Driving test tomorrow! Help me!

Ronan|Raven

Well after 8 months on the waiting list the day of reckoning is very close. Beginning to panic a bit now that I will meet "Harry the Basterd" driving tester. Anyone of the fine upstanding people here do their test recently? Was the reversing around corners and three point turns high on the agenda? Did they ask many questions before hand like "when you reach a stop sign what do you do?"

Should I bribe them!?

leeroybrown

You havn't really thought much about the test, have you?

The should be a couple of good threads with test advice in the forum if you search back a bit.

I presume you're sitting it in the Roscommon centre?

Seeing as it's a week day (meaning it'll be busy in Roscommon) and Roscommon Town drivers can park very eratically I'd advise you to be very careful with your manouvering in traffic. It would be very easy to get caught out because some driver does something unpredictable.

The usual sequence of events is:

• 4 or 5 questions based on the rules of the road. Mess these up and you'll never even get to drive.
• The tester will inspect your car prior to driving off so make sure it's clean (especially windows), all lights work and theres no problems, otherwise they can call the test off. They'll come out and ask to brake/indicate for them before they get in.
• If you know the Roscommon test route, you'll know it's a double loop (in opposite directions) of all the dodgy turns, junctions and roundabouts.
• There are only a limited number of locations they use to reverse around the corner. Most of them are reasonably OK.
• Don't crash back at the centre
• Sit down in the office and wait for a Cert Of Competency (Green)

Best of luck.

Ronan|Raven

Well I thought a bit about it! Have a lesson booked for an hour before it anyway so can get given out to about my bad habits. Agree with you there about Roscommon town tis a strange place where drivers get the urge to abandon cars in the middle of the road. We wont have empty car parks worrying them!

Lafortezza

small children are worth 3 points each, old ladies only 1 because they move slower, but 2 if you hit them and their shopping flies into the air in a humourous way. gl

koneko

There's a few books you can get in Easons that have some pointers and commonly asked questions.

He'll show you a few roadsigns and ask what they are (like end of speed limit, incline/decline ahead, children crossing). You will have to do a turnabout (you can do it in more than 3 turns if you want nowadays), and reverse around a bend. As long as you know how to do these and have practised it shouldn't be a problem.

Exaggerate your movements as far as observation go. Make it clear you're looking in your mirrors (a lot!) and around your shoulder, and drive at a normal speed. Drive too slow, you'll get marked for "lack of progress", but obviously don't drive too fast.

Good luck! With practice and skill you'll pass no probs, just get used to doing stuff like the turnabout, reversing around a bend and a hillstart.

Ronan|Raven

Im fine at reversing around bends, turning etc so hopefully they will go well for me. Best brush up on my rules of the road however.

leeroybrown

Brush up on those rules. One question wrong and you'll have failed before you touch the car.

A few specific things to watch out for on the Roscommon test route.
(It's been a while so it may have changed slightly)

The roundabout at the 'far' end of town (if you know what I mean). Be careful of the pedestrian crossing as it's possible to get stuck parked over it (fail) if you're not paying attention. Also, watch for the 'far' side of town's exit which has specific lane signs that contradict normal roundabout usage.

The 'dodgy right' corner downhill after the 'bad bridge'. Make sure you don't under or over run the clipping point for the corner in traffic.

The little one way street. If you get trapped by some big truck in that, make sure you ask the tester before doing something like pulling onto the path.

Make sure when you exit the 40Mph zone that you accelerate to a reasonable speed.

One final piece of advice. If your observation (mirroring) in normal traffic is weak make sure you're worried about it before the test. It'll keep it in the back of your mind.

Oh, and one final piece of advice (from experience). Don't do 40 in a 30 immediately after leaving the test centre. Waiting the few seconds for the speed to drop off gently without disturbing the tester (in a noisy diesel car) is a worrying thing.

Ronan|Raven

Originally posted by leeroybrown
(in a noisy diesel car) is a worrying thing.

Im doing it in my noisy Diesel van Cheers for the pointers, much appreciated.

BaZmO*

The best bit of advice I can give you is to stay calm and don't get too worked up. Easier said than done I know!! But the tester is generally looking for a competent, confident safe driver.

One of the best bits of advice I got when I was doing my test a couple of years back was to make sure that when you park your car at the test centre make sure that you reverse park into your spot. That way you get off to the best possible start. (I don't know if this applies to your test centre?)

Also, remember to keep up with the traffic ahead. It is possible to fail by not going fast enough. I actually know a couple of that failed because of this.

Anyway, best of luck and let us all know how you get on.

B.

PBC_1966

4 or 5 questions based on the rules of the road. Mess these up and you'll never even get to drive.

It's changed since the introduction of the written paper in recent years, but one crazy thing about the old U.K. test was that the examiner didn't ask the Highway Code questions until after the drive And just think:- We're the ones who make Irish jokes.....

My test was 21 years ago now, and it's easy to forget just how intimdating it felt at the time. Only one or two things about it still stick in my mind, like just after the emergency stop when the examiner started to say "Thank you, I won't ask you to do that again," and I was convinced he was about to add "Because you've failed. Please drive back to the test center." It was only later I discovered that was the standard response to let candidates know he wouldn't be expecting them to repeat the exercise (and yes, I passed).

There's not much to add to the general advice about taking it easy, not being too hesitant etc.

I'll just add that if you do start a reverse or 3-point turn maneuver and make a complete mess of it (wrong angle or whatever) don't be afraid to pull forward and start over. Better to do that and then get it right than to try to salvage a bad start and make an even bigger mess. Even those with years of driving experience still sometimes get the wrong angle for backing into a parking space and have to start over, and the examiner will make sopme allowance for your being nervous anyway. Just so long as you are observant and don't do anything to endanger other road users.

Oh, and don't do what one candidate here did on the 3-point turn: Went forward and bumped into tree by the curb, then shifted into reverse and put the back of the car into a lamp-post on the opposite curb (or could have been the other way round, I forget). Needless to say, a failure was soon pronounced!

mike65

Make sure your test vehicle is fit for the job, last thing you need is a jerky clutch take-up.! Also as PCB_1966 says be confident. Think of this as a job interview you need to look like you know what your doing, if you see what I mean. Testers dont like "nervous" drivers.

Mike.

leeroybrown

after the emergency stop

Something that Irish test candidates won't have to worry about. I'm not sure whether I find it funny or shocking that a large percentage of Irish drivers could have passed their tests without ever having had to use controlled heavy breaking.

on the 3-point turn

On the Irish test the manouvre is called a 'turnabout'. The tester will never mention '3-point' and quite often on the Roscommon test route a driver will be brought somewhere quite tight that might require a 5-point turn, especially if you're driving a larger car.

As for bad test performances, a friend once turned up for a test (in Tuam) having only had about two hours road time in the previous six months. He wasn't a great driver to begin with and was quickly asked to return to the center where the tester failed him for (quote) "grossly negligent and dangerous driving".

JB123

Dont forget to check your blindspots and dont drive to slowly or u will get done for not making due progress. Best of luck

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by leeroybrown
the tester failed him for (quote) "grossly negligent and dangerous driving".

...and then he got back into the car and drove home!

seamus

Originally posted by leeroybrown
He wasn't a great driver to begin with and was quickly asked to return to the center where the tester failed him for (quote) "grossly negligent and dangerous driving".

lol. Better than failing for vague reasons I guess.

PBC_1966

Originally posted by leeroybrown
Something that Irish test candidates won't have to worry about. I'm not sure whether I find it funny or shocking that a large percentage of Irish drivers could have passed their tests without ever having had to use controlled heavy breaking.

No emergency stop? That doesn't inspire me with confidence, although from a candidate's point of view I guess it sounds good!

On the Irish test the manouvre is called a 'turnabout'. The tester will never mention '3-point' and quite often on the Roscommon test route a driver will be brought somewhere quite tight that might require a 5-point turn, especially if you're driving a larger car.

Same here officially. I think the long description says something like "Turn in the road using forward and reverse gears." Most folk call it a 3-point turn, even if it actually takes 5, 7, or even more shunts (and on some of the rural roads around here with 18 ft. of car, it certainly can take that many!).

_sheep

Good luck Ronnie, if all comes to all you can seduce the instructor

Dont forget to tell us how you got on.

Stephen

Only 8 months wait? Bastard.

Its 13 months here.

seamus

Originally posted by Stephen
Only 8 months wait? Bastard.

Its 13 months here.

Hopefully 3-4 here. Yes, I'm doing the test in Athlone, because there's no way in hell I'm waiting another year.

laoisfan

hi

did my test about 2 months ago now - passed - phew
did it is portlaoise about 9:15am, first out.

got asked alot more questions on the rules of the road beforehand, not 4-5 more like 10!! thankfully they were all correct (i assume they were coz he did not mark anything against me)

as for the test itself, generally ok. i was nervous wreck but i bought some sweets before and i sucked one or two (popped them in before i pulled off) and that relaxed me.

at one point i was doing 35 mph in a 30 mph zone but the tester actually approved (even though he was not supposed to comment). there was about 10 cars behind me (there were roadworks, parents after dropping off their kids to school etc). he said i used a bit of common sense i.e. not holding up traffic. i came back down to 30 as soon as it was feasible. was close to the main shopping centre so as soon as we got to where 2lane system was i stayed left and came back down to 30, the other drivers went in the right lane and sure took off!!

main thing - try to relax. and oh yeah, do exaggerate your observations but not to the point where you are constantly checking. remember when you are indicating, breaking, changing gear, at junctions, roundabouts, and just the occassional centre-mirror checks......

--laoisfan

laoisfan

ps. i was waiting about 12.5 months....which i think is the norm in portlaoise. athlone has the shortest, i think 6 weeks.


--laoisfan

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by laoisfan
at one point i was doing 35 mph in a 30 mph zone but the tester actually approved (even though he was not supposed to comment). ... he said i used a bit of common sense i.e. not holding up traffic. i came back down to 30 as soon as it was feasible.

<rant> this is part of what is wrong with driving in Ireland. We are taught to increase our speeds over the limit if necessary but are then punished by the law if we are caught doing so! </rant>

laoisfan

<rant> this is part of what is wrong with driving in Ireland. We are taught to increase our speeds over the limit if necessary but are then punished by the law if we are caught doing so! </rant>

agreed......

however, i have spoken to a few cops at home and they seen divided on this issue. some believe if you are doing 35 in a 30 they will let it go as long as you are not driving erratically etc etc while others say no way.

a bit off the topic....i believe the minister for transport wants local councils to change where the 30, 40, 60 signs are i.e. some start 2 far out of the town, cork road in portlaoise is a good example while others end almost immediately.

one thing i found annoying ( and still do), even though i obey the speed limit you will always get the arse-holes who come right up your rearend.....c'est la vie i guess. portlaoise -> mountrath -> borris-in-ossory (limerick route) is a good example.

--laoisfan

Ronan|Raven

Failed and with flying colours!

Made some very silly mistakes that pissed me off. Thought I was in 1st (in the van I drive 1st and 3rd seem very alike ) van conked. Then after that trying to get my concentration back some twat slams on breaks at corner and parks. The local animals that inhabit roscommon town as always surprised me even further with parking arangements. Trucks parked on corners (both sides) of the junction I had to exit and on a hill. Managed it in the end but was stressful.

Deserved to fail and the tester was bang on and a nice guy. Told me where I went wrong and to jsut give it more time. I been only driving properly now for 2 months, so lots still to iron out.

One thing though is how some people I observed round the town driving got their licenses I will never know. Signalling and all general senses of normality are forgotten. Will never do it in roscommon town again. Might give carrick on shannon a go.

One good thing is unlike our european neighbours upon failing, I can continue to drive!

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by Ronan|Raven
Failed and with flying colours!

Hard Luck!

Originally posted by Ronan|Raven
Might give carrick on shannon a go.

I passed mine here about 10 years ago. No traffic lights then (1 set now!) a roundabout and not too much crap parking.

Ronan|Raven

Yea, Im going there on the weekend to a party and will have a look at the town. I used to fish down there a lot and remember it being a relatively well laid out town.

_sheep

Unlucky mate, told you that you should have seduced the instructor

laoisfan

hard luck!

any idea whether you can apply for a cancellation next time? might speed things up? also, get a letter from your employer?

One good thing is unlike our european neighbours upon failing, I can continue to drive!

based on that i assume u are on your 2nd provisional. you know there are plans to take all prov off the road aka you can only drive if you have a fully-licenced driver with you? i believe they want to try have it done within the next 6-8 months (do not quote me on that).

anyway, best of luck for the next time!!

--laoisfan

seamus

Originally posted by laoisfan
based on that i assume u are on your 2nd provisional. you know there are plans to take all prov off the road aka you can only drive if you have a fully-licenced driver with you? i believe they want to try have it done within the next 6-8 months (do not quote me on that).

Anyone on a second provisional will be allowed to drive unaccompanied, regardless of any changes in the law while they hold the licence. Luckily, since the 2nd provisional is the only chance to drive unaccompanied, they only have to wait at most two years after any law is passed, and then all provisional drivers have no excuse.

laoisfan

Anyone on a second provisional will be allowed to drive unaccompanied, regardless of any changes in the law while they hold the licence. Luckily, since the 2nd provisional is the only chance to drive unaccompanied, they only have to wait at most two years after any law is passed, and then all provisional drivers have no excuse.

thanks for the clarification.

any chance you can point me in the direction of proposed changes etc etc? is there a website ? i have a full licence but the brother does not and just want to find out a bit more.

thanks!

--laoisfan

ps. UP LAOIS!!

seamus

Originally posted by laoisfan
thanks for the clarification.

any chance you can point me in the direction of proposed changes etc etc? is there a website ? i have a full licence but the brother does not and just want to find out a bit more.

I haven't a clue if there is anything planned, I was just making an observation

Ronan|Raven

I never said I could drive alone legally Only on my 1st provisional and tbh I take the chance as around here short of walking there is no transport available.

leeroybrown

Hard luck Ronan.

I know from experience that there is nothing like time on the road to relax you in the test car. I had close to 10,000 miles racked up before I sat my test. When I sat in on the day of the test, all I needed to do was concentrate on some minor flaws I had to iron out before the test.

laoisfan

I never said I could drive alone legally Only on my 1st provisional and tbh I take the chance as around here short of walking there is no transport available.

and i am sure you are not the only one!!

anyway, put your test down to experience. keep the chin up and get out there and drive!!

--laoisfan

lan

Originally posted by laoisfan
ps. i was waiting about 12.5 months....which i think is the norm in portlaoise. athlone has the shortest, i think 6 weeks.


--laoisfan

Athlone is 19 weeks now, everyone probably saw it was so short and applied there.

I think Ennis has the shortest now at 12 weeks

http://www.drivingtest.ie/drivingtest/HTMLContent/frameset.html

Link is on the side, waiting times by centre.

leeroybrown

Posted by Ronan|Raven
Then after that trying to get my concentration back some twat slams on breaks at corner and parks. The local animals that inhabit roscommon town as always surprised me even further with parking arangements. Trucks parked on corners (both sides) of the junction I had to exit and on a hill. Managed it in the end but was stressful.

For those here who have never driven in Roscommon Town, on a bad weekday afternoon it can be awkward to drive through without the added pressure of having someone testing your performance. A wierd mix of bad streets, dodgy corners, poor parking and poor drivers. In a normal half hour in traffic there, theres a very good chance you'd have to do something that comes close to a test failure just to keep moving through it.

When I got my test date I was initially annoyed because a test at 4pm on my birthday was irritating. The I thought about it a bit and realised:

- It was a Saturday (less erratic traffic in Roscommon)
- Roscommon were playing Galway in Castlebar so everyone was leaving town.
- There was another big match on TV beforehand so everyone else was in the pub or at home watching TV.

It was great. Moderate traffic with no one ditching cars in the middle of the street.

Urban Weigl

laoisfan wrote:

at one point i was doing 35 mph in a 30 mph zone but the tester actually approved (even though he was not supposed to comment). there was about 10 cars behind me (there were roadworks, parents after dropping off their kids to school etc). he said i used a bit of common sense i.e. not holding up traffic. i came back down to 30 as soon as it was feasible.

That seems to be good common sense unfortunately. When I did my test, I was just 18, and was failed for not going fast enough. My driving instructor instructor thought I'd have no problem passing, and recommended that I drive a little bit faster than the limit if anything.

Anyway, we have one of the cars where the tester could not see the speed, and at one point I accidentally went almost 40 in a 30 zone. Still got failed for going too slowly though.

Probably the fact that I was very young didn't help, and that it was my first test, I suspect.

PowerHouseDan

I got a driving lesson 2 days before my test and drove as i did as always,was just 17,the driving lesson i got was with a guy who just retired 2 weeks before had he was a driving tester,He said i should have no problems passing but it depends what driving tester you get,which pissed me off but i passed with flying colours,2 ticks but i think its fairly unfair that it depends on what tester you get its a joke,judge you on appearence etc

impr0v

leeroybrown wrote:

....A wierd mix of bad streets, dodgy corners, poor parking and poor drivers.....

How does it differ from the rest of the country? I think avoiding tough towns to drive through is almost impossible, and a false economy, as the applicant will have to face all the above in the real world anyway. Having said that, with the obstacle course that these choked county town centres become, the tester has to employ some common sense, as to make it through while strictly adhering to the rules would take quite a while. During my test I gave someone in front of me who had failed to notice that the lights were green a blast of the horn, and cut quite close to a delivery driver unloading on the road side, yet still passed.

seamus

Heard a good story today about a girl who simply couldn't reverse around corners, and so got 8 of her mates, made sure they were familiar with the route, and they organised themselves and shifted around so that every time the tester came to ask her do the reversi, there was a car in the way

Sounds good, but probably an urban myth.

PBC_1966

Ronan|Raven wrote:

Failed and with flying colours!

Bad luck. You seem to have the right philosophical outlook though. Get some more practice and experience, and have another go.

One good thing is unlike our european neighbours upon failing, I can continue to drive!

Not unlike your immediate, next-door neighbors though!

From an outsider's point-of-view I remember driving around Roscommon, and I can't say it sticks out in my mind as being especially better or worse than most other Irish towns. Even managed to park there with a caravan in tow, so I guess I must have hit a quiet day!