Test in 2 weeks, never insured and only done 5 lessons!

EamoS

Have my tests coming up in 2 weeks. I'm not insured but 2 months ago when i was doing my first 4 lessons my instructor believed that i would have a good chance of passing with the 10 lessons alone. It was of course ages however before i got my date, so I had pretty much forgotten everything form the first 4 lessons. Went out for my first lesson in 2 months there on friday. Completely bottled the first half hour, and the instructor basically said he thinks i should postpone it. However pulled it together for the last 30 mins where i think i was driving at the same level i was at the end of the first 4 lessons. So this lead him to change his mind, he then said he wasnt sure, maybe discuss it with my parents. Anyway, Ive basically decided Im just gonna go for it because I cant get insured on just a provisional so postponing it would be pointless but it wud not give me any greater oppurtunity to practice.

So My dads been taking me out to practice the technical bits in car parks and stuff. Mostly practising reversing round cornors. Just wondering though what other exercises i could be doing? Also does anybody kno any particularly good private areas for practising, especially with a nice slope for hill starts? Im in the sandyford area and my test is in deansgrange

Any help greatly appreciated

Posy

Take as many lessons with a qualified instructor as you can. Practice turnabouts as well as the reversing. Observation is the important point with these as well as performing the manoeuvres competently of course! Don't get hung up on the idea of 'pre-test' lessons. It's much better to have someone telling you where you went wrong and correcting it rather than handing you a sheet at the end you mightn't understand. (like the actual test.)
Get as much practice with your dad as possible too but don't pick up any bad habits he may have like coasting, driving with one hand on the wheel, the other on the gearstick etc.. :eek:
Remember though at the end of the day, being a safe and experienced driver is more important than scraping through a half hour test after cramming a few lessons in. If you fail, it'll be good for you to have had the experience of a test but if you pass don't get cocky thinking how easy it was. :rolleyes:
Also, read your rules of the road (overtaking on the left, dipped headlights...) and learn your road-signs. And make sure you check your blind spots before moving off from a stop and always look in your MIRRORS before turning the steering wheel or pressing the brake.Good luck, let us know how you're getting on!

Posy

If you're not insured, what car are you doing the test in? The driving school one? Make sure you are very familiar with the car you'll be using on the day as you'll need to know how to use the wipers, the headlights, hazards, demister, how to open the bonnet etc..

Go get more lessons as soon as possible, and ask the person giving the lessons if you can use his/her car for the test.

Seems to be the best idea.

here.from.day.1

Try www.drivingtesttips.ie it can be quite handy.

macroman

Don't worry about it too much. Worrying will just make things a lot worse, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. Book some intensive driving lessons with a recommended instructor in a car you'll feel confident in. Stick with this car for the test.

Get the instructor to asses your driving, They will know what areas to work on. Whenever I'm out with my instructor he marks out where I'm going wrong on a photocopy of the test sheet used by the testers and we then focus on that. Nobody's perfect, you're not expected to drive perfect just safely and competently.

From experience, get as much practice on the more practical aspect of things - Turn in Road, Roundabouts, Hill Starts, and Reversing.

That website is a good resource too. There's also a lot of videos on YouTube from BSM covering most of the main points in the test.

Best of luck with the test anyway.