Driving test route - Changed with private tester?

JohnCleary

GF has her driving test coming up soon, with the new private company. Has anyone done a test with them? Are the routes different around the city?

po0k

New private testing company being SGS?
I did it in Doughiska back in December, route didn't deviate much from that which my instructor brought me on.

JohnCleary

po0k wrote: »

New private testing company being SGS?
I did it in Doughiska back in December, route didn't deviate much from that which my instructor brought me on.

She would have been booked into Westside originally, thats where I did my test and the route was obviously around there.

I know nothing of this new private company. Where are their offices? Where do you go to do the test? I'm sure her driving instructer will know, but you never know all the same...

seamus

Afaik, all test centres have been directed to not follow any set route. All you can do is practice around the general area.

MattKid

Good! When I was learning, driving instructors would get warnings if they were repeatedly seen on test route. You should be taught to drive not just pass the driving test

top_cat13_2000

I know nothing of this new private company. Where are their offices? Where do you go to do the test? I'm sure her driving instructer will know, but you never know all the same...[/QUOTE]

the SGS office is the NCT centre in galway down near the new dunnes in briarhill, but they are opening a new centre near bostin scientific so make sure she gets a letter of confirmation on the location where her test is. the new centre opens the 1st march! i have my test there on the 13th march. im getting lessons and she brings me all over renmore and ballybane and castlepark and mervue. hope it helps!

Das Kitty

Don't mean to alarm anyone but do you remember the news story last week about private testing centres passing people more easily than the state ones?

Galway was the exception with fewer people passing in the private one. Now, in fairness it's not many fewer, a couple of percentage points. The fella who runs it is an ex-instructor and a hard nut. It's hard to imagine him being any harder than the Westside bunch, they scared the bijaysus outta me. Thank God I never have to see them again!

JohnCleary

Ah I didnt find westside too bad. I had a female tester (im a guy) and thought she'd be cruel. I passed

The GF has her test out Doughiska, gonna check with a few people what areas to be concentrating on, or try and find someone who did the test out there and see what way they went

ZorbaTehZ

Check her letter whether it says Ballybrit Business Park or Ballybrit Industrial estate - the former being the 'regular' location, beside NCT centre. The Business Park one is where I had my test last week, and its located above Ya-Ya's Restaurant.
Just to warn you that there was an error on my letter where the address for the industrial estate was on the front but the map at the back being for the business park.

The routes aren't hard at all tbh. They take you around the estates near GMIT and also around Renmore, as well as the estates kind of 'north' of merlin park. My reverse around and turn-about were in the estates south of the roundabout at the Corrib Great Southern.

JohnCleary

Excellent info, thanks for that

Manofthewest

I had by test with the SGS crowed and I found then fine. Even though I failed it.

Just do loads of driving around Doughiska, largan park, renmore, Mervue, castlepark, and also be familiar with the dual carraige way and the roundabouts in ballybrit.

fozzle

Did my test with SGS in Sligo. Been talking to my old instructor, so far no two of his students who did their test with them have had the same route, so I wouldn't assume they'll do the same ones in Galway as the old crowd. Good luck to your girlfriend! Once she stays calm it shouldn't matter where they bring her - just make sure she does lots of driving around the city between now and then, and tell her not to be afraid to ask for clarification if she's uncertain as to where the tester is sending her - I had to ask mine at one stage 'cos I wasn't expecting to be directed down a cul de sac and she didn't mind at all.

Mike...

JohnCleary wrote: »

GF has her driving test coming up soon, with the new private company. Has anyone done a test with them? Are the routes different around the city?

Isn't there something in the rules saying you cannot practice on the known test routes or you may be disqualified...

Das Kitty

No!

There aren't supposed to be any known test routes, but realistically there are. There are only a certain amount of roads in Galway. I went around the "test routes" before mine a lot. On the day the grumpy fella brought me a weird way and we were stuck in traffic outside a school for about 15 minutes on a hill.

brendanc

Hi all,
Is it possible to get a list of streets/locations where the Galway tests take place?!?!
I'll try making them into a Google Map and publishing them here.

connemara man

i took lessons along both routes and much preferred the briarhill test route to the westside one. passed my test first time up there.

they got rid of the dodge tester so its much nicer to take a test up there now as well.