's about time the government brought in some reforms that allow people to learn quickly and get them on the road.

Big Balls

Jesus, if it took me 6 attempts to get my test I don't think I'd be shouting it on an internet forum

Cantab.

I put my opinion up for discussion. Thank god for anonymity eh?! I'm not too bothered about it to be quite honest now I've got my 850 Turbo!

tk123

I failed mine abt 3 weeks ago - 1st attempt. I'd been doing lessons for abt 2 months and got the letter so I went ahead and did the test...I didn't yeild in time at a roundabout at the beginning and knew i'd failed so I was all over the place and got 6 blue faults(i would have passed if i didnt make the first mistake!). All in all i did ok so i'm going to get a letter from work and apply again. I drive a bike at the moment so I didnt really mind that i failed - since I dont drive a car I didnt take offence to them failing me!!

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Failed my test on my first attempt also, guy gave me 4 faults on clutch control and when I asked him he said I was letting the engine rev too much, I was in an RX-8 so I tried to explain that it's revs redline around 9000 so you dont change till 5000 - 6000 and it gears for city driving lower than an recipricoating engine...no joy. Lesson learned next time I will use a fesita or something smiple. I can easily see how somebody would fail several times...driving well everyday really has nothing to do with driving for the test, its a very artificial situation, I drove on roads with speed bumps for 90% of the test so didn't get out of second gear mostly.

TempestSabre

August Plain Absinthe wrote:

F...I can easily see how somebody would fail several times...driving well everyday really has nothing to do with driving for the test, its a very artificial situation, I drove on roads with speed bumps for 90% of the test so didn't get out of second gear mostly.

Me too. I did mine in peak rush hour about 17yrs ago and we where stuck in a jam for about 10mins of it.

unkel

Cantab. wrote:

I passed my test there at the beginning of December in Raheny. I was so chuffed cos I've been at it for years and it was my 6th attempt!

Congratulations on passing your test. Safe and happy motoring

August Plain Absinthe wrote:

I was in an RX-8 so I tried to explain that it's revs redline around 9000 so you dont change till 5000 - 6000

LOL, you're probably the only one ever to show up for a test in an RX-8

C_Breeze

Cantab. wrote:

I passed my test there at the beginning of December in Raheny. I was so chuffed cos I've been at it for years and it was my 6th attempt!

I'd say it was my own fault because I never did it in my own car (all our cars are autos) and I really wanted to do it in a manual so as not to be restricted all my life.

Anyway, why should it take so long for a bloody driving test? It's so annoying and I really feel sorry for those people queueing up for tests (50% of them will fail), especially the ones who really need their cars for work.

It's about time the government brought in some reforms that allow people to learn quickly and get them on the road.

6 attempts???
all Automatic cars in the household???
....jaysus , you must come from a long bred line of sh1te drivers!!

-because they obviously they didnt fail you because you were good , haha!

_Kaiser_

Nothing wrong with Automatics.. I have one too and they're great for city driving.

Incidentially, and sorry to "borrow" the thread , how would people suggest dealing with the situation of showing up for your test when you're on your first provisional and don't have say a family member with a full license to accompany you?

Tony Danza

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Nothing wrong with Automatics.. I have one too and they're great for city driving.

Incidentially, and sorry to "borrow" the thread , how would people suggest dealing with the situation of showing up for your test when you're on your first provisional and don't have say a family member with a full license to accompany you?

That shouldn't be a problem, nobody ever said anything to me when I turned up for my test, in the same situation. I doubt the testers are looking out the window at who drives in, I'm sure before they do the test with you they're in having a cup of tea or something.

Litcagral

[QUOTE=Kaiser2000

Incidentially, and sorry to "borrow" the thread , how would people suggest dealing with the situation of showing up for your test when you're on your first provisional and don't have say a family member with a full license to accompany you?[/QUOTE]



If the test centre office is on private property,i.e. off the public road, the licensing regulations would not apply anyway while you arrive and park your vehicle etc.

I don't mean to be splitting hairs but if one is doing the reversing manoeuvre, on a public road, during a truck test, the tester leaves the truck to view the procedure. During that time the driver is left unaccompanied with the apparent approval of the Department!

shoegirl

C_Breeze wrote:

6 attempts???
all Automatic cars in the household???
....jaysus , you must come from a long bred line of sh1te drivers!!

-because they obviously they didnt fail you because you were good , haha!

The above is a mean and nasty comment.

Failing the test once or even a few times isn't always a reflection of the driving capability of the driver. Look at the number of mega-dangerous boy racer clones who pass first time at 17 and are dead in a ditch by the age of 20. Lots of people (especially, I notice, women - who statistically are less likely to have a serious accident, older people - many of whom have not sat a test for 10-15 years, and people in Dublin, who generally have not the privelige of being practically related to the tester, unlike in many small testing centres) fail the first time or take several attempts. I have a great friend who simply has a big problem with testing scenarios (she left school at 15 and hasn't been in a test scenario as a result for 20 years so she freezes up with fear every time she does the test - and fails on stupidly simple things as a result).

Secondly, people learn from their mistakes. For many people, learning through failure is actually a better way to learn.

I think the statement made actually does raise the converse question - does passing the first time mean you are a "better" driver than somebody who failed on their first attempt? I am not sure at all.

That is a problem with the once-off test scenario: somebody can get by on a fluke, and yet another person can be faced with a tougher tester, yet both may have the same ability. Few people would take the LEaving Cert as being a 100% indicator of future success - and little account is taken of it more than 5 years down the road, so is a once off performance test an equally inaccurate view of whether or not somebody is a "good driver."

Lastly, the test only tests in as one poster put it - an "artificial situation". How somebody drives when alone on an open road is the real indicator of driving - and this is something impossible to measure without the aid of black boxes and satellite systems!

Savman

Litcagral wrote:

I don't mean to be splitting hairs but if one is doing the reversing manoeuvre, on a public road, during a truck test, the tester leaves the truck to view the procedure. During that time the driver is left unaccompanied with the apparent approval of the Department!

Kinda nit picking though innit...

Jumpy

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Nothing wrong with Automatics.. I have one too and they're great for city driving.

Incidentially, and sorry to "borrow" the thread , how would people suggest dealing with the situation of showing up for your test when you're on your first provisional and don't have say a family member with a full license to accompany you?

If I was the driving instructor? An immediate fail and a notification to the Gardai.

Get a taxi and use one of their cars.

Jumpy

ah bugger.... that comment was just bait on a hook wasnt it?

I always bite with that sort of thing. dammit

tk123

Shoegirl - you hit the nail on the head with your comments!! If I hadn't of messed up at the start of my test I would have passed - i think thats just crazy as i have NO experience driving on my own!! I've actually only driven on my own when my instructor was having a smoke while I practiced turnabouts/reverse on day!! I'm glad i failed because I don't think i'm 'ready' to drive a car! :P

Litcagral

Jumpy wrote:

If I was the driving instructor? An immediate fail and a notification to the Gardai.QUOTE]



If you were "the driving instructor" you wouldn't be able to fail anyone. That would be a matter for the Examiner/Tester.

tk123

you'd prob get away with it - i wasn't asked to prove I had a licenced driver with me...

Big Balls

Shoegirl will you get into the real world. People who consistantly fail a driving test do not fall into the category of 'great drivers having a bad day'. Sweet Jesus. :eek:

Yes I passed first time, yes I was 19, yes it was in Dublin, yes I'm male and no, I never ended up in a ditch at 20.

unkel

C_Breeze wrote:

jaysus , you must come from a long bred line of sh1te drivers!!

No need for that! And in my humble opinion it is you who is talking sh!te, Sir!

tk123 wrote:

Shoegirl - you hit the nail on the head with your comments!!

Agree

tk123 wrote:

I'm glad i failed because I don't think i'm 'ready' to drive a car! :P

The roads would be much safer with people like the OP and tk123 who might not have passed first time, but who are at least very safety conscious and aware of their own limitations

I am always weary when I hear young males boast about passing their driving test first time after having only x lessons (substitute x for a small number or your choice)

The driving test in this country is inadequate anyway. Controlling a vehicle is only a fraction of what is required to drive safely. Controlling the vehicle seems to come more naturally to males compared to females. Are those males better drivers because of this? Hell no. Anticipation is the key to what good / safe driving is all about

In countries like Germany and the Netherlands it takes 50-60 hours of instruction by vetted professional instructors to pass the test on average. Not much difference between males and females either

TempestSabre

While I don't believe the test to be fair, or a good test. I don't think it should take 6 attempts either. Really you should be given an increasingly harder test after you fail 3 times.

mmenarry

Cantab - feck the begrudgers and congratulations!

I much prefer someone passes at their 6th attempt, rather than not really bothering and driving around on a provisional for the rest of their days!

Michael

TempestSabre

mmenarry wrote:

Cantab - feck the begrudgers and congratulations!

I much prefer someone passes at their 6th attempt, rather than not really bothering and driving around on a provisional for the rest of their days!

Michael

I'd prefer someone who stays on their provisional than an uninsured and unlicenced driver. Whats your point? Just because theres someone worse doesn't make it a good thing.

Cantab - What on earth did you fail on each of the 5 times? what did you do different to pass?

mmenarry

TempestSabre wrote:

I'd prefer someone who stays on their provisional than an uninsured and unlicenced driver. Whats your point? Just because theres someone worse doesn't make it a good thing.

Cantab - What on earth did you fail on each of the 5 times? what did you do different to pass?

6 times shows a bit of perseverance, and a willingness to pass (and by inference, improve to the point of passing).

That's my point.

M.

TempestSabre

mmenarry wrote:

6 times shows a bit of perseverance, and a willingness to pass (and by inference, improve to the point of passing).

That's my point.

M.

You don't get 6 chances to get it right on a road.

mmenarry

TempestSabre wrote:

You don't get 6 chances to get it right on a road.

That's why the fully licensed driver is beside you, right there in the passenger seat.

M.

TempestSabre

mmenarry wrote:

That's why the fully licensed driver is beside you, right there in the passenger seat. M.

For the rest of your driving life? Really? :rolleyes:

mmenarry

TempestSabre wrote:

For the rest of your driving life? Really? :rolleyes:

Yes, until you pass your test (6th attempt or otherwise). Compared to the not inconsiderable numbers driving around on provisional licenses, with nobody in the passenger seat.

See my point about "well done on passing your test" now?

Better to pass at the 6th attempt, than not to pass at all. It's called a learning curve.

Or would you prefer the approach that if anyone doesn't pass by the 3rd (arbitrary number) attempt, they should be just banned from driving permanently?

M.

C_Breeze

unkel - substitue 'x' for absolutley no lessons in my case. I Passed at 18, was never involved in so much as a ding.
I also disagree with you in saying roads would be safer with the likes of the OP and tk123 on the roads, they are usually the headaches of the roads that you always have to avoid that are constantly unaware of their surroundings crawling along the roads and cutting accross two lane roundabouts. tsk tsk stk

And yes i was harsh in my earlier post , but seriously, as "big balls" said - they dont fail you because youre a good driver - especially 6 times. And obviously they didnt pass me because i was a s1ite driver either.

Spitfire666

mmenarry wrote:

That's why the fully licensed driver is beside you, right there in the passenger seat.

M.

In all fairness whats the fully licenced driver gonna do for you if you get it wrong?
Not a whole lot they can do for you if your dead?

tie_mi_shu

Big Balls wrote:

Shoegirl will you get into the real world. People who consistantly fail a driving test do not fall into the category of 'great drivers having a bad day'. Sweet Jesus. :eek:

Yes I passed first time, yes I was 19, yes it was in Dublin, yes I'm male and no, I never ended up in a ditch at 20.

me too BB, i passed at 20 first time, i'm from dublin but done the test in nass as it was a shorter wait.. i'm driving 7 years this may.. passed my test in 2000.. never hit a ditch..