Unsuccessful - post here

Heroditas

Hello there. I sat my test for the first time in SGS in Tallaght on March 19th and failed. I thought I'd done a pretty good test but got 12 Grade 2s.
They were pretty much all for observation:
4 for observation on left hand turns
2 for using rear view mirror when braking
1 for the turnaround!
1 for the reverse around the corner
1 for changing lanes
1 for turning right

Then 1 for progression and 1 for clutch which I thought was strange.
I have to admit that I'd only ever got two driving lessons since I'd started driving last summer and then had 3 pre-test classes so it was a bit much expecting me to iron out the bad habits in the space of a few days. I was disappointed naturally but reapplied straight away that evening and focussed on my observation until I was to sit my test again on the 9th of June - also in Tallaght.
The tester was nice and direct and was decent enough to explain all the faults with me.

J_R

jodyanne wrote: »

I would have indeed preferred to stop driving when I started to get stressed and take a break to calm down but I can't see an examiner allowing that. I presume that would have been a definite fail and I was hoping I might just squeeze past and never have to sit the damn thing again.

Maybe I should park up outside a coffee shop on the next one and bring meself and himself in for a cuppa and a sticky bun while I chill out!

Hi,

Course you can pull over and stop for a few minutes. Where did you ever get such a low opinion of the examiners. ??

At the start of the test examiner says "Now drive normally", this I have always assumed also means "Act normally". So, if you get stressed out, look for a safe and legal spot to park, pull over and take a breather.

Have always advised my nervous pupils above, ones that pulled over have had no problem. Only a few have done so, but perhaps knowing that they can, helped.

Had one pupil who actually got out and walked around in circles, he got back in, drove off, and passed. But would not recommend this, have never checked, but there might be an insurance issue.

Examiner might draw the line at the cuppa and bun, but you could offer to share a kit-kat or a cadbury flake.:D

Examiners do not set out to fail and provided you are a safe/good driver will do all they can to help you pass - within their remit.

xeroshero

Just failed in Rahney. Tester was nice enough. Got no marks for clutch/coasting, progression or just one (grade 3though) for observation which were (apparently) my down falls. Got one grade 3 for observation when turning left, no idea when/when this was! (thats kinda annoying!)

Few marks for reactions to hazards which again I find a little strange... A cat ranm out in front of me, I checked my rear view and slowed, not a huge amount but the cat was well gone. I also managed to get a lovely big removal truck in the middle of one of the small estate roads :(Two marks for positioning on the straight... Bugger it anyway!

xeroshero

Ok, so sat, and failed the test today Its frustrating that you don't know exactly where/when you made the fault. I'm not really any the wiser with the form he gave me... Just seems a bit silly really, I know they don't have to go into it and I can understand that (obviously they are not going to start arguing or going through every little thing with everybody but...)

I don't really know what they can do or change it really but like, I really am none the wiser. There is the odd fault that I knew I had made but nothing major. Got one grade 3 - NO idea how/where/when!!!??? So in otherwords, I could sit test again tomorrow and do the exact same thing cos I don't know what iti s that Im doing wrong!?

I'm not really bothered that I failed, honestly, only driving a few weeks so didn't expect to pass but........... I thought Id get a little more out of it....???

Anyway, rant over

justbringit89

Was SGS or RSA??

Were you told how long it would take to get your test again??

xeroshero

RSA. Didn't ask about timescale for doing it again, I presume it would be the 6 weeks or whatever the average waiting time is of the place? I presumke doing it the second tiem doesn't give any preference, I would have thought maybe the opposite (as you've already had one chance!?)

wil

xeroshero wrote: »

I'm not really bothered that I failed, honestly, only driving a few weeks so didn't expect to pass but........... I thought Id get a little more out of it....???

Anyway, rant over

And the justification for your rant is????????

Get several lessons with a proper instructor and they will be able to tell you why you failed.
Then as you get a bit more experience/knowledge you will be able to figure out for yourself the reasons for failure if you dont pass next time.

In the words of the wise Keano

"Fail to prepare, Prepare to fail"

bigpinkelephant

xeroshero wrote: »

Ok, so sat, and failed the test today Its frustrating that you don't know exactly where/when you made the fault. I'm not really any the wiser with the form he gave me... Just seems a bit silly really, I know they don't have to go into it and I can understand that (obviously they are not going to start arguing or going through every little thing with everybody but...)

I don't really know what they can do or change it really but like, I really am none the wiser. There is the odd fault that I knew I had made but nothing major. Got one grade 3 - NO idea how/where/when!!!??? So in otherwords, I could sit test again tomorrow and do the exact same thing cos I don't know what iti s that Im doing wrong!?

I'm not really bothered that I failed, honestly, only driving a few weeks so didn't expect to pass but........... I thought Id get a little more out of it....???

Anyway, rant over

I am taking a wild guess here but I am guessing you didn't stop at a Stop sign. Loads of people just slow down to a crawl til they know it is safe but you have to stop completely.

masterwriter

Sorry you failed

xeroshero wrote: »

Got one grade 3 - NO idea how/where/when!!!???

Does it not say on the report form what it was for or give some idea?

kmart6

Under what section is the Grade 3 fault?! That would give you the idea of where you went wrong!

Wishbone Ash

Thread merged.

xeroshero

"Observation on left turn", had no other observation or mirror faults. what i mean is I can't recall pulling out and thinking "opps, didn't do full check there" or "oh didn't see him" etc. In other words I just can't recall at what turn I made the mistake but obviously there was something there... Ah well... Will apply again asap

dudara

A grade 3 is a serious / immediate fail, so you clearly made a big enough mistake somewhere. it's just a pity that they wouldn't tell you where, though I would have thought that it would have been obvious to you.

A friend of mine failed on a grade 3 because a bus pulled out in front of them and they stepped on the brakes. The tester said that they should have continued forward and overtaken the bus.

Wishbone Ash

xeroshero wrote: »

Few marks for reactions to hazards which again I find a little strange...

There may have been other potential hazards which you missed but the examiner didn't!

xeroshero

dudara wrote: »

it's just a pity that they wouldn't tell you where

Thats what Im saying... Like i know where I made one or two or the grade two faults (went too wode on the reverse around the corner), indicated too late at one of those tiny little roundabouts.... But grade 3 - no idea... Strange., Ah well, will just to keep getting the lessons and apply again!

Wishbone Ash

xeroshero wrote: »

But grade 3 - no idea... Strange

What section of the Report Sheet was the Grade 3 on?

The fact that you are not aware of where you made a serious fault is an issue in itself!

jodyanne

J_R wrote: »

Hi,

Course you can pull over and stop for a few minutes. Where did you ever get such a low opinion of the examiners. ??

At the start of the test examiner says "Now drive normally", this I have always assumed also means "Act normally". So, if you get stressed out, look for a safe and legal spot to park, pull over and take a breather.

Have always advised my nervous pupils above, ones that pulled over have had no problem. Only a few have done so, but perhaps knowing that they can, helped.

Really?!! Wow, I just thought it would be an absolute no-go. Well, I might not have to do it, but knowing that it's a possibility will definitely help.

Thanks!

dudara

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The fact that you are not aware of where you made a serious fault is an issue in itself!

I did ponder that thought myself as I read the post.

J_R

xeroshero wrote: »

Thats what Im saying... Like i know where I made one or two or the grade two faults (went too wode on the reverse around the corner), indicated too late at one of those tiny little roundabouts.... But grade 3 - no idea... Strange., Ah well, will just to keep getting the lessons and apply again!

But not with the same instructor. He/she is incompetent. Should have been able to tell you immediately why you got the grade 3.

Better still, before the test, should have instructed you properly on observations turning left and warned you how you could easily incur a grade 3.

99% certainty, you did not check to the front of the car before moving off.

masterwriter

J_R wrote: »

99% certainty, you did not check to the front of the car before moving off.

not sure what you mean by to front of car?

J_R

masterwriter wrote: »

not sure what you mean by to front of car?

More than likely he had been stopped at a junction, waiting for a gap in traffic to emerge, saw a gap and immediately drove off without turning his head so that he was looking forward (Or to the front of the car) so that for example if there was a pedestrian standing there he would not run them down. Or for that matter hit any obstruction/traffic to his immediate front

Any reasonably competent instructor would have warned him how dangerous it was not to Look to the front before moving off. Grade 3 in the test, injured perhaps dead pedestrian in real life.

Therefore if he had been given proper instructions he would have know immediately why he received a grade 3 on observation turning left.

Less likely, he might not have been stopped but was looking to his right as he took a left corner. Basic stuff, not looking where he was going.

Which by the way, he stated in his first post.

xeroshero wrote: »

Just failed in Rahney. Tester was nice enough. Got no marks for clutch/coasting, progression or just one (grade 3though) for observation which were (apparently) my down falls. Got one grade 3 for observation when turning left, no idea when/when this was! (thats kinda annoying!)
(

Hopefully all who posted asking where he got his grade 3 read the road better than they do posts. :rolleyes:

Nools

sdonn_1 wrote: »

Just failed (3rd time not lucky) in Raheny. Had it in the bag until the last 500m - at the big crossroads in the village turning right:

A van ,inexplicably, was sitting with his nose in the yellow box facing me, in the right-hand lane position but indicating left. Made no effort to move so I went to inch around trying to see oncoming traffic - tester got the impression I wasn't stopping and pulled the handbrake on me :eek:

Is this even allowed? Stupid behaviour really - not like I was going to drive out into a blind lane. Tits like that van shouldn't be allowed drive. I'm biased though, of course

Anyone else ever get the feeling of 'Agh I'm never going to pass this stupid thing' even though in the real world your driving is perfectly fine? Wish they could have CCTV continuous assesment

a friend of mine failed like grade 3 on that exact turn right. its a hot spot for tests and also a disgusting corner

adrian522

Unfortunatly I need to post on this thread.
Failed my test in deansgrange today. too many grade 2's. The tester was very professional and I clearly understood all her instructions, however some of the grade 2's I received left me puzzled as I can't think what they were for.

I feel i'd taken enough lessons and was both competant enough and confident enough.

positives are no marks for mirros, road positioning or reversing which I was worried about.

negatives - made a stupid mistake on the turnabout (kerb). a lot for observation which i thought was harsh, but i defer to the expertise of the tester.

3 grade 2's that I got I'm very disappointed about.....

hazards, progress and yield right of way.

anyway, i've applied again so hope for the best next time.

downside is now I can't legally drive unaccompanied which will make practice very difficult or illegal....

dudara

adrian522 wrote: »

negatives - made a stupid mistake on the turnabout (kerb). a lot for observation which i thought was harsh, but i defer to the expertise of the tester.

Make sure that you're checking blind spots by swivelling your head as well as with mirrors. They probably saw you miss something once, and then realised that you were failing to do it a fair bit of the time

3 grade 2's that I got I'm very disappointed about.....

hazards, progress and yield right of way.

Progess is a tough one to judge. On the day of your test, you're going to be cautious and therefore a little more likely to be slow through junctions when compared to normal. Yield right of way is fairly explanatory.

anyway, i've applied again so hope for the best next time.

Best of luck. it's tough failing, but learn from it. A good instructor (maybe a different one) will help you focus in a few lessons.

Alanstrainor

adrian522
It's nice to see you have such a positive attitude towards your driving, at least now you'll know the areas you'll need to work on. Apply asap and perhaps get some more pretests/lessons to cover the areas you fell down on.
Best of luck now.

Wishbone Ash

Alanstrainor wrote: »

adrian522
It's nice to see you have such a positive attitude towards your driving,

+1 Fair play and good luck next time.

adrian522

Alanstrainor wrote: »

adrian522
It's nice to see you have such a positive attitude towards your driving, at least now you'll know the areas you'll need to work on. Apply asap and perhaps get some more pretests/lessons to cover the areas you fell down on.
Best of luck now.

Thanks, Yeah i've reapplied already. I feel so stupid for some of the mistakes. If I could have retaken the test straight away I would have done. I'm going to wait until the letter arrives beofre I start with more lessons. Hopefully the waiting times won't jump again now that the new laws have come in and most people have had a test.:)

adrian522

dudara wrote: »

Make sure that you're checking blind spots by swivelling your head as well as with mirrors. They probably saw you miss something once, and then realised that you were failing to do it a fair bit of the time



Progess is a tough one to judge. On the day of your test, you're going to be cautious and therefore a little more likely to be slow through junctions when compared to normal. Yield right of way is fairly explanatory.


Best of luck. it's tough failing, but learn from it. A good instructor (maybe a different one) will help you focus in a few lessons.

The progress one is tough because I actually don't know when I got that, the only one I can think of was turning right at the very start coming out of the test centre but I think it was a bit harsh if so because I don't think I could have gone any earlier.

rocally

Failed yesterday - there is always an excuse i suppose but I had an RSA inspector in the back assessing the SGS tester in the front and I really feel it was unfair to spring this on me on the day of the test , I also felt it made the tester very strict !! :mad:

brian plank

Also had a supervisor on the test and cant believe I failed. The whole observation thing is <SNIP>. If you look in your mirrors when driving, check blind spot before moving off and look behind before reversing what more can you do? Made a point of doing all this and thought i might be checking too much and still got 2 marks for observation.

Got done for missing second gear too which gave me the final mark, cos missing a gear at 10mph in an empty housing estate is so dangerous. No common sense.

Are they not meant to ask your permission to bring a supervisor too?