Choosing Test Center in Dublin

monkey24

Hey,

I am living in Dublin and reapplying for my test again . I failed it once in Rathgar, which I deserved. I got another booking for Churchtown. I did 4 pretests before the test in Churchtown, failed the first one by a few grades, got another lesson to correct that and passed the following 3. The test in Churchtown went great, I was 100% sure I passed it. I failed by two marks. I didn't understand them and was totally shocked. They were for changing gears and not reacting to hazards. Even though I didn't come across anything that could resemble a hazard.

Is there any point in being selective about what center you pick. I have heard Churctown is a nightmare to pass not sure how true that is. But I really need to pass the test and I don't think I can drive much better than I did in Churchtown. I also cannot afford to keep paying for lessons, pretests when they have told me I would be fine.

Any suggestions ?
Thanks

Wishbone Ash

monkey24 wrote: »

I didn't come across anything that could resemble a hazard

Therein lies your problem. You obviously didn't see any potential hazards but that doesn't mean you didn't come across any.

Personally, I don't think there is any difference between the centres. You could have made those faults at any centre.

monkey24

You could be right. I am not going to argue that I drove perfectly as I failed the test. I thought I would be more aware of any faults I made. It was a very smooth drive and went so well that it just left me confused. It's difficult to pin point your weaknesses when the tester wouldn't tell me and my instructor/pretests told me I was in great shape.

I will just go for Churchtown again. I can only do Saturdays though so I am assuming I will be in for a long wait. Looks like my car is going to be sitting idle for a while.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Therein lies your problem. You obviously didn't see any potential hazards but that doesn't mean you didn't come across any.

Personally, I don't think there is any difference between the centres. You could have made those faults at any centre.

Savman

monkey24 wrote: »

I failed by two marks.

That means you got 11 grade two faults? Or 4 or more for the same aspect, or 6 under the same heading.

Understanding that report sheet is the first step, find where most of your Grade 2 X's are and concentrate on those. You may not be able to eradicate them completely but you might be able to 'disguise' them for the period of the test.

Reaction to hazards can be a cop out sometimes, but usually means you haven't shown the tester that you've noticed that bus/child/roadworks sign/car pulling out etc etc. If you see anything out of the ordinary, exaggerate your reactions so they know you are aware of it.

Anyway, chin up, reapply and keep at it.

monkey24

Cheers for advise. I got 10 grade 2 results with 4 of them for reaction to hazards, 3 of them were for gear changes. Then I got 1 for a turn left and another for a turn right. I cannot remember what the other was.

I don't really know what the reaction to hazards were. But as you say, I will just have to try and keep this in mind the next time. I failed the first time for observation reasons. So I worked on that and didn't get a mark against me in that area second time around. I didn't get any faults regarding hazards on the first occasion but get 4 on the second with no real obvious differences in my reactions from the first time. The results can just be quite strange.

Back to the drawing board

Savman wrote: »

That means you got 11 grade two faults? Or 4 or more for the same aspect, or 6 under the same heading.

Understanding that report sheet is the first step, find where most of your Grade 2 X's are and concentrate on those. You may not be able to eradicate them completely but you might be able to 'disguise' them for the period of the test.

Reaction to hazards can be a cop out sometimes, but usually means you haven't shown the tester that you've noticed that bus/child/roadworks sign/car pulling out etc etc. If you see anything out of the ordinary, exaggerate your reactions so they know you are aware of it.

Anyway, chin up, reapply and keep at it.

gaz d

Im doing mine on wednesday in tallaght SGS for the first time. they are supposedly easier to pass in. Good Luck anyway.

Wishbone Ash

monkey24 wrote: »

It's difficult to pin point your weaknesses when the tester wouldn't tell me

The examiner is not permitted to discuss the test with you (although some do).

Caychadh

I think they should though.
Rather than a person saying "I can't BELIEVE he failed me, the ****, I drove like a dream" etc.. it would be better to be told by the tester "you completely ran a stop sign" or "one time when you were turning left, you drove right onto a cycle lane without checking your left mirror which could have been very dangerous."
I'd rather be more observant when turning left than going home, scratching my head thinking "reaction to hazards? He was just out to get me" or "I KNEW I should have worn my lucky green jumper; dammit!"

Sorry for ranting! To get back on topic, I know two people who were tested in Churchtown- one passed, one failed. I doubt any route is harder than another (sez me, haven't taken a test yet!) but don't convince yourself that Churchtown is jinxed or tougher than other routes; you don't need a negative frame of mind going into this!
Good luck when you're called again!

Hanley

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The examiner is not permitted to discuss the test with you (although some do).

Why tho? Seems like a bit of a ridiculous notion to me...

"Yup, you were dangerous. What did you do wrong, you ask?? Sorry, can't tell you that. Enjoy your drive home and try not to do that dangerous thing that I won't tell you about.".

markpb

Agreed, it's completely retarted. Who better to tell you what you did wrong than the person who failed you?

L1011

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The examiner is not permitted to discuss the test with you (although some do).

Mine went in to obsessive detail (even though I'd passed!) of the 4 grade twos I had. I've a feeling that its only the utter sticklers that don't.

geurrp the yard

It seems like your unaware of the faults that your making. This might be down to poor driving instructors doing the pre tests with you. Having passed the test in churchtown my advice is to become familar with the general area. Be aware that rathgar and churchtown are the same testers and use quite similar routes. Word of mouth is what i find is the best way to find good instructors. Pm me if you want any recommendations .

monkey24 wrote: »

Looks like my car is going to be sitting idle for a while.

Kinda get out of that attitude if you WANT to pass the test.When your driving, try and be in driving test mode even if your only going down to your local shop or anywere.
Best of luck with the test.

geurrp the yard

markpb wrote: »

Agreed, it's completely retarted. Who better to tell you what you did wrong than the person who failed you?

+1. I think there should be some sort of interaction after the test, to provide in detail the areas in which the failed driver needs to improve on.

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The examiner is not permitted to discuss the test with you (although some do).

Caychadh wrote: »

I think they should though

Hanley wrote: »

Why tho? Seems like a bit of a ridiculous notion to me...

markpb wrote: »

Agreed, it's completely retarted. Who better to tell you what you did wrong than the person who failed you?

geurrp the yard wrote: »

+1. I think there should be some sort of interaction after the test, to provide in detail the areas in which the failed driver needs to improve on.

In an ideal world this would be possible but there is a small section of society who would refuse to accept their shortcomings. If the examiner were to discuss these shortcomings with them, things could get nasty and compromise the safety of the examiner and others. It could also be very time-consuming and a major distraction for other candidates in the waiting room/test room. Under the current system, the examiner can refer the unsuccessful candidate to the appeals procedure.

At least they provide a report sheet. Years ago they just gave you a slip of paper informing you that you were unsuccessful.

MYOB wrote: »

Mine went in to obsessive detail (even though I'd passed!)

As you had already passed you were unlikely to pose any threat. In any tests that I passed, the examiner also pointed out a few mistakes that I had made.

monkey24

Thanks for the advise. I know Churchtown really well. I have been driving for the last 10 months and live in Harolds Cross. I have practiced on the routes and as I said, don't have any difficulty with them. But obviously I am doing something wrong or I would have passed the test. I would of liked to know what the hazards were, just so I could be more aware of them next time.

I am a confident driver so I am looking forward to getting my test again. The reason I said my car would be idle is I am not allowed to drive in it after July 1st. All the rubbish they are spouting about waiting lists is lies. I waited 6 months for my first test, applied again end of October 2007 and waited for another 6 months until it came up again. The 10 weeks is total spin or maybe it is true for certain areas.

geurrp the yard wrote: »

It seems like your unaware of the faults that your making. This might be down to poor driving instructors doing the pre tests with you. Having passed the test in churchtown my advice is to become familar with the general area. Be aware that rathgar and churchtown are the same testers and use quite similar routes. Word of mouth is what i find is the best way to find good instructors. Pm me if you want any recommendations .

Kinda get out of that attitude if you WANT to pass the test.When your driving, try and be in driving test mode even if your only going down to your local shop or anywere.
Best of luck with the test.