Longford Test Centre

Featherl

Anyone know what test is like in Longfor? Are instructors ok?Is it possible to pass test?!

gucci

I failed mine first time, but have a re-sit coming up in couple of weeks so fingers crossed il be posting saying the examiners are fine and it is possible to pass!!

I failed for hitting kerb when doing the reverse around the corner, feel so dumb for doing that! Oh well next time!(so it was my fault, no one elses that i failed!)

Most the instructors know the routes, there are about 4. I was brought out through the town out to the housing estate across from pearse park (doing the hill-start, corner reverse and turn about manouveres in the estate!) and back out the by-pass and into the driving centre.

Wishbone Ash

gucci wrote: »

the instructors are fine and it is possible to pass!!

Examiners!

SeanW

I did the test in Longford got my full pinky a few weeks ago, there are two "tricks" to passing here.

1: (You have no control over this) timing. The less traffic the better - so you're best bet is if your test is on a non-Friday late morning. Traffic congestion, a high density of pedestrians, etc, are all easy sources of Grade 2 faults.
2: Instructors. After failing more than one test, I changed driving schools. new instructor told me in no uncertain terms what he thought of the other crowd and the quality of instruction I had got from them. Had to go back to basics about clutch-control, reverse and turnabout procedures, etc. And he was dead right, I Went from getting 12 Grade 2 faults per test, to just 1.

As for testers, most of them are sound enough I'd say.

gucci

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Examiners!

oops! changed now!

Featherl

SeanW wrote: »

I did the test in Longford got my full pinky a few weeks ago, there are two "tricks" to passing here.

1: (You have no control over this) timing. The less traffic the better - so you're best bet is if your test is on a non-Friday late morning. Traffic congestion, a high density of pedestrians, etc, are all easy sources of Grade 2 faults.
2: Instructors. After failing more than one test, I changed driving schools. new instructor told me in no uncertain terms what he thought of the other crowd and the quality of instruction I had got from them. Had to go back to basics about clutch-control, reverse and turnabout procedures, etc. And he was dead right, I Went from getting 12 Grade 2 faults per test, to just 1.

As for testers, most of them are sound enough I'd say.

Who was your Driving School..

gucci

passed in longford this afternoon. The route was:

Leave Social welfare centre turn left,
Turned left at traffic lights towards cathedral,
Turned left halfway up for Deanscorough estate, done the 3/5 point turn in there.
Then continued on to the Dublin road junction and turned onto the dubln road.
Right at the traffic lights to go through teffia park then back down through the town. (Done the hill start before the Railway bridge)

Out the Ballinalee road past cathedral, Left into college park and done reverse around the corner there. Back up past the Tech and onwards back to the centre.

Picked up 4 marks, 2 for going too fast at corners at college park (road was wet) and 2 more for progress at junctions (yellow box at market square slowed me up a little)

Have you done your test yet?

Featherl

gucci wrote: »

passed in longford this afternoon. The route was:

Leave Social welfare centre turn left,
Turned left at traffic lights towards cathedral,
Turned left halfway up for Deanscorough estate, done the 3/5 point turn in there.
Then continued on to the Dublin road junction and turned onto the dubln road.
Right at the traffic lights to go through teffia park then back down through the town. (Done the hill start before the Railway bridge)

Out the Ballinalee road past cathedral, Left into college park and done reverse around the corner there. Back up past the Tech and onwards back to the centre.

Picked up 4 marks, 2 for going too fast at corners at college park (road was wet) and 2 more for progress at junctions (yellow box at market square slowed me up a little)

Have you done your test yet?

Well Done Gucci, you must be so relived. No I have not done mine yet, have applied and doing lessons at moment, should be soon though. Very nervous about it. Did you do lessons? Had you a male or female examiner?

Well done Gucci.

I have my test here next month.....it is at 3 o'clock on a Friday....so I reckon I have a snowballs chance of passing. I was working in Longford last year and it was complete gridlock at Friday afternoons.

Did you go with Sean W's instructor Feather?

SeanW

My route was somewhat similar to yours gucci, only I did the reverse around a corner and hand signals in Ardnacassa after doing the turnabout in Deanscurragh, and took a more roundabout way from the Market Square to the Test Centre (I went right there and down the Athlone Road, cutting thought St. Michaels Terrace back to the Strokestown Road, back to the town centre and out down Water St and past the Tech.)

No complaints about that, since I *really* didn't want to have to go straight through that elongated yellow box traffic looked like it might have been a dodgy call.

There are two messy points on many test routes that someone doing the test in Longford should be aware of.
1: That market square yellow box can be a bitch. Get your instructor to take you through itfrom Earl St to Ballymahon St in the Friday Rush.
2: Most testing routes involve a turn from Great Water Street onto Main Street. Anyone who's familiar with the junction will realise why that is important.

Featherl

Moonbaby wrote: »

Well done Gucci.

I have my test here next month.....it is at 3 o'clock on a Friday....so I reckon I have a snowballs chance of passing. I was working in Longford last year and it was complete gridlock at Friday afternoons.

Did you go with Sean W's instructor Feather?

No didnt go with Seans driving school, lessons with Thomsons on Battery Road at moment..

gucci

SeanW wrote: »

No complaints about that, since I *really* didn't want to have to go straight through that elongated yellow box traffic looked like it might have been a dodgy call.

There are two messy points on many test routes that someone doing the test in Longford should be aware of.
1: That market square yellow box can be a bitch. Get your instructor to take you through it from Earl St to Ballymahon St in the Friday Rush.
2: Most testing routes involve a turn from Great Water Street onto Main Street. Anyone who's familiar with the junction will realise why that is important.

on Point 1: i agree it is a bitch, but id be still there if i hadnt have started to move into it, i didnt block the junction, i just blocked the very end of the yellow box not claiming what i did was the right approach, but i tried to do what i normally would do in that case.

2. Yeah Water Street is a real tester, hill start into a yellow box. If you want to really have a tester then you could have a right turn out of water street and an immediate left turn down lower water street!! I had practiced that a number of times!
To be honest i think water street is easier than market square, just because people give you a break quicker there i feel.

Featherl wrote: »

Well Done Gucci, you must be so relived. No I have not done mine yet, have applied and doing lessons at moment, should be soon though. Very nervous about it. Did you do lessons? Had you a male or female examiner?

I had a male examiner. He was fine, he didnt say anything to me all the way around except the instructions (like he is supposed to) and was not absolutely glaring into my rear view mirror every time i had to make a move!!
I had a female examiner the time i failed, she was grand too, wasn't her fault i failed

Moonbaby wrote: »

Well done Gucci.

I have my test here next month.....it is at 3 o'clock on a Friday....so I reckon I have a snowballs chance of passing. I was working in Longford last year and it was complete gridlock at Friday afternoons.

Did you go with Sean W's instructor Feather?

Traffic was choc-a-block for the time i was there too. To be honest its all the same really, busy just means you will be stopping and starting more often, and it all eats up the time the examiner has for testing you.
You'll be fine, just do a few lessons in busy times in town, keep your distances from the car in front and be vigilantly observant for any pedestrians crossing the street anywhere they feel like it, as is the accepted method in Longford.

gucci

gucci wrote: »

Traffic was choc-a-block for the time i was there too. To be honest its all the same really, busy just means you will be stopping and starting more often, and it all eats up the time the examiner has for testing you.
You'll be fine, just do a few lessons in busy times in town, keep your distances from the car in front and be vigilantly observant for any pedestrians crossing the street anywhere they feel like it, as is the accepted method in Longford.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Wishbone Ash

gucci wrote: »

and be vigilantly observant for any pedestrians crossing the street anywhere they feel like it, as is the accepted method in Longford.

If a pedestrian steps out in front of you during a test, stop the vehicle but do not make any gesture inviting them to continue to cross the street. It's usually an automatic failure to do so.

Just wait and see what they are going to do. If you think that's awkward, just avoid direct eye contact, which should make it easier.

(My brother in law failed the artic test for beckoning a woman with a buggy to cross at the exit of a test centre at the start of his test.)

gucci

Moonbaby wrote: »

Thanks for the encouragement.

trust me you will be grand. think positive and practice driving through the town when its very busy.
Ballymahon street and main street are tricky for people double parking too, so you'll want to try and be watching out for that early as possible.

Best of luck, is it this friday you have it?

gucci

gucci wrote: »

trust me you will be grand. think positive and practice driving through the town when its very busy.
Ballymahon street and main street are tricky for people double parking too, so you'll want to try and be watching out for that early as possible.

Best of luck, is it this friday you have it?

Thanks I need it.
It's not for a couple of weeks yet.
The problem is it will be from 3-4.
So I imagine that I'll have trouble with the primary school behind Tesco and with the carpark coming back in to the social welfare offices.

Did they have a palm pilot? Or were they using a sheet of paper.
I get nervous when people critic my driving, so hopefully they won't make a big deal out of marking my mistakes.

SeanW

yes, in that can be a bitch alright. On one test last year, I was taken down St. Mels road as the kids were getting out, against a large flow of traffic that had the right of way (the road in question is a two lane road but one is blocked by parked cars (legal), meaning in practice the road is one lane with occasional passing places). I had not prepared for that, and needless to say I didn't do very well.

gucci

Moonbaby wrote: »

Thanks I need it.
It's not for a couple of weeks yet.
The problem is it will be from 3-4.
So I imagine that I'll have trouble with the primary school behind Tesco and with the carpark coming back in to the social welfare offices.

Did they have a palm pilot? Or were they using a sheet of paper.
I get nervous when people critic my driving, so hopefully they won't make a big deal out of marking my mistakes.

Well my tester was from the RSA (as in one of the old school guys, not the SGS testers) and he just had a regular marked out sheet of paper for the test.

SeanW wrote: »

yes, in that can be a bitch alright. On one test last year, I was taken down St. Mels road as the kids were getting out, against a large flow of traffic that had the right of way (the road in question is a two lane road but one is blocked by parked cars (legal), meaning in practice the road is one lane with occasional passing places). I had not prepared for that, and needless to say I didn't do very well.

Yes that is really tricky spot there. Also as moonbabys test is between 3 and 4 there will be additional traffic and parked cars at the front and back gates of St Mels secondry school.

Not trying to scare you moonbabay, but just letting you know what you should be prepared for! Preparation is the key. If your doing lessons tell the tutor about the time of your test and what your concerns are, hopefully he can then help you prepare for them. Take an hour or two off work to go through the town on thurs/fri/sat when it is busy so your not intimidated by it.

Skidfingers

Has anyone got any recommendations, what to do, what to avoid, what the testers are like, etc. since the last post is 5 years ago (sorry about that).

Cheers