Test on Friday!!

vonniec

Hey,
My test is coming up on Friday in Loughrea!! It's my first one... I got one lesson there a couple of weeks ago and he went through all the different manouveres, showing me the uppys and the downys... But are there questions too!? Do I have to know much about the engine? Or how to change a tyre?...Do they ask me while I'm driving or before? What constitutes a fail??
I've another lesson Friday morning just to go through the town once more before I turn into a big massive ball of nervousness (if i'm not already!!)
Any advice would be brilliant!!

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

pixeldesign

Good luck i have mine next wednesday.As far as i know there are tell me questions and show me questions.You have to know how to check the oil, where is the brake fluid and things like that, and i think they will ask during the test aswell, like whats this sign, whats the speed limit etc..

cosmic

Check out drivingtesttips.ie

They show you how to do your technical checks, hand signals etc. in the video tutorials. They also have a list of all the potential test questions and answers.

Gusc

vonniec wrote: »

Hey,
My test is coming up on Friday in Loughrea!! It's my first one... I got one lesson there a couple of weeks ago and he went through all the different manouveres, showing me the uppys and the downys... But are there questions too!? Do I have to know much about the engine? Or how to change a tyre?...Do they ask me while I'm driving or before? What constitutes a fail??
I've another lesson Friday morning just to go through the town once more before I turn into a big massive ball of nervousness (if i'm not already!!)
Any advice would be brilliant!!

First of all the best of luck on Friday.
The Instructor should have given you a full briefing on what is required in the test. Go back and ask him to give you a full briefing as you did not get what you paid for.
Gusc

magochre

Wishing you the best of luck Vonniec,

I booked a few pretests before both of my tests and they were invaluable. My instructor went through everything that would come up in the test, what to do when you arrive at the test centre, manoeuvres, driving practice, car checks, technical questions and road signs.

Study the rules of the road book particularly road signs as much as you can coming up to the day too.

vonniec

Update on this:

I failed it on observation and gears... Note to anyone with an upcoming test: don't forget to glance over your shoulder before you turn. I didn't do it once and got 10 x's on observation in different catagories... You're only allowed 9 x's overall! Also, your revs shouldn't be over 2.5 in a built up area (!?)...that was another two x's!

pixeldesign

What was wrong with the gears?Why did he marked you?

vonniec

i stayed in 3rd gear for too long apparently, my revs were up on three and so he gave me an x...

yours is tomorrow yeah?

if you just drive like you normally would you'll be the grandest, don't forget about your mirrors before you indicate and the glance over your shoulder before you turn and you'll be sound!
best of luck


oh, and you don't get questioned whilst driving, you pull over and he asks you about hand signals... one less thing to worry about!

pixeldesign

Yes mine is tomorrow and im so nervous.Usually when i move i change the gear 1, 2, 3, 4 and stay in 4th at about 50-60 km/h .When i have to stop, i just press the brake to slow down, change to second gear and stop.Looking over the shoulder when i move is alright, i do that since the first day i started to drive and i cant forget that.I`m a bit worried about changing lanes or roundabouts.

vonniec

don't be nervous... pretend he isn't even in the car! they don't talk to you, so i wouldn't advise trying to start a conversation...it's a bit bleak, believe me!

think of changing lanes the same as turning left or right...the same principals apply, you just don't stop ob!
and as for the roundabout, the first two exits are the left lane, and anything after that is in the right lane... if it's loughrea you're doing it in, know that he takes you on the roundabout with five exits and tells you to go straight through the roundabout leaving it in the third exit. Alot of people make a mistake with lanes on that roundabout, taking the left, because the third exit is literally straight through, but because there are two exits before hand, you have to be in the right lane.

magochre

I don't want to confuse the issue but my instructor told me that if an exit is directly ahead on a roundabout (and the examiner will use the phrase 'directly ahead' when giving you directions) no matter how many exits precede it you need to stay in the left lane and indicate left after you've passed the previous exit. I did this in my first test and wasn't marked so I assume it was correct. A guide my instructor gave me was to imagine the roundabout as a clock - any exit up to 12 o'clock and including the exit at 12 o'clock is approached from the left hand lane. Any exit after that is approached in the right hand lane while indicating right until you pass the last exit before your turn at which point you indicate left.
Maybe you could doublecheck this before your test so you are clear on the correct approach.
Vonniec, I'm sorry you didn't pass and hope you keep at it.
Best of luck Pixeldesign

**Timbuk2**

The official stance that the RSA take with respect to roundabouts is

Left lane: Any exit from 7 o clock to 1 o clock
Right lane: Any exit from 1 o clock to 6 o clock

And if you do the same on the test, you should be fine. Remember, that if you are in the right lane you have to do a mirror check, signal left, and check your left blindspot before exiting (as you are technically moving across a lane). This can be hard to master as everything happens quite quickly on a roundabout.

Just to add, I did my test twice with two different testers and they were both extremely clear as to where to go. They said "Could you please take the 3rd exit, that's going right at this roundabout" or something similar, so there were no doubts about which exit I was actually taking.

vonniec

Oh that's odd! Maybe it depends on the roundabout?? The markings on the road are a giveaway aswell! Thanks magochre, I've reapplied, going to get it this time! good luck pixeldesign

Reloc8

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

The official stance that the RSA take with respect to roundabouts is

Left lane: Any exit from 7 o clock to 1 o clock
Right lane: Any exit from 1 o clock to 6 o clock

And if you do the same on the test, you should be fine. Remember, that if you are in the right lane you have to do a mirror check, signal left, and check your left blindspot before exiting (as you are technically moving across a lane). This can be hard to master as everything happens quite quickly on a roundabout.

Just to add, I did my test twice with two different testers and they were both extremely clear as to where to go. They said "Could you please take the 3rd exit, that's going right at this roundabout" or something similar, so there were no doubts about which exit I was actually taking.

That's good advice - also, proper observation as you enter the roundabout is your friend here, as you should have a good feel for what is around you. In other words if you are in the inside lane to turn right off the roundabout, you're obviously going to drive into a safe gap on the roundabout, and in doing that there shouldn't be anything to the left hind quarter of your vehicle as you enter and commence driving around.

What you're checking for as you approach your exit is anybody who might have come out of an exit which you have passed, or anybody who has driven up very quickly in the outside lane of the roundabout, or anybody else making the same exit as you who followed you onto the roundabout. In particular, push bikes and motor bikes are a concern especially with lower visibility at this time of year.

I would advise that once you are on the roundabout you check left mirror and rear view mirror immediately to build up a picture of what is around you. As you pass the exit prior to yours you do a quick but effective shoulder check which gives you sight of anything along side or in your blindspot, indicate left for your exit, rear mirror check (looking in particular for cars behind in your lane who are also indicating or driving for your exit and may have moved out quicker than you have done), another shoulder glance to your left (taking in left mirror) and then make the move towards your exit presuming all is clear.

You're not concerned overly at all about what is going on on your right hand side when making this turn because all that is to your right will be the roundabout and you're not going to be moving towards your right anyway.

What you don't want to do is to make your exit by way of a 'square turn' off the roundabout - in other words you should drive at a shallower angle towards your exit when you have passed the exit prior. This gets you into an effective assertive position to make your exit, rather than getting right up to the exit and then trying to make a right angle turn into it.

Your move towards the exit you want to take at this shallower angle than a square turn into it stops people taking the same exit from shooting up your inside, whether they are entering the roundabout from the exit you just passed or are driving behind you to make the same turn you are making. People waiting to get on the roundabout will be watching your tyres and your indicator for your intention. If you make a late move to your exit, even if you are indicating, they may presume you are going further on around the roundabout and drive onto it, into your way, complicating what you have to deal with and increasing the possibility of picking up faults.

Its a little like the principle that if a lane opens up for you to make a right or left turn you should try and get into it directly as it opens up otherwise you will have cars coming up it requiring you to slow or stop and wait for a gap, and impeding progress of other road users, as well as making the chances of a serious fault for a bad/dangerous move into the lane higher. By taking a smooth angle towards your roundabout exit your're basically cutting down the chances of someone else making you fail your test.

Good luck with it.:)

**Timbuk2**

Good advice!

Good post! I remember seeing a video that hinted at the same idea that you are making, but I can't find it. I found this though, and it's good to get an idea of how to handle mirror checks and whatnot when they come in quick succession

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKs3_r-DPPA

I'll find the other one later. It was about how to know when a gap will open up on a roundabout based on how close cars are to the inside of the roundabout as they turn towards your exit. It was interesting. Obviously never go until you're fully sure that the car won't be continuing towards you.

magochre

Thanks for posting the video, Timbuk2, it would be great if you could find the other you mention with the distance guide, sometimes, I find people don't indicate at all on a roundabout which can be a bit hair raising for an inexperienced driver like myself. At least having a distance gauge before moving off would be a help. Thanks again.

Vonniec, It's good to see you positive and persevering, I hope you do get it next time . Keep up the practice.

**Timbuk2**

I found the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvI_Yc5fHCI

magochre

Thanks Timbuk2, that's very helpful. It will take practice, as the guy says, to get to recognise the position difference quickly but even looking at the cars and vans for that short time I began to find it easier to tell which would continue round and which would take the exit.

Again, thanks for your help and effort:)

**Timbuk2**

No problem! Over time you will get used to it, and will be ready to take a gap when it arrives.

Don't assume that a car will be leaving the roundabout though, if you're not sure. Despite that video, Irish drivers can sometimes struggle with the most basic of roundabouts, and may very well swing away from the centre of the roundabout even when they are going right, or I even saw once someone turning right (3rd exit) completely in the left hand lane. If you're unsure, don't take it. Gaps on a roundabout come by often so it's unlikely that you will be waiting much longer for the next gap. The 'shield' that he talks about in the video is a useful way of getting out though.

Never assume there's nothing to the left of you on a roundabout when leaving. Technically, there shouldn't be something there, but the reality is a lot different. Cars may join the roundabout at an exit before yours, see that you are in a different lane than they intend to travel in, so join at the same time. This is especially common on 3 lane roundabouts, and you need to watch out for it.

Another one that can happen is when there are two lanes leading up to the roundabout, two lanes on the roundabout, and you are in the left lane intending to go straight on, and there is a person in the right hand lane, who should be going right or back where they came, but they are actually going straight on (a lot of people don't know how to use a roundabout!). You need to watch out for these, as you can't both arrive at the exit at the same time (unless of course it's a dual carraigeway, but then that's straightforward).

magochre

Thanks for the info. A bit of a minefield really. I'm only using mini roundabouts at present which, I suppose, is good practice for the more serious versions you outline. There's a lot to keep in mind and to watch out for. I hope it will all become easier to compute in time.
Thnaks again, you've been very helpful Timbuk2.

**Timbuk2**

No problem! By mini roundabouts, do you mean small roundabouts, or literally mini-roundabouts, which are usually single lane?

Find an 'actual' roundabout and practice, it's good practice as it tests quite a bit of skills. I remember the first time I went on a 'big roundabout', I was nervous, but usually the bigger ones are actually easier than smaller ones (unless they have more than 2 lanes, that's a different story!).

Roundabouts seem daunting at first, but they become second nature soon enough. After no time you'll be wondering what all the anxiety was about!

magochre

I believe you! I just need to keep at it.
They must be small roundabouts rather than minis as they have two lanes. That's a start isn't it. Thanks again Timbuk2.