Asking tester to point

conf101

Hey all, just got a date for my test today. Have taken loads of lessons and should be well prepared but still very nervous. Just got a quick question. My instructor has told me that he has had people before who get easily confused between left and right and they have asked their tester to point either left or right as well as telling them which direction to turn. He reckons that it's a good idea to do this even if you don't get confused because it's one less thing to worry about and on the day when you're nervous/under pressure you may well accidentaly take a wrong turn anyway and although you can't be failed for this you don't want to piss off the instructor.

I think I'm gonna do this anyway because I don't get confused between left and right but I know I'm gonna be p*ssing it on the day so I don't wanna mix them up then. Anyone done it before? I also don't wanna seem like a fool in front of the tester or make him think that I'm weak on any aspect of driving before we even get into the car.

NothingMan

conf101 wrote: »

Hey all, just got a date for my test today. Have taken loads of lessons and should be well prepared but still very nervous. Just got a quick question. My instructor has told me that he has had people before who get easily confused between left and right and they have asked their tester to point either left or right as well as telling them which direction to turn. He reckons that it's a good idea to do this even if you don't get confused because it's one less thing to worry about and on the day when you're nervous/under pressure you may well accidentaly take a wrong turn anyway and although you can't be failed for this you don't want to piss off the instructor.

I think I'm gonna do this anyway because I don't get confused between left and right but I know I'm gonna be p*ssing it on the day so I don't wanna mix them up then. Anyone done it before? I also don't wanna seem like a fool in front of the tester or make him think that I'm weak on any aspect of driving before we even get into the car.

As far as I know they are suppose to give a point in the direction. Not a big sweeping gesture but a slight hand gesture.
The guy I was out with did anyway.

I'm sure you'll be grand anyway. It's a right of passage, we all gotta do it once... Or ten times, but you're not my Mother so once'll do.

lynchpin

Under pressure I always confuse my left from my right and vice-versa but tbh it wasn't a problem on the test at all.

I read a great tip somewhere that you could write an L and an R on the back of each of your hands between your thumb and index finger.

That way on the test when the tester gives you directions you can just glance at your hands (in front of you in the 10-to-20 position on the steering wheel) and proceed accordingly.

Del2005

I confused my hand signals when doing one of my tests. Only copped on when I had to do the left turn for a points person, the tester asked me to do them again when I realised. I also made a turn I wasn't supposed to on the bike test, nothing came of it.

Would you not be better off looking at the road then at the tester pointing? You're allowed to make mistakes on your test, it's how you react to them that they check, and asking to be pointed around junctions would confuse me more then thinking of left or right.

x in the city

If you dont know left and right, you shouldn't be driving tbh...!

The key thing here is concentration/. Good luck in the test. Use the mirrors a lot and slow down in housing estates and look around you at junctions (in estates) in case people, cars, footballs etc are veering across the road....:rolleyes:

it all counts..


also don't daddle too much, instructors want confident drivers, who can go thru gears confidently, use the hand brake and so forth.

good luck!

brian076

x in the city wrote: »

If you dont know left and right, you shouldn't be driving tbh...!

It's not a question of knowing your left & right, when you're driving on your own you'll generally know which way to go and it's not an issue, but under the stress of a driving test it's very easy to confuse directions.

It's ok to mention to the tester before you leave the centre that you sometimes mix up left & right and ask him to point where possible. Some testers will take this on board and some won't. Despite what a previous poster said, the tester is not meant to point, they'll just give the direction in good time, however they will generally repeat the instruction again if they think you haven't understood.

Before you leave the test centre, the tester will also say to you "I'll tell you in good time when to turn left or right otherwise follow the course of the road, and if you have any doubts about my directions, please ask me to repeat or clarify them"

If you do go wrong don't worry, he'll get you back on track.

Wishbone Ash

x in the city wrote: »

instructors want confident drivers

No - they prefer competent drivers! Many incompetent drivers have lots of confidence.

conf101

Thanks for all the advice!

TBH I can see how, when very nervous and under pressure, people would take a wrong turn on a test, I know people who have done it. It's nothing to do with not knowing your right and left. And it's not like you'd be looking at the tester either, but out of the corner of your eye you'd see if he was pointing in a certain direction!

I reckon I'll say it to the tester anyway, even though I haven't had problems with it up to now. I'd hate to fail the test and then look back and realise that if I had asked the tester to point then I probably wouldn't have failed!

Nothing to lose and (possibly) a lot to gain!