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spurious · 10-08-2011 11:31am

CD-R 80 wrote: »

Failed for 4th time in Finglas. 10 blue X's. 4 of those blue X's for turning left (in my last 2 tests I got 0 x's on turning left both times). Can't help but think the whole thing is a shambles out to milk money out of folks.

Sorry to hear that. A change of test centre made a big difference for me. Maybe you would consider Raheny or Tallaght next?

CD-R 80 · 10-08-2011 3:16pm

spurious wrote: »

Sorry to hear that. A change of test centre made a big difference for me. Maybe you would consider Raheny or Tallaght next?

I think I'd be better off doing it down the country looking at their pass rates!

Compton · 10-08-2011 7:49pm

Pass rates dont have much to do with anything tbh. Depends a lot on the tester and knowing the routes.

JSK 252 · 12-08-2011 1:59am

Failed my test in Skibereen first time doing it. Ended up getting 35 Grade 2 faults which beggers beyond belief. I knew straight away that I was against it from the word go as the tester asked me near enough 15 road signs where I got 14 of them right except for the pedestrianised street which didnt have the writing below it just the blank right circular trim sign. I got asked 7 rules of the road questions aswell which when I told my driving instructor who has been teaching for 22 years afterwards that it was rediculously excessive for the rules of the road/road signs. I wasn't put at ease what so ever.

With regards to the test itself, random crosses were put left right and centre with no justification at all. In slow moving traffic going at 10kph if that I could see the tester at the corner of my eye crossing off 4 times on the left handside near reaction to hazards for grade 2 where I would have thought the only thing I could get crosses for was maybe improper use of clutch/accelarator in that situation only to find when we got back to the test centre that they were all marked off for grade 2 aswell. i was driving so slow that it would have been impossible not to be able to react promptly and properly to hazards.

On the turnabout I got a grade 2 for observation when I did the whole 360 degree check including all mirrors.

My instructor was sure that the only grade 2 fault I would get in the whole test was for the reverse around the corner which I was always weak at. Believe it or believe it not, there was no mark there where I was expecting to get marked down!

Ive been driving into UCC from my house in Cork for the past year on probably the busiest route commuter wise in the morning. The only reason I picked Skibereen to do the test was because of the shorter waiting time.

Im dissillusioned and lost for words.

Probably going to do the test in Cork this time by applying for a cancellation.

FML:(

JSK 252 · 12-08-2011 2:05am

Oh yah and being told that when 3 pedestrians on different parts of the test were waving there hand to see if they could cross that me putting my hand up was beckoning doesnt make any sense at all. I let them give their intetion to cross from the footpath before I reacted to their hand signal. got 3 gards 2s for Do not beckon others.

Compton · 12-08-2011 12:03pm

Thats unlucky JSK. But its the way it is, and unfortunately you just can't do anything about it. When I failed my test, I was approaching traffic lights which were green for some time and i needed to turn right, it would of been unsafe to do so so I waited for 2 cars to pass. Then drove on, low and behold I got 3x Progress at traffic lights straight away, I saw him clearly doing it in front of me.. what a ****ing joke.

matt70iu · 12-08-2011 12:38pm

JSK 252 wrote: »

Failed my test in Skibereen first time doing it. Ended up getting 35 Grade 2 faults which beggers beyond belief. I knew straight away that I was against it from the word go as the tester asked me near enough 15 road signs where I got 14 of them right except for the pedestrianised street which didnt have the writing below it just the blank right circular trim sign. I got asked 7 rules of the road questions aswell which when I told my driving instructor who has been teaching for 22 years afterwards that it was rediculously excessive for the rules of the road/road signs. I wasn't put at ease what so ever.

With regards to the test itself, random crosses were put left right and centre with no justification at all. In slow moving traffic going at 10kph if that I could see the tester at the corner of my eye crossing off 4 times on the left handside near reaction to hazards for grade 2 where I would have thought the only thing I could get crosses for was maybe improper use of clutch/accelarator in that situation only to find when we got back to the test centre that they were all marked off for grade 2 aswell. i was driving so slow that it would have been impossible not to be able to react promptly and properly to hazards.

On the turnabout I got a grade 2 for observation when I did the whole 360 degree check including all mirrors.

My instructor was sure that the only grade 2 fault I would get in the whole test was for the reverse around the corner which I was always weak at. Believe it or believe it not, there was no mark there where I was expecting to get marked down!

Ive been driving into UCC from my house in Cork for the past year on probably the busiest route commuter wise in the morning. The only reason I picked Skibereen to do the test was because of the shorter waiting time.

Im dissillusioned and lost for words.

Probably going to do the test in Cork this time by applying for a cancellation.

FML:(

Hi

Sorry to hear that. I completely understand you feeling hard done by. I had a disasterous 2nd test. (went worse than my first!) Got something like 24 grade 2's and hadn't a clue where I picked them up.

Left a gap of years before I put in for the test again, cuse I had such negative associations with the whole thing. Got it the third time cuse I had to get the full licence in order to get a particular job.

Just keep at it and you will get there! A lot of the test revolves luck on the day, the tester, the route etc. If you do plenty of lessons and prep before hand, you'll feel more able to overcome any obsticles on the day.

Best of luck and hope to see you posting in the successful thread soon!

Reloc8 · 12-08-2011 1:37pm

JSK 252 wrote: »

Oh yah and being told that when 3 pedestrians on different parts of the test were waving there hand to see if they could cross that me putting my hand up was beckoning doesnt make any sense at all. I let them give their intetion to cross from the footpath before I reacted to their hand signal. got 3 gards 2s for Do not beckon others.

You should seriously consider a new instructor.

Beckoning pedestrians on the test is such an absolute no-no I can't believe you thought it was ok to do it.

Not to mention the one thing he/she thought you would pick up a mark on was where you didn't pick up anything.

shblob wrote: »

Thats unlucky JSK. But its the way it is, and unfortunately you just can't do anything about it. When I failed my test, I was approaching traffic lights which were green for some time and i needed to turn right, it would of been unsafe to do so so I waited for 2 cars to pass. Then drove on, low and behold I got 3x Progress at traffic lights straight away, I saw him clearly doing it in front of me.. what a ****ing joke.

You have no idea what he was marking you for at any given time. They are by no means always marking the faults immediately as they occur. To be honest with you, if you're watching the tester closely enough to be seeing exactly where the ticks are being placed, you can't possibly be watching the road or concentrating on your driving properly anyway. So you're likely going to be a fail.

zynaps · 12-08-2011 3:52pm

Reloc8 wrote: »

You should seriously consider a new instructor.

Beckoning pedestrians on the test is such an absolute no-no I can't believe you thought it was ok to do it.

Not to mention the one thing he/she thought you would pick up a mark on was where you didn't pick up anything.
[...]
To be honest with you, if you're watching the tester closely enough to be seeing exactly where the ticks are being placed, you can't possibly be watching the road or concentrating on your driving properly anyway. So you're likely going to be a fail.

Why not give them the benefit of doubt rather than making such harsh assumptions? You weren't there.

Compton · 12-08-2011 4:53pm

Reloc8 wrote: »

You should seriously consider a new instructor.

Beckoning pedestrians on the test is such an absolute no-no I can't believe you thought it was ok to do it.

Not to mention the one thing he/she thought you would pick up a mark on was where you didn't pick up anything.

You have no idea what he was marking you for at any given time. They are by no means always marking the faults immediately as they occur. To be honest with you, if you're watching the tester closely enough to be seeing exactly where the ticks are being placed, you can't possibly be watching the road or concentrating on your driving properly anyway. So you're likely going to be a fail.

Well, considering it was the FIRST traffic light I cam across from the test centre, yes I do know that he marked 3 blues in 1 go.

Reloc8 · 13-08-2011 9:10am

zynaps wrote: »

Why not give them the benefit of doubt rather than making such harsh assumptions? You weren't there.

Anybody who fails has my sympathy. The benefit of the doubt doesn't come into it though. I'd prefer everyone to pass first time or at least pass next time.

However, if you go on the test and start beckoning other road users you're going to fail. That's not a harsh assumption that's just a fact. And if your instructor let you do it and/or never told you not to do it you need a new instructor. And if you tell someone you did it, and no one corrects you and tells you not to do it, you'll do it again, and fail again.

You'll feel better when you read posts on boards.ie which say things like 'that's unlucky but you just can't do anything about it' but worse when you blow your test again.

Personally I'd prefer to be corrected.

I also don't think its a harsh assumption to tell someone that if they are watching a person in the front passenger seat so closely they can see where a tick is placed in a tiny box on a page on a clip board they are not concentrating on the right things.

It's free advice though, you do what you want with it.

(btw if an instructor tells you you're ready for the test, and you pick up 35 grade 2's...you either need a new instructor or you need a different driving test...that's not a harsh assumption either...that's just cop on)

zynaps · 13-08-2011 4:04pm

Reloc8 wrote: »

However, if you go on the test and start beckoning other road users you're going to fail. That's not a harsh assumption that's just a fact.

It's not fact; I was marked down for beckoning a driver (who had stopped when he had right of way, noticing that I had L-plates up, and basically caused a confusing situation, albeit with the best of intentions).
Despite that and several other rookie mistakes, I managed to pass that test. This particular fault is no more severe than other grade 2 faults.

Reloc8 wrote: »

Personally I'd prefer to be corrected.

I also don't think its a harsh assumption to tell someone that if they are watching a person in the front passenger seat so closely they can see where a tick is placed in a tiny box on a page on a clip board they are not concentrating on the right things.

I'd prefer to be corrected too, and in fact was extremely disappointed when the tester refused to give me any advice - even general advice without referring to particular faults on the sheet - about making my driving safer.
However, this doesn't mean you have to go about it in a rather insulting way, which IMO you did.
For all you know, the poster was stopped at traffic lights when he/she observed the tester marking a number of faults in a row. Chastising them for not being able to see the road properly or concentrating on driving is mere speculation.

Reloc8 wrote: »

(btw if an instructor tells you you're ready for the test, and you pick up 35 grade 2's...you either need a new instructor or you need a different driving test...that's not a harsh assumption either...that's just cop on)

Perhaps, or it may indicate a problem on the tester's part. Again, you weren't there, so why not just leave the OP alone and let them decide this for themselves?
There's a difference between free advice and random backseat criticism based on speculation.

Reloc8 · 13-08-2011 5:20pm

Your post speaks for itself. I'll agree to differ with you.

JSK 252 · 13-08-2011 10:33pm

Im going to clear up a few '' the facts speak for themselves '' ladies and gentlemen.

1. The pedestrians in question were putting their hands up to me in the middle of the road in the town. I hesitated for 5 seconds not indicating any action on my part after I slowed down and stopped before them. I gave a firm nod of approval afterwards. This could easily have been interpreted as lack of progress from people I talked to about it if I did nothing.

2. I saw the test sheet at the corner of my eye during slow traffic at 10kph when STOPPED at traffic lights. To the OP who thought otherwise, you must think Im very careless indeed.

Brr Something · 15-08-2011 12:41pm

Like an absolute lunatic, just failed in Castlemungret. Here's the kicker, got 2 Grade2s but 1 Grade 3. Incredibly angry here, the Grade 3 was for observation in Changing Lanes but there is no way I didn't do this right. The only changing lane on the route was the roundabout near the hospital and that was drilled into me by my instructor, I did it perfectly.

Kept asking the tester after where it was and he wouldn't answer at all, just went silent. I definitely think he had it in for me after I questioned his instructions once during the test, he didn't make it clear at all where he wanted to do the reverse round a corner, ended up me missing where he wanted to go and I told him his instructions weren't clear at all. At the time I felt like he was definitely offended, kind of got very narky with me and obviously decided to just fail that git.
Spoke to my instructor after and he'll try to find out but said the appeals never really work, honestly I'm so bloody angry it's unreal.

anycourse · 16-08-2011 10:15am

is it possible to apply for a test immediately after failing one?

Compton · 16-08-2011 9:46pm

you have to wait a week for your results to register

spurious · 16-08-2011 10:18pm

anycourse wrote: »

is it possible to apply for a test immediately after failing one?

I used to reapply as soon as I came home from each fail.

jmcturk · 16-08-2011 10:30pm

I reapplied the day I failed with no problem got date for about 9 weeks after and there was a 9 week waiting time in Navan think its down to 7 weeks now

Compton · 16-08-2011 10:42pm

you can reapply straight away, but you've to wait a week to ring for a cancellation, then at least 2 more weeks.

madma · 17-08-2011 11:23am

is 3 weeks definetely the minimum? Was hoping to get one again in 2 weeks if I re-applied today.

LizT · 17-08-2011 12:26pm

madma wrote: »

is 3 weeks definetely the minimum? Was hoping to get one again in 2 weeks if I re-applied today.

I rang and asked before I went away, if you have a vaild reason and there is a cancellation you might get in again. Unfortunately there was no cancellations and I didn't get in until September 6th! And I did my last test at the end of June. But it probably depends on the availability at your centre.

madma · 17-08-2011 4:16pm

lizt wrote: »

I rang and asked before I went away, if you have a vaild reason and there is a cancellation you might get in again. Unfortunately there was no cancellations and I didn't get in until September 6th! And I did my last test at the end of June. But it probably depends on the availability at your centre.

yeah cheers I'll phone them and ask about cancellations. Thanks

Dolbert · 23-08-2011 10:47pm

Failed my second test today - the first one I was barely driving and had no business taking a test. I'm just a little annoyed with myself as while I'm genrally a competent and careful driver I could have done with more pre-tests and knowing the routes a bit better. C'est la vie - gonna reapply and hope it'll be third time lucky :rolleyes:

Compton · 23-08-2011 11:40pm

good luck, 3rd time lucky like me?!

claire124 · 25-08-2011 5:45pm

Failed yesterday in Churchtown (first time) - instructor was fair but nerves got the better of me.

I'm moving abroad in the middle of September so applied for a cancellation for next week to try again before I leave. The RSA said they'd try their best, and asked if I'd be ok with Rathgar instead of Churchtown.

I understand that some of the routes overlap, but I haven't done any pre-tests in Rathgar, and don't know the area, would it be risky to do it there?

Has anyone done both routes?

25-08-2011 6:22pm

claire124 wrote: »

Failed yesterday in Churchtown (first time) - instructor was fair but nerves got the better of me.

I'm moving abroad in the middle of September so applied for a cancellation for next week to try again before I leave. The RSA said they'd try their best, and asked if I'd be ok with Rathgar instead of Churchtown.

I understand that some of the routes overlap, but I haven't done any pre-tests in Rathgar, and don't know the area, would it be risky to do it there?

Has anyone done both routes?

No but a few of my friends have. The only thing I've heard about the Rathgar route is that there are more smaller streets to deal with. Saying that, they failed in Churchtown but then passed in Rathgar!

But go for it anyways! Just get loads of practice in (every night) and a few lessons in too. Best of luck.

seanman is me · 30-08-2011 6:14pm

Just home from failing mine , second time doing it!!
9 grade 2 faults-1 fault too many!!

FML

Rules and checks got one which is quiet annoying on my behalf even though I felt only got one definitely wrong and half stumbled on one other. Your allowed 3 wrong afaik!!

LOW!:mad:

ilovemybed · 30-08-2011 7:48pm

seanman is me wrote: »

Just home from failing mine , second time doing it!!
9 grade 2 faults-1 fault too many!!

FML

Seanman is me, I've done the test three times now and have gotten the same examiner twice who brought me on THE EXACT same route as last time with him.
I've got 9 grade 2's TWICE now! FML also. Thinking about switching to a different centre because the examiner I got twice is apparently notorious for failing everyone so I dont want him for the third time. Dont know what the chances would be but I seem pretty unlucky already for having the same one twice

Learner 4 Life!!

spurious · 30-08-2011 8:58pm

seanman is me wrote: »

Rules and checks got one which is quiet annoying on my behalf even though I felt only got one definitely wrong and half stumbled on one other. Your allowed 3 wrong afaik!!

LOW!:mad:

That is annoying, but look at it this way, you passed, except for a silly mistake which can be easily rectified by practising your rules of the road. Your driving is not the problem.

You will pass next time.

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