Unsuccessful - post here

ps3man

Boom failed today in raheny for the forth time.. tester had a clicky pen to mark the sheet and I heard it click after 4 minutes in which he gave me a red for observation turning right. i saw him mark it and was seriously considering just going back to the test centre. bit of a killer but I kept going.. well between getting the day of work, paying for the test itself and renting the car to do my test in it came to about €280.. going to re apply straight away.. besides the red only got four blues and 2 greens..

**Timbuk2**

ps3man wrote: »

Boom failed today in raheny for the forth time.. tester had a clicky pen to mark the sheet and I heard it click after 4 minutes in which he gave me a red for observation turning right. i saw him mark it and was seriously considering just going back to the test centre. bit of a killer but I kept going.. well between getting the day of work, paying for the test itself and renting the car to do my test in it came to about €280.. going to re apply straight away.. besides the red only got four blues and 2 greens..

Sorry to hear that! But you only made one mistake. If you sort that out for your next test, you should pass no problem.

Observation turning right is quite a common error. If you are approaching a right turn, you should check your mirrors, signal, and if you have to move into a right turning lane, give your blindspot a small check (as some cars like to move in early, e.g onto the crosshatch markings), as you near the point of turn, check your mirrors again (e.g for overtaking motorcycles or bikes), then look into your turn before you turn (to check for stopped traffic on the road you are turning into) and then turn.

Best of luck with your next test! If you get a lesson with an instructor between now and your next test, he should iron out any flaws you have. If possible, maybe a different instructor than you had the first time

Elessar

Failed my truck test today in Finglas.

Everything was going perfect, I only had 3 grade 2's but I got a grade 3 coming back into the test center when I took a right turn too wide and ended up too close to the fence in front. The tester had to get out and help me reverse to get out of it. Would have got it otherwise :mad:

Gutted. Ah well.

Faith+1

Elessar wrote: »

Failed my truck test today in Finglas.

Everything was going perfect, I only had 3 grade 2's but I got a grade 3 coming back into the test center when I took a right turn too wide and ended up too close to the fence in front. The tester had to get out and help me reverse to get out of it. Would have got it otherwise :mad:
Gutted. Ah well.

Sorry to hear that, I swear that right turn back into the centre is a bitch to do in a rigid. By any chance was the examiner a chap with a moustache?? No names though!

Elessar

Faith+1 wrote: »

Sorry to hear that, I swear that right turn back into the centre is a bitch to do in a rigid. By any chance was the examiner a chap with a moustache?? No names though!

It was actually a right turn inside jamestown business park, heading back towards the RSA test area. If I had stopped before the turn I'm sure I could have made it. Kicking myself! No moustache on the examiner but he was a big, slightly intimidating man! Fairly sound though.

Faith+1

Elessar wrote: »

It was actually a right turn inside jamestown business park, heading back towards the RSA test area. If I had stopped before the turn I'm sure I could have made it. Kicking myself! No moustache on the examiner but he was a big, slightly intimidating man! Fairly sound though.

Yeah I know the turn you're talking about, It has all the green fencing running along it. From what i remember I did it in first!:cool:
Apply for a cancellation now, because all your lessons are still fresh in the ole head!

reap-a-rat

Just failed mine in Tuam there... Really upset about it. 10 grade 2s and 2 grade 1s, after my instructor being so confident I'd pass... All my faults were kinda scattered too, but I had three in reaction to hazards, though I thought I slowed enough or that. I dunno, not meant to be from the minute i got up and checked my lights and two weren't working.

Better just reapply straight away anyway!

peaceboi

Hi guys, me just failed @ finglas last week. was my first attempt though.
my instructor (airport driv school) was telling me, tht if i booked for lessons with them soon,
they would apply for a retest and that i would get a retest date in 4 weeks time! is this true? do driving schools 've special reservations in booking for retest dates? Coz, i heard if we apply ourselves for retests, it takes 3 -4 months for a date. please share ur thoughts. thank u.

zynaps

peaceboi wrote: »

Hi guys, me just failed @ finglas last week. was my first attempt though.
my instructor (airport driv school) was telling me, tht if i booked for lessons with them soon,
they would apply for a retest and that i would get a retest date in 4 weeks time! is this true? do driving schools 've special reservations in booking for retest dates? Coz, i heard if we apply ourselves for retests, it takes 3 -4 months for a date. please share ur thoughts. thank u.

Never heard of an instructor applying for a student's driving test.

It doesn't take 3-4 months for a date - I applied about 3 days after failing my first test, marked on the form that I'd accept a cancellation date, and sat my second test less than one month later. About 4 weeks after the first test.

MascotDec85

peaceboi wrote: »

Hi guys, me just failed @ finglas last week. was my first attempt though.
my instructor (airport driv school) was telling me, tht if i booked for lessons with them soon,
they would apply for a retest and that i would get a retest date in 4 weeks time! is this true? do driving schools 've special reservations in booking for retest dates? Coz, i heard if we apply ourselves for retests, it takes 3 -4 months for a date. please share ur thoughts. thank u.

Smells a rat

Max Power1

zynaps wrote: »

Never heard of an instructor applying for a student's driving test.

It doesn't take 3-4 months for a date - I applied about 3 days after failing my first test, marked on the form that I'd accept a cancellation date, and sat my second test less than one month later. About 4 weeks after the first test.

in finglas I booked two tests and took them within 3 weeks. There doesnt seem to be much of a wait there at all.

peaceboi

Thanks guys, i think they r trying to rob me, anyways they charge 55euros per hr!!
& i already had few lessons. so i 'better apply myself and look for some instructors with reasonable fees.

greyc

peaceboi wrote: »

Thanks guys, i think they r trying to rob me, anyways they charge 55euros per hr!!
& i already had few lessons. so i 'better apply myself and look for some instructors with reasonable fees.

€55 per hour is outragous, that's at least €20 more than the average, how do they get away with it?
They also told a friend of mine that they'd applied for her test, but hadn't. Only you can apply, an instructor or company can't apply on your behalf.

murrayp4

peaceboi wrote: »

Thanks guys, i think they r trying to rob me, anyways they charge 55euros per hr!!
& i already had few lessons. so i 'better apply myself and look for some instructors with reasonable fees.

€55 per hour is an absolute rip. PM me if you want the no. of a great instructor (ADI) who'll do it for €30p.h.

peaceboi

yes dude, 55 is absolute robbing! ism charges 45 per hr, i had 2 hrs with them as well, it all depends on who or the person who come as ur instructor! with both schools there are good and crappy guys.
i think these 2 r the market leaders, they just spend huge money on advertising. God only knows about results.

Sleuthy

Sat my test in Tallaght today (first time). Actually thought I was doing OK so was absolutely gutted when he told me I'd failed. I amassed most of my Xs in the 'Control of Your Vehicle' section for clutch and gears and not even sure what I did wrong to get them.

I am wondering if it's because I had my foot resting on the clutch even when it wasn't depressed.

Thought I might've been OK because after the test was over and we were walking back to the centre, he was all chit chatting asking if I had plans for the bank holiday. I thought he would hardly be all nice if he was about to tell me I'd failed but my heart soon sank.

Feeling so disillusioned but applied again immediately and am hoping I might get a cancellation.

murrayp4

Hi Sleuthy, I failed my first time in Tallaght. As soon as I got home I re-applied, rang them 2 weeks later and got a cancellation. I had 4 weeks between the two tests, so I got more lessons and pretests. I do think you need to ring them as I get the feeling they wouldn't have told me about the cancellation otherwise. Passed on Wed, which was a relief. I think there is an element of luck as to what tester you get. There is one in Tallaght who I think takes a little pleasure in failing people, but there you go...
Long story short- dust yourself off and get back in the saddle and before you know it you'll get that laminated pink slip of paper!

MascotDec85

Sleuthy wrote: »

Sat my test in Tallaght today (first time). Actually thought I was doing OK so was absolutely gutted when he told me I'd failed. I amassed most of my Xs in the 'Control of Your Vehicle' section for clutch and gears and not even sure what I did wrong to get them.

I am wondering if it's because I had my foot resting on the clutch even when it wasn't depressed.

Thought I might've been OK because after the test was over and we were walking back to the centre, he was all chit chatting asking if I had plans for the bank holiday. I thought he would hardly be all nice if he was about to tell me I'd failed but my heart soon sank.

Feeling so disillusioned but applied again immediately and am hoping I might get a cancellation.

This might help you think where you might have gone wrong:

An applicant should make proper use of the: - accelerator, clutch, gears, footbrake, handbrake, steering,
and secondary controls or a fault may be recorded for ‘Vehicle Controls’ as appropriate. The ‘Technical
Checks’ should be demonstrated correctly, as should the coupling/uncoupling exercise, as required, or the
appropriate fault should be recorded. Some controls require a degree of co-ordination and should be
demonstrated smoothly by the applicant.
Examples of ‘Vehicle Control’ faults include:

(a) Accelerator: not applied properly or at the correct time, or excessive use for the conditions.

(b) Clutch: coasting, i.e. driving for a prolonged distance with the pedal pressed in or sharp
engagements causing the vehicle to jerk unnecessarily or resting the foot on the clutch pedal for
prolonged periods causing it to slip or attempting to change gears without using the clutch.

(c) Gears: selecting an incorrect gear, or coasting, i.e. driving for some distance in neutral, or driving
for a prolonged distance in an incorrect gear.

(d) Footbrake: non application of the footbrake, unnecessarily sharp application or late application for
the circumstances.

(e) Handbrake: not applied as appropriate on an incline, or during a prolonged stop in traffic, or being applied before the vehicle has come to a halt, or inadequate application, or attempting to drive while the handbrake is still engaged.
DRIVING FAULT MARKING GUIDELINES 13

(f) Steering: having both hands off the steering at the same time, or steering unnecessarily with one hand for a prolonged distance.

(g) Secondary controls: driving while condensation restricts visibility, or not using a secondary control as required.

(h) Technical Checks: lack of expertise, or inability to describe the various checks. (All categories). Inability to describe the D1, D or ED1 special vehicle safety checks.............................................................

Sleuthy

Thanks for your lovely message. Will give them a bell in a fortnight.

Cian92

Eugh! 14 grade 2s!! In all my practices runs I only failed one, and there only got 10 grade 2s. Tbh, I am outraged, the tester told me it was because I was going too slow! I only went 80kmph on the dual carriageway, apparently thats too slow... The speed limit does not have to be attained it is a maximum speed. It really is terrible to be telling people to go faster, remember what happened only a few weeks ago in Donegal.

Apparently I also went in too low a gear. I did not. Also I had to change lane twice, getting onto dual carriageway and then getting inot lane for the roundabout, according to this tester he gave me 2 grade 2s because I checked my blindspots! Disgraceful.

I was seriously considering appealing, but after contacting my solicitor she said I would only get a free test for all my trouble of going to court! So really there is no point.

Of all my grade 2s there are only 6 I would agree that I deserved. Being a young male driver doesn't help.

Sir Vival

Cian92 wrote: »

Eugh! 14 grade 2s!! In all my practices runs I only failed one, and there only got 10 grade 2s. Tbh, I am outraged, the tester told me it was because I was going too slow! I only went 80kmph on the dual carriageway, apparently thats too slow... The speed limit does not have to be attained it is a maximum speed. It really is terrible to be telling people to go faster, remember what happened only a few weeks ago in Donegal.

Apparently I also went in too low a gear. I did not. Also I had to change lane twice, getting onto dual carriageway and then getting inot lane for the roundabout, according to this tester he gave me 2 grade 2s because I checked my blindspots! Disgraceful.

I was seriously considering appealing, but after contacting my solicitor she said I would only get a free test for all my trouble of going to court! So really there is no point.

Of all my grade 2s there are only 6 I would agree that I deserved. Being a young male driver doesn't help.

Well in fairness at 80kph you were travelling 20kph under the max speed limit, thats seems quite significantly under the limit to me. If the road was busy-ish you would have a line of cars tailing you in no time. Im also pretty sure that the rules of the road state that if you can drive at the speed limit in a certain area, then you should.

Also checking you blind spot at that sort of speed seems crazy to me. Taking you eyes significantly of the road while travelling at 80kph or higher is dangerous.

On the bright side 14 grade 2's isn't that bad. You know your mistakes so it should be easy to learn from them and make sure you get it right next time.

Apply again for a cancelation and i'm sure you'll pass no bother.

zynaps

Sir Vival wrote: »

Also checking you blind spot at that sort of speed seems crazy to me. Taking you eyes significantly of the road while travelling at 80kph or higher is dangerous.

IMO not checking blindspots at that speed is crazy, if you're changing lanes. When I was learning, on two occasions on a dual carriageway I checked mirrors (clear), indicated and started to move toward the next lane when my mother in the passenger seat shouted "WAIT!". When I checked my blindspot, there was a car almost directly alongside me which had not been visible in the mirror.

The higher your speed, the more important it is to check that blindspot. The chances of missing a car in the ignored blindspot when moving into a lane are probably much higher than the chances of a hazard suddenly appearing in front during a blindspot check.

I'd say the risk-reward ratio for checking your blindspot makes it worth doing at any speed.

Cian92

Sir Vival wrote: »

Well in fairness at 80kph you were travelling 20kph under the max speed limit, thats seems quite significantly under the limit to me. If the road was busy-ish you would have a line of cars tailing you in no time. Im also pretty sure that the rules of the road state that if you can drive at the speed limit in a certain area, then you should.

Also checking you blind spot at that sort of speed seems crazy to me. Taking you eyes significantly of the road while travelling at 80kph or higher is dangerous.

On the bright side 14 grade 2's isn't that bad. You know your mistakes so it should be easy to learn from them and make sure you get it right next time.

Apply again for a cancelation and i'm sure you'll pass no bother.

Thanks! The thing was there wasn't a car behind me anyway on the road, I was only on it for a short bit, so I didn't see the point in reaching 100kmph.

it just seems very strange to not check your blind spot, I was told you always do it when changing lane by my adi.

Alanstrainor

Always check your blind spot when changing lanes. Nearly had someone take me out on the motorway on the weekend, i really don't know what they were thinking. They overtook a bunch of cars in the overtaking lane, all okay, just as they were about infront of me but not quite, without indicating they just turned left towards me. Had to jam hard on the brakes to avoid an accident. Pure lunacy. My speed had remained constant the whole time so it wasn't as if i had put the boot down either.

greyc

zynaps wrote: »

IMO not checking blindspots at that speed is crazy, if you're changing lanes. When I was learning, on two occasions on a dual carriageway I checked mirrors (clear), indicated and started to move toward the next lane when my mother in the passenger seat shouted "WAIT!". When I checked my blindspot, there was a car almost directly alongside me which had not been visible in the mirror.

I'd say the risk-reward ratio for checking your blindspot makes it worth doing at any speed.

I agree with the other poster, it has to be dangerous to check your blindspot while driving at speed. If you're on a motorway or dual carriageway and are checking your mirrors on a regular basis you should know whats behind you at all times, there should be no reason to check your blindspot.

If you're keeping a regular check, where is a car going to come from that hasn't already been in view?

**Timbuk2**

greyc wrote: »

I agree with the other poster, it has to be dangerous to check your blindspot while driving at speed. If you're on a motorway or dual carriageway and are checking your mirrors on a regular basis you should know whats behind you at all times, there should be no reason to check your blindspot.

If you're keeping a regular check, where is a car going to come from that hasn't already been in view?

I wouldn't agree with this. Cars don't often keep to the speed limit. If you are on a motorway, travelling 120km/h, and a car is coming behind travelling around 150km/h, it can catch up with you fairly fast. It might be absent from one mirror check, and behind you in the next. Similarly, cars can merge onto motorways, or change lanes.

It isn't dangerous to check your blindspot, if you do it correctly. You shouldn't be turning your head too much (although many do for the test so the tester sees it). If you turn your head slightly to the side, and use your peripheral vision to check your blind spot, it is safer.

If you know exactly where your blindspot is, it makes checking it much quicker. After I passed my test, I drove my car around my house, putting wheelie bins in various locations and driving the car to points where the wheelie bin isn't visible in the mirrors, but is beside the car. My instructor only taught me to check over my right shoulder, so I wanted to find out exactly where it is I am looking. I would recommend it, as it makes checking blindspots much quicker as you know exactly where to look.

greyc

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

I wouldn't agree with this. Cars don't often keep to the speed limit. If you are on a motorway, travelling 120km/h, and a car is coming behind travelling around 150km/h, it can catch up with you fairly fast. It might be absent from one mirror check, and behind you in the next. Similarly, cars can merge onto motorways, or change lanes.

It isn't dangerous to check your blindspot, if you do it correctly. You shouldn't be turning your head too much (although many do for the test so the tester sees it). If you turn your head slightly to the side, and use your peripheral vision to check your blind spot, it is safer.

Good point and I think if you do it like you say it's probably not dangerous but I know a lot of people who turn their head completely and take their eyes off the road in a dangerous manner.
Although I have to say I do a lot of motorway driving and I rarely check my blindspot as I can usually anticipate when I need to change lane and I make sure that I know whats behind and to my right and/or left, even if someone is doing 150kmh.

DriveSkill

You should certainly check your blindspot everytime when merging onto a dual-carriageway (or motorway). Same rule applies when changing lanes.

Not sure what the examiner actually said but perhaps it was because you spent too long looking in the blindspot as I dont believe you would be faulted for checking the blindspot alone. However, remember the blindspot check should be a quick glance over your shoulder, you are not trying to look all the way back the road - that is what your mirrors are for! As others have said when travelling at speed your main focus should be on the road ahead so it would be a possible explanation for the fault if the examiner felt you spent too long looking behind and took your focus too much off the road ahead.

As for getting up to the speed limit - you should always drive at the speed which is appropriate for the road and weather conditions. Therefore in good free flowing traffic, good weather etc you should be pretty much at or at least close to the speed limit.

The other point is what speed did you merge onto the dual-carriageway at ? If you only got up to 80 km/hr on the dual-carriageway you may only have been doing 60 km/hr when merging (pure speculation I know but I'm just trying to suggest possible reasons for the faults!) The reason that the slip-roads are relatively long is to allow you to build up speed - your speed should match the traffic in the main lanes to enable you to merge safely. If you merge in too slow it can be dangerous to traffic coming up behind as the gap will close very quickly.

Best of luck in the next test.

neelerwheeler

I did my driving test for the first time today in Galway and unfortunately failed I was SO nervous! i got four ticks in a row for progress on the straight (i was doing 40k in a 50k zone)..poor reaction to hazards, and a few others.. i also got a few theory questions wrong so I would advise everyone to know them inside out before you do the test..

I did something that I would normally never do. I was driving up to a set of traffic lights. The lights were red and there were three cars in front of me as well as a yellow box. I stopped behind the box and waited for about a minute. The lights turned green and was wondering why the other cars weren't moving off, until the driving instructor told me that they were parked cars. So embarrassing! Only got one blue for it though (progress).

I am going to apply for it again today and will hopefully get a cancellation.

neelerwheeler

Cat lover wrote: »

Failed today in Raheny.....the most marked area is progress...I got 6's blue in progress....dunno wt the ** is that coz...:mad:

My instructor said I probably drove too slow....but I always drove too fast when Im hvin lesson...just coz i think is a test...so i make it more caution in road with parked car n when turning....:(

Anyways,will re-apply again asap...but cost me too much...

fuuny part is,when I took a mock test from airport driving school...I had more than 16's blue under observation& Mirros,but in my test today...no marks was on these two:P

The exact same thing happened to me today. I did my test for the first time in Galway (Westside) today. I had 4 blue's for progress on the straight cause I was doing 40k in a 50k zone, and nothing in observation and mirrors. I had 16 blue's overall. Will apply again today and hopefully get a cancellation!