Passing your driving test first time - the skinny

Duckjob

Some good advice on offer here. However, for what it's worth...

IMHO the single most important goal you should have going into the driving test is to leave the tester with the impression that you are 100% in confident control of the car at all times.

If the tester walks away from your car with that impression, they are not going to fail you on details such as "not doing 33 in a 30mph zone". You hear a lot of stories from people saying they got failed on such things, but a tester cannot put down on a report that they , "didn't feel at ease being driven by this person", which is probably what most failures translate to if you read between the lines.

Wasted

Failed today for second time, I am a confident(not cocky) careful driver (3 Kids), emphasis in test is arseways I failed for a series of grade 2 faults, not changing gear exactly as specified ie 2nd 20mph 3rd 30, how many road deaths where caused last year by incorrect gear selection, Not cancelling my indicators promptly enough, car tends to be reluctantant to cancel and hard to hear it beeping, for progress on a busy right turn in Dublin with an Audi speeding straight through I thought it prudent to allow it pass,wrong I should have sped in front and for going left at a junction after being told to do so, he says I meant the second left, penalised for reaction, despite a good recovery on my part, a perfect turnaround in a really narrow car and a half space in an opel astra also penalised no reason given thats just the way it is,oh and I also am unable to turn to the left, its just lucky that I have only been driving in a straight line all of this time. Apart from the indicator business none of these things matter except in the mind of a tester, they do not cause accidents and are not indicative of a bad driver, it is nit picking and arbitrary another tester in the same test could easily have passed me on the basis of due care and attention to prevailing conditions,Forgive the rant but I have better things to do than sit driving tests, I drive every single day, and I am despite what the examiner decided, a good driver. Watch out tomorrow on the roads, its full of incompetents. Hope you get a decent tester, its more important than how you drive.

koneko

Wasted wrote:

Apart from the indicator business none of these things matter except in the mind of a tester, they do not cause accidents and are not indicative of a bad driver, it is nit picking and arbitrary another tester in the same test could easily have passed me on the basis of due care and attention to prevailing conditions,

No offense, but the fact that you think making mistakes are fine as long as they don't cause accidents makes me think the tester was right to fail you. Mistakes mount up. You think it's fine to make them, you start making more, and that doesn't make a person a safe driver. You should be working to improve mistakes you make, instead of getting cocky and assuming you know everything already.

Forgive the rant but I have better things to do than sit driving tests, I drive every single day, and I am despite what the examiner decided, a good driver.

A lot of people drive every day, that doesn't mean they're good. The driving test is necessary to ensure there is at least some level of competency out there. The test should be a lot harder than it already is, but it's better than having no test at all.

D!ve^Bomb!

Wasted wrote:

Failed today for second time, I am a confident(not cocky) careful driver (3 Kids), emphasis in test is arseways I failed for a series of grade 2 faults, not changing gear exactly as specified ie 2nd 20mph 3rd 30, how many road deaths where caused last year by incorrect gear selection, Not cancelling my indicators promptly enough, car tends to be reluctantant to cancel and hard to hear it beeping, for progress on a busy right turn in Dublin with an Audi speeding straight through I thought it prudent to allow it pass,wrong I should have sped in front and for going left at a junction after being told to do so, he says I meant the second left, penalised for reaction, despite a good recovery on my part, a perfect turnaround in a really narrow car and a half space in an opel astra also penalised no reason given thats just the way it is,oh and I also am unable to turn to the left, its just lucky that I have only been driving in a straight line all of this time. Apart from the indicator business none of these things matter except in the mind of a tester, they do not cause accidents and are not indicative of a bad driver, it is nit picking and arbitrary another tester in the same test could easily have passed me on the basis of due care and attention to prevailing conditions,Forgive the rant but I have better things to do than sit driving tests, I drive every single day, and I am despite what the examiner decided, a good driver. Watch out tomorrow on the roads, its full of incompetents. Hope you get a decent tester, its more important than how you drive.

you didn't do your test in tallaght did ya?

Keyzer

To all you people who failed and are whining about it - Tough.
I failed the first time, I was not prepared at all for the test.
I passed the second time, having watched a school of motoring video several times, 3 pretests and hours or practice.

Saying you are a good driver means jack.
Would you be alright with someone who is training to be a doctor failing his exams but telling you "I'm a very good Doctor, the exams were stupid"....

Its an exam, therefore you prepare for the exam in the correct manner.
If you fail, you have only yourself to blame, not the inspector or the test.
I made mistakes on my test when I passed, but overall the instructor obviously deemed me to be competent enough to earn a full licence.

D!ve^Bomb!

Keyzer, you just completely contradicted yourself.. it totally depends on what tester you get..

I made mistakes on my test when I passed,

PERSACTLY!:D.. you were lucky to pass. the tester just thought he'd give you the benefit of the doubt.. people in this thread alone have said they were fúckin speeding and STILL passed!! i mean come on!

i failed because i didn't cancel my indicators 'promptly' enough, now that is just fúckin rediculous and just goes to show just how arse ways this country it.. the test means **** all tbh, the only reason i want to do it is because of insurance cost, other than that i couldn't give a fúck..

seamus

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

i failed because i didn't cancel my indicators 'promptly' enough, now that is just fúckin rediculous and just goes to show just how arse ways this country it.. the test means **** all tbh, the only reason i want to do it is because of insurance cost, other than that i couldn't give a fúck..

That's not a grade 3 fault. Clearly you had other faults.
When I failed my bike test, it was all for things which showed a lack of confidence with the bike - it was a school bike, which was bigger than my own, and the sum of my experience on it was doing 40mph through the Phoenix park behind the instructor, 20 minutes before the test
My faults indicated lack of confidence on the bike, and they were right, I didn't know the bike at all. It's frustrating obviously when you know that you don't make these mistakes under normal conditions, but what can you do?

Keyzer

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

Keyzer, you just completely contradicted yourself.. it totally depends on what tester you get.. ..

I made mistakes, yes, negligible mistakes, but the instructor obviously deemed me competent enough to earn a full licsense.
I was very confident when doing my test, and I made sure the instructor knew it.
How do you know it depends on the instructor? It doesn't depend on how you drive then? or your competency? or your understanding and reading of driving situations?

i failed because i didn't cancel my indicators 'promptly' enough, now that is just fúckin rediculous and just goes to show just how arse ways this country it.. the test means **** all tbh, the only reason i want to do it is because of insurance cost, other than that i couldn't give a fúck..

Thats called a mis-leading signal my friend.
Just because when you did it on your test and there might not have been a car behind, the instructor must assume you do this all the time.

And for the record, there is no way you failed for just this reason.
You failed because of multiple reasons, and those reasons combined deemed you not fit to hold a full driving licsense.
I failed the first time for multiple reasons, however, my driving has improved hugely since failing for the first time and passing the second time.

And the only reason you want to pass is to save money on your insurance?
Not to be a safer driver? What a great philosophy to have.
This philosophy is the reason why there are so many crap drivers on the roads in Ireland.

D!ve^Bomb!

no offence keyzer but you're talkin bollox.. yes it does depend on what tester you get,, this is just fact.. learn to live with it..

i did make other mistakes,, and not canceling your indicator promptly enough is misleading,, this is why he marked me for for both being misleadin and not cancelling promptly enough.. but these weren't even in situations when turning left or right, this was for over taking parked cars on a narrow road, i indicated to pass these parked cars and i didn't cancel the indicator until i was back on my side of the road.. how exactly is this being misleading? even though i did make a couple of other mistakes, if he hadn't of marked me for this shíte then i would have passed..

how exactly does passing my test make me a safer driver?

man, the a majority of drivers on the road have full licences.. it means ****, everyday someone nearly kills me..

Keyzer

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

no offence keyzer but you're talkin bollox.. yes it does depend on what tester you get,, this is just fact.. learn to live with it..

I don't accept this nonsense, how many times have you taken your driving test?

i did make other mistakes,, and not canceling your indicator promptly enough is misleading,, this is why he marked me for for both being misleadin and not cancelling promptly enough.. but these weren't even in situations when turning left or right, this was for over taking parked cars on a narrow road, i indicated to pass these parked cars and i didn't cancel the indicator until i was back on my side of the road.. how exactly is this being misleading? even though i did make a couple of other mistakes, if he hadn't of marked me for this shíte then i would have passed..

When you were indicating, was there a turn coming up on the other side of the road? Your supposed to indicate for 2-3 seconds and then cancel.
You don't need to indicate that your going back in - did you know this?
Did you prepare at all for your test?

how exactly does passing my test make me a safer driver?

Its not supposed to make you a safer driver - its supposed to prove you already are one.

D!ve^Bomb!

well it's nice of you to make assumptions to prove your point.. but alas, they are only assumptions..

i did the driving test once.. when i was indicating there was no turn on either side of the road, hence i was not being misleading, and no i did not indicate when i was going back in.. :rolleyes:

I did prepare, my brother gave me lessons for three weeks before hand, he was a driving instructor and gave pre-tests for the ISM, he couldn't believe i failed, he said i failed for nothing..

how does the test prove you're already a good driver, what does a test prove in 20mins driving, it proves FúCK ALL!!

Keyzer

Righto...
So you've done the test once and that then makes you authority on driving instructors?

With your attitude I guarantee you'll fail the next time as well....

Either way you look at it, you failed your driving test, not the driving instructor. Your faults combined went over the threshold and you failed.
Therefore, you need to improve your driving in order for you to pass your test, its as simple as that no matter what your opinion of the test is.

koneko

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

I did prepare, my brother gave me lessons for three weeks before hand, he was a driving instructor and gave pre-tests for the ISM, he couldn't believe i failed, he said i failed for nothing..

In fairness, your brother wasn't there during the test. Some people don't do well during test, they make people nervous and perform worse than they usually would.

Did you prepare specifically for the driving test for 3 weeks, or was that in general (3 weeks driving experience)? Genuine question, not a dig or anything, I'm asking , because 3 weeks on the road isn't a lot of driving experience.

D!ve^Bomb!

In fairness, your brother wasn't there during the test. Some people don't do well during test, they make people nervous and perform worse than they usually would.

no, 3 weeks for the test specifically..

I understand what you're sayin,, i did make one or two mistakes in the test due to nerves, and they were stupid mistakes, i also think the tester should take into consideration people do get nervous!

Keyzer wrote:

Righto...
So you've done the test once and that then makes you authority on driving instructors? .

I don't even know what this sentence means, where do you get the impression i think i'm an 'authority on driving instructors', what does that mean? the amount of times i've heard people saying how **** they did and still passed, read through the thread and you might notice, i know someone who passed who even stalled the fúckin car!! :rolleyes:

Keyzer wrote:

With your attitude I guarantee you'll fail the next time as well.....

What attitude is that? because i think the test is a joke i'm gonna fail the next time? please explain

Keyzer wrote:

Either way you look at it, you failed your driving test, not the driving instructor. Your faults combined went over the threshold and you failed.
Therefore, you need to improve your driving in order for you to pass your test, its as simple as that no matter what your opinion of the test is.

you have no idea what i'm trying to say do you :rolleyes: i KNOW i made a few mistakes ok? WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY is i was marked for something completely stupid, and it was because of that that i failed, if i WASN'T marked for that then i would NOT HAVE met the criteria for a fail, ya get me now? yeah? i can't remember the exact catergories on the paper they give you at the end but i was not marked once for the most important categories, ie, control of car, speed, observation, awareness of other road users etc... NOT ONCE!

as i said already, someone in this thread said they passed even though they were speeding, fúckin SPEEDING, speeding is an INSTANT FAIL, so i'll say it again, IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT TESTER YOU GET!!!

now have i made that all clear now?

Keyzer

you have no idea what i'm trying to say do you :rolleyes: i KNOW i made a few mistakes ok? WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY is i was marked for something completely stupid, and it was because of that that i failed, if i WASN'T marked for that then i would NOT HAVE met the criteria for a fail, ya get me now? yeah? i can't remember the exact catergories on the paper they give you at the end but i was not marked once for the most important categories, ie, control of car, speed, observation, awareness of other road users etc... NOT ONCE!

as i said already, someone in this thread said they passed even though they were speeding, fúckin SPEEDING, speeding is an INSTANT FAIL, so i'll say it again, IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT TESTER YOU GET!!!

now have i made that all clear now?

I know exactly what your saying buddy.
I don't know the exact grading system, but your allowed several minor mistakes in the test (I think its about 9). You said you didn't get marked down for anything major so you must have made a lot of minor mistakes. Your indicating mistake capped all those minor mistakes and therefore you failed, it wasn't the only reason you failed. It was the last mistake you made, out of a series of mistakes, which you failed for.

And I'm sorry but I simply disagree with you on the instructor thing.
Those people who listed things they did and still passed, those things might have been the one and only mistake they made in the whole test. As I said, your allowed 1 or 2 grade 3 mistakes (I think grade 3 is the most serious).
Speeding is not an instant fail, its a serious mistake, but not instant fail.
Im sure that person meant they went a little faster than the speed limit, not 90 mph thru a housing estate.

The comment I made about your attitude still stands.
If you regard the test as stupid and that it all boils down to the instructor you get then you will most likely fail again imo. Theres no point in arguing about it, post after post, thats just my opinion.

The best thing that happened to me in terms of driving was failing my test for the first time. I became a better driver because of it, and I learned things and realised things about my driving that I had never noticed before, things that I needed to work on.

D!ve^Bomb!

Keyzer wrote:

I know exactly what your saying buddy.
I don't know the exact grading system, but your allowed several minor mistakes in the test (I think its about 9). You said you didn't get marked down for anything major so you must have made a lot of minor mistakes. Your indicating mistake capped all those minor mistakes and therefore you failed, it wasn't the only reason you failed. It was the last mistake you made, out of a series of mistakes, which you failed for..

Ok fair enough, except i was marked 3 times for not cancelling my indicators promptly enough(there were 3 cars parked on the same road and i had to indicate each time because of the gap between them).. and because i did this, i was marked 3 times for being misleading, even tho there were not left or right turn nor was there any cars infront or behind me..

Thats SIX times for the same thing! do you really think that's fair? i think that's a fúckin joke!! so i did not make 'alot' of mistakes, k?

Keyzer wrote:

And I'm sorry but I simply disagree with you on the instructor thing.
Those people who listed things they did and still passed, those things might have been the one and only mistake they made in the whole test. As I said, your allowed 1 or 2 grade 3 mistakes (I think grade 3 is the most serious).
Speeding is not an instant fail, its a serious mistake, but not instant fail.
Im sure that person meant they went a little faster than the speed limit, not 90 mph thru a housing estate. ..

Man, speeding is speeding, it doesn't matter what speed you go, how the fúck did you pass your test, jesus christ, you don't even know what you're talking about,, if you get ONE grade 3 then you fail.. breaking the speed limit is a grade 3, think about it, you have broken the law in a driving test, do you really think they should give you a pass for that? maybe you think that we should be allowed drive through stop signs aswell? :rolleyes:

Keyzer wrote:

The comment I made about your attitude still stands.
If you regard the test as stupid and that it all boils down to the instructor you get then you will most likely fail again imo. Theres no point in arguing about it, post after post, thats just my opinion...

fair enough, my point still stands also.. i does depend on the tester, not my attitude, i don't get into the car and then argue with the fúckin tester,, i just do the test and drive as best i can.. my attitude doesn't come into it..

Keyzer wrote:

The best thing that happened to me in terms of driving was failing my test for the first time. I became a better driver because of it, and I learned things and realised things about my driving that I had never noticed before, things that I needed to work on.

well according to my test, all i have to do next time is cancel my indicators faster, gee, what a **** driver i am :rolleyes:

Keyzer

Ah whatever, do what ye want...
Sure your the best driver in the world already aren't ye?

D!ve^Bomb!

why yes, cos that *is* what i said:rolleyes:

note the sarcasm

Praetorian

I did my test about 2 months ago. Got it first time in Dundalk. Silly me thought Dundalk would be quicker than Finglas. Took 4 months to get that test, and I was on the cancellation list!

Jesus Dundalk is a bítch of a town to drive around

Keyzer

Why didn't you explain to him what you were doing?

Here, I'm bored with this nonsense.
You failed and thats the bottom line, good luck next time...

D!ve^Bomb!

explain what? i know i failed, i'm not in any rush to do it again..

Keyzer

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

explain what? i know i failed, i'm not in any rush to do it again..

Explain to the instructor why you were indicating so much....
Anyhoo, better luck next time...

token

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

Ok fair enough, except i was marked 3 times for not cancelling my indicators promptly enough(there were 3 cars parked on the same road and i had to indicate each time because of the gap between them).. and because i did this, i was marked 3 times for being misleading, even tho there were not left or right turn nor was there any cars infront or behind me..

Not sure if im reading this right but there was 3 cars on a road (not bumper to bumper) and you passed each one went to normal side of road passed next one went back to normal side of the road.. etc when you should have just indicated once and passed the lot of them since the distance wasnt much and no cars were coming.

D!ve^Bomb!

yeah i was able to pull back into my side of the road.. that's why i had to indicate each time..

token

Sorry i edited my post while u posted that read it again and see what you think. Whatever happened it was still harsh to get marked more than once for it.

Keyzer

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

yeah i was able to pull back into my side of the road.. that's why i had to indicate each time..

Out of curiousity, how much distance was there between each car?

D!ve^Bomb!

i can't really remember.. it wasnt too far but it was far enough to be able to pull back in.. either way it's still harsh decision

besty

i just applied for mine to churchtown. Im settling into a nice 47 week wait. Nightmare. I will get some lessons and do a couple of pre-tests before the real thing to iron out some of the bad habits. Admittedly, that doesnt seem to be doing it fot the right reasons, but what else are you meant to do after waiting for so long to do it.

smokingman

Got my test next tuesday in Mullingar...only been waiting since the middle of January for it

Anyone done it in Mullingar? Any tips?

Cionád

smokingman wrote:

Got my test next tuesday in Mullingar...only been waiting since the middle of January for it

Anyone done it in Mullingar? Any tips?

Did mine in mullingar, early on a Saturday about a year ago, was no-one on the roads and the route is fairly handy - the one i got anyway. I did a pre-run the day before with an instructor, gave me a few tips -OBSERVATION!! - and said id be fine.
Got a perfect score

One of the reverse around the corner can be a bit tough if u get it, there is a corner with a large grass verge (not sure exactly where - im not from mullingar!), just keep an eye on the centre white line on the road and you'll be fine.