Unsuccessful - post here

ohnonotgmail

The lack of a perforated edge would give it away.

CoffeeCrap

For the AXA disks, he was able to tell because the printed disks are light green background whereas the posted copies have a more yellow/green background and include designs across them as well which would make it harder to forge I think.

messrs

For those who failed and re applied straight away and went on the cancellation list - how long before you got called? i know it all depends on test centre and what the cancellation list is like there - but just looking for rough idea?

Also once they call you how long do you have to accecpt? Reason i am asking is because one they call me, i will then have to get in touch with my instuctor as i would be taking the test in his car - make sure date and time suits him then get back on to them & also confirm with work i can take the time off - so like would i have a grace of maybe 1 hour to make contact and get back to him or would i need to tell them as soon as they call me

spurious

messrs wrote: »

For those who failed and re applied straight away and went on the cancellation list - how long before you got called? i know it all depends on test centre and what the cancellation list is like there - but just looking for rough idea?

Also once they call you how long do you have to accecpt? Reason i am asking is because one they call me, i will then have to get in touch with my instuctor as i would be taking the test in his car - make sure date and time suits him then get back on to them & also confirm with work i can take the time off - so like would i have a grace of maybe 1 hour to make contact and get back to him or would i need to tell them as soon as they call me

They can wait for you to get back to them. Just make sure to get a contact name so you get to speak to the same person.
My cancellation I got within three weeks. I said I would take any centre in Dublin or within 50 km.

MascotDec85

messrs wrote: »

For those who failed and re applied straight away and went on the cancellation list - how long before you got called? i know it all depends on test centre and what the cancellation list is like there - but just looking for rough idea?

Also once they call you how long do you have to accecpt? Reason i am asking is because one they call me, i will then have to get in touch with my instuctor as i would be taking the test in his car - make sure date and time suits him then get back on to them & also confirm with work i can take the time off - so like would i have a grace of maybe 1 hour to make contact and get back to him or would i need to tell them as soon as they call me

I advise my pupils to call them from one phone and have another at the ready to text me while on the phone to them. Sometimes the slot has been taken by the time you call them back.

messrs

MascotDec85 wrote: »

I advise my pupils to call them from one phone and have another at the ready to text me while on the phone to them. Sometimes the slot has been taken by the time you call them back.

thats what im afraid of - plus when i call my instructor he may be in the middle of a lesson and not able to answer

spurious

messrs wrote: »

thats what im afraid of - plus when i call my instructor he may be in the middle of a lesson and not able to answer

Ask them to hold it for you for an hour while you check about the car
Make sure to get a name.

Gonad

messrs wrote: »

For those who failed and re applied straight away and went on the cancellation list - how long before you got called? i know it all depends on test centre and what the cancellation list is like there - but just looking for rough idea?

Also once they call you how long do you have to accecpt? Reason i am asking is because one they call me, i will then have to get in touch with my instuctor as i would be taking the test in his car - make sure date and time suits him then get back on to them & also confirm with work i can take the time off - so like would i have a grace of maybe 1 hour to make contact and get back to him or would i need to tell them as soon as they call me

Don't go on canceltion list because you have to keep calling them and checking .

Just keep going online and checking available dates every few hour sand you will get a spot

messrs

[QUOTE=Gonad;106068990]Don't go on canceltion list because you have to keep calling them and checking .

Just keep going online and checking available dates every few hour sand you will get a spot[/QUOTE]

I didnt know you had to call them and check for cancellations? i thought they had a list of people that they called - i booked my test on 19th straight after i done test and already went down for cancellation - will go on line now and see if i can change this or pick a date

MascotDec85

Gonad wrote: »

Don't go on canceltion list because you have to keep calling them and checking .

Just keep going online and checking available dates every few hour sand you will get a spot

They very often aren’t up to date

MascotDec85

i thought they had a list of people that they called - i booked my test on 19th straight after i done test and already went down for cancellation - will go on line now and see if i can change this or pick a date

If there’s 50 or 60 or even more on a cancellation list they aren’t going to start ringing round people to see if it suits them. They’re short staffed. 1st come 1st served on the phone normally.

Did my test in Finglas today for the first time and failed. Got 11 grade 2s and 1 grade 3, some grade 1s as well. I basically screwed up the reverse towards the start of the test even though I had nailed it in my pre test an hour earlier. Argh!!!

The overall test is a bit like doing a roleplay during a job interview, it's all quite unnatural.

Gonad

messrs wrote: »

I didnt know you had to call them and check for cancellations? i thought they had a list of people that they called - i booked my test on 19th straight after i done test and already went down for cancellation - will go on line now and see if i can change this or pick a date

I was trying to get test fast in Tallaght

The next date was months away so I went on cancelation list . Logged on the next day an there were dates available the following week in Tallaght but I never got a phone call . I called them up and they said I couldn’t have any of those dates because I was in cancelation list

I was having war with them on the phone

FowlBard109

Gonad wrote: »

I was trying to get test fast in Tallaght

The next date was months away so I went on cancelation list . Logged on the next day an there were dates available the following week in Tallaght but I never got a phone call . I called them up and they said I couldn’t have any of those dates because I was in cancelation list

I was having war with them on the phone

Similar thing happened to me. Some of them can be awfully condescending on the phone, but the odd one can be sound enough I find.

CurryFlavoured

Failed today in Finglas. 9 grade 2's, 1 grade 3. I thought the g3 was harsh but it wouldn't have mattered.

Thought I drove poorly by my standards, wasn't quick enough and I let my mistakes get to me a bit, dwelt on them too much. It was actually kind of encouraging to know that despite not driving near my potential, I was 2 faults away from a pass. My instinct was that I had failed badly because of my performance.

Getting back on the horse asap. Fix a few things and I'm confident I'll pass next time.

CurryFlavoured

CurryFlavoured wrote: »

Failed today in Finglas. 9 grade 2's, 1 grade 3. I thought the g3 was harsh but it wouldn't have mattered.

Thought I drove poorly by my standards, wasn't quick enough and I let my mistakes get to me a bit, dwelt on them too much. It was actually kind of encouraging to know that despite not driving near my potential, I was 2 faults away from a pass. My instinct was that I had failed badly because of my performance.

Getting back on the horse asap. Fix a few things and I'm confident I'll pass next time.

Was similar for me last week. 11 grade 2s and 1 grade 3. Early mistakes and tension with tester impacted me.

Hopefully the wait is not too long now. I've heard it's a few months. Can't even select a date on the site anymore

CurryFlavoured

Deleted User wrote: »

Was similar for me last week. 11 grade 2s and 1 grade 3. Early mistakes and tension with tester impacted me.

Hopefully the wait is not too long now. I've heard it's a few months. Can't even select a date on the site anymore

No point selecting a date, you just have to call them a lot. I got mine on about 3-4 weeks notice.

Timmybauld

Failed third time in Finglas. 15 Grade 2s. No grade 3s and maybe 2/3 grade ones. Like many others on this board, finding the whole process exasperating. Total lack of proper engaged feedback at the end and absolutely random critique. Told my turnabout wasn't good enough, it was a narrow stretch so rather than risk hitting the curb I did it in four moves. What's the problem there? You are allowed.

Executed a perfectly fine reverse around the corner and did all my necessary checks but got marked for looking in the mirror too much. When reversing around the corner like? He said I should be reversing while MAINLY looking over my left shoulder.

The most sickening part was being brought slightly out of what I'd experienced at that centre before and onto a stretch leading from Glasnevin to Ballymun. It's a sly 50k zone with most cars bombing at about 60-70kms on it. I was aware of that and thought he was testing me for awareness of the speed limit. In third gear without the RPMs going too mad at all, it can be well tipping over 55km and more. So I stayed in third to remain under the 50km limit. Back in the centre he told me I should have moved up to 4th on that stretch. I actually asked him was he aware it was a 50km zone? Had I moved into 4th gear there was no way I'd have maintained the speed limit, not without extremely exaggerated breaking that would have rightly freaked cars out behind me and being rather dangerously erratic.

Sure there was mistakes on my side that threw away a few marks, I signaled too early on a roundabout when taking the second exit.

There's far too much inconsistency in people's experiences with the test, and too much power in the hands of the testers to just throw minor errors at people if they feel like it for this system to stand up to scrutiny.

The solution is rather simple to me. If they want to restore people's actual faith in the test, make it bulletproof and allow people to see their mistakes: then they need to be using simple onboard cameras. One that views the road and one that takes in the driver's reactions. The technology is there to do it, so why not? Until then TBH the testers are operating with infallibility and the rest of us are treating them like holy oracles that we try and please with various superstitious behaviors.

The state of the test centers themselves. Horrible industrial estates with no clear signage and no clear traffic flow systems in place. Have heard of plenty of people that have failed coming in and out of them for observation. They're a liablity and a danger to drivers in and of themselves. Especially that Churchtown one where they ask you to turn in across a lane of traffic, with a total blindspot to your right with no visibility of cars coming out and the pressure of traffic behind you. The safer option is to use the entrance a few seconds further up the road. But sure why use common sense? If that was an event management scenario, any planner would denote one access point an entrance to the test centre and the other an exit to avoid potential collisions. Just another excuse to fail you on your test though.

Timmybauld

Delira wrote: »

Is this recommended on the test?? Never heard of it before and can't see anything online about it, from the RSA or anyone...?

Honestly, it was on a Pat Kenny discussion I heard a few weeks before the test with a member of the RSA. The advice was basically not to be so quick at getting into 4th and over 50km in residential areas etc as you won't have the ability to pull the speed back if you need to in a hurry and things can just get a bit faster quicker without really intending it. But sure, one person's advice is another person's reason to fail you.

Wheety

Timmybauld wrote: »

Executed a perfectly fine reverse around the corner and did all my necessary checks but got marked for looking in the mirror too much. When reversing around the corner like? He said I should be reversing while MAINLY looking over my left shoulder.

I purposely took a grade 2 for the reverse around the corner as I couldn't get it spot on during my lessons. Did it really slowly. It's ridiculous. I've never had to do it again. Passed that test in 2014.

I would say for the speed that you were done for progress. I was told in my lessons to try and get into 4th. Driving around my own area now at 50km, I'd stay in 3rd but that's only because with cars parked on both sides you have to slow down or stop fairly regularly. If out on the open road, I'd drive 50km in 4th.

Urindanger

Yeah my instructor says try and be in fourth gear whenever possible. He also said that use the speed you're going as a very general guide for gears. Second gear for 20-30km, third gear for 30-40km, fourth gear for 40-50km. On a decent 50km stretch I'd definitely be looking to be in fourth and staying in around 45-48km would be straight forward enough unless you're going downhill.

Claireyy

Passed my test a few months ago but I’m still getting updates from this thread so I thought I’d drop in and say, to anybody that is feeling completely defeated about their driving right now, DON’T GIVE UP. You will get there eventually, it might not seem like it now but you will. I was a nervous wreck doing the tests and every attempt to pass was worse than the last. I finally made it on my FIFTH attempt in Finglas and I can assure you, that I had driven better in previous attempts. The difference this time was that I had gotten to a stage where I felt like it was never going to happen so I stopped caring so much and I suppose this belief manifested itself into a sort of fake confidence during the test. Don’t compare your driving experience to others and concentrate on yourself, you’ll feel a lot better for it. Anyway, keep the faith everybody, I believe in you all.

CurryFlavoured

Wheety wrote: »

I purposely took a grade 2 for the reverse around the corner as I couldn't get it spot on during my lessons. Did it really slowly. It's ridiculous. I've never had to do it again. Passed that test in 2014.

I would say for the speed that you were done for progress. I was told in my lessons to try and get into 4th. Driving around my own area now at 50km, I'd stay in 3rd but that's only because with cars parked on both sides you have to slow down or stop fairly regularly. If out on the open road, I'd drive 50km in 4th.

I felt I got a bit hard done by on the reverse. Grade 3 for not looking over my left shoulder enough. I looked in my left mirror/shoulder, but not enough apparently. Didn't make a difference to my test end result so I don't care too much.

On a 50km zone with a decent stretch of road, you'd be expected to hit 4th. Get up the gears as much as possible. 40-50k in 4th is fine.

I Am_Not_Ice

Timmybauld wrote: »

The solution is rather simple to me. If they want to restore people's actual faith in the test, make it bulletproof and allow people to see their mistakes: then they need to be using simple onboard cameras. One that views the road and one that takes in the driver's reactions. The technology is there to do it, so why not? Until then TBH the testers are operating with infallibility and the rest of us are treating them like holy oracles that we try and please with various superstitious behaviors.

^^This. The only people who would be upset by this idea are corrupt/bad testers who don't want to be exposed as such. It needs to be implemented sooner rather than later.

Timmybauld

I Am_Not_Ice wrote: »

It needs to be implemented sooner rather than later.

Especially with all this Shane Ross utter tosh in the media. That's a deeply manipulative bout of demonization going on there to distract from his absolutely poxy record in transport.

RacoonQueen

When I passed, with a couple of grade 2's...I asked her to explain on of my grade 2's to me and I'd gotten a grade 2 for the same thing in my previous test and *thought* I had corrected it in that one. She got majorly pissed off with me for asking, had to interrupt her to explain that I got a grade 2 for it in previous test and there was no point me walking away from here not understanding what I did wrong. She was still bitchy about explaining it...but I passed anyway so meh.
Only occurred to me then that they really should be explaining your mark downs better, rather than just listing them..at least then you can go away and try to recall which right turn you did wrong or whatever then, rather than just being pissed off and declaring the tester a corrupt feck. The camera idea would be great in that sense then as you can go have a look at the exact thing you were marked down for.

Mac-Chops

To add to what seems a common location... Mrs. was unsuccessful in Finglas today.

4 x Grade 2's while changing lanes on the dual carriageway for turning her head very slightly while checking the blind spot.
Was told by the tester that "Your mirrors are sufficient for changing lanes."

I feel personally responsible for this one and annoyed considering ROTR states:

"How to change lanes safely
If you have good reason to change lanes, use your mirrors and check in
plenty of time to ensure that the way is clear. To check your blind spot
when travelling at speed, take a quick sideways glance to check the
position of a vehicle that may have disappeared from your view in the
mirror."

/vent

Timmybauld

Timmybauld wrote: »

Failed third time in Finglas. 15 Grade 2s. No grade 3s and maybe 2/3 grade ones. Like many others on this board, finding the whole process exasperating. Total lack of proper engaged feedback at the end and absolutely random critique. Told my turnabout wasn't good enough, it was a narrow stretch so rather than risk hitting the curb I did it in four moves. What's the problem there? You are allowed.

Executed a perfectly fine reverse around the corner and did all my necessary checks but got marked for looking in the mirror too much. When reversing around the corner like? He said I should be reversing while MAINLY looking over my left shoulder.

The most sickening part was being brought slightly out of what I'd experienced at that centre before and onto a stretch leading from Glasnevin to Ballymun. It's a sly 50k zone with most cars bombing at about 60-70kms on it. I was aware of that and thought he was testing me for awareness of the speed limit. In third gear without the RPMs going too mad at all, it can be well tipping over 55km and more. So I stayed in third to remain under the 50km limit. Back in the centre he told me I should have moved up to 4th on that stretch. I actually asked him was he aware it was a 50km zone? Had I moved into 4th gear there was no way I'd have maintained the speed limit, not without extremely exaggerated breaking that would have rightly freaked cars out behind me and being rather dangerously erratic.

Sure there was mistakes on my side that threw away a few marks, I signaled too early on a roundabout when taking the second exit.

There's far too much inconsistency in people's experiences with the test, and too much power in the hands of the testers to just throw minor errors at people if they feel like it for this system to stand up to scrutiny.

The solution is rather simple to me. If they want to restore people's actual faith in the test, make it bulletproof and allow people to see their mistakes: then they need to be using simple onboard cameras. One that views the road and one that takes in the driver's reactions. The technology is there to do it, so why not? Until then TBH the testers are operating with infallibility and the rest of us are treating them like holy oracles that we try and please with various superstitious behaviors.

The state of the test centers themselves. Horrible industrial estates with no clear signage and no clear traffic flow systems in place. Have heard of plenty of people that have failed coming in and out of them for observation. They're a liablity and a danger to drivers in and of themselves. Especially that Churchtown one where they ask you to turn in across a lane of traffic, with a total blindspot to your right with no visibility of cars coming out and the pressure of traffic behind you. The safer option is to use the entrance a few seconds further up the road. But sure why use common sense? If that was an event management scenario, any planner would denote one access point an entrance to the test centre and the other an exit to avoid potential collisions. Just another excuse to fail you on your test though.

The gear thing does my head in. During my lessons there's a narrow, tight bend in town and if you have it in 2nd it tries to run on so I have to clutch and ride the brake a bit. But you're not supposed to clutch in around a corner. And putting it into 1st while moving is a no-no. :P

Urindanger

Mac-Chops wrote: »

To add to what seems a common location... Mrs. was unsuccessful in Finglas today.

4 x Grade 2's while changing lanes on the dual carriageway for turning her head very slightly while checking the blind spot.
Was told by the tester that "Your mirrors are sufficient for changing lanes."

I feel personally responsible for this one and annoyed considering ROTR states:

"How to change lanes safely
If you have good reason to change lanes, use your mirrors and check in
plenty of time to ensure that the way is clear. To check your blind spot
when travelling at speed, take a quick sideways glance to check the
position of a vehicle that may have disappeared from your view in the
mirror."

/vent

This is surely incorrect?

Mac-Chops

Mac-Chops wrote: »

Was told by the tester that "Your mirrors are sufficient for changing lanes."

Urindanger wrote: »

This is surely incorrect?

Said to her in test feedback and RSA SoM seem to be backing it up also.
IF you are checking your blindspot, it's a flick of the eyes if anything.

Told that they "used to teach that alright, but not any more".

I'm reluctant to even post this as I'm in such disbelief.

I suppose advice to others is to double check with your instructor!