Test in Finglas - any advice?

AdmiringWig

Hi all,

I have my Driving Test next week in Finglas, and i'm really just wondering if there's anything particularly tricky in this area that could cause me to screw up.

I've driven around the area with my instructor but just wondering if anyone had any experience on this test route?

Quite nervous about it...and lots more practice and theory book reading to do before then!!

Thanks...:)

Faith+1

Finglas is a very busy route. Plenty of vehicles, obstructions, children playing etc.... One thing that you are aware of is those bloody ramps are everywhere. Try your best to drive your car over the ramp .i.e Wheels either side and stay in second gear.

If the speed limit says 50kph then do 50kph unless it's unsafe to do so, otherwise you'll be marked for progress.
Use your mirrors alot, every 5-10 seconds. When pulling off always check your blind spot as well .i.e Turn your head to see what's behind you.

But the most important thing I'd say is try to look confident, I know your nerves will be all over the place but if the examiner see's that you are prepared and focused he might be less likely to mark the sheet.

af_thefragile

Don't drive slow. Drive like you've been driving for years. Don't slow down too much before corners, keep the car moving at good speed through the turns. Keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times except when changing gears and indicating etc.
Don't slow down too much while overtaking parked cars. If you can go past the parked cars at normal speed then go past at normal speed or else you'll get marked for reaction to hazard. The parked cars are a hazard and you overreacted and slowed down too much, so don't do that.

The tester hates nothing more than an overcautious driver. If you look nervous and are driving slower than you normally would, the tester will fail you. You will get marked on progress, reaction to hazards, position and observation while taking corners etc.

Don't look too much in your mirrors, keep your eyes on the road. Before every corner, roundabout, changing lanes etc. do the mirror-signal-mirror once, do the maneuver and drive off.
Its very important to look confident and like you know what you're doing. Most people fail because they become too nervous and then start driving around overcautiously and slowly. Just drive normally, don't drive any slower than the speed limit (or traffic conditions) and don't slow down too much before corners, when overtaking parked cars, cyclists, in housing estates etc.

mojesius

AdmiringWig wrote: »

Hi all,

I have my Driving Test next week in Finglas, and i'm really just wondering if there's anything particularly tricky in this area that could cause me to screw up.

I've driven around the area with my instructor but just wondering if anyone had any experience on this test route?

Quite nervous about it...and lots more practice and theory book reading to do before then!!

Thanks...:)

I have my test there next week too, bricking it!

I'm not sure if your instructor brought you into the test centre yet, but it's in an industrial estate with a good few turns and junctions so just remember to indicate at every little turn in the estate. Also, mine told me to park in one of the spaces with no cars near it that you can drive straight out of so you don't have to reverse - keep it as simple for yourself as possible!

mojesius

Faith+1 wrote: »

Finglas is a very busy route. Plenty of vehicles, obstructions, children playing etc.... One thing that you are aware of is those bloody ramps are everywhere. Try your best to drive your car over the ramp .i.e Wheels either side and stay in second gear. .

I noticed the flurry of ramps too, nearly took off going over one during a lesson this week - should be great fun.

Max Power1

Faith+1 wrote: »

Finglas is a very busy route. Plenty of vehicles, obstructions, children playing etc.... One thing that you are aware of is those bloody ramps are everywhere. Try your best to drive your car over the ramp .i.e Wheels either side and stay in second gear.

If the speed limit says 50kph then do 50kph unless it's unsafe to do so, otherwise you'll be marked for progress.
Use your mirrors alot, every 5-10 seconds. When pulling off always check your blind spot as well .i.e Turn your head to see what's behind you.

But the most important thing I'd say is try to look confident, I know your nerves will be all over the place but if the examiner see's that you are prepared and focused he might be less likely to mark the sheet.

Do not do this (bolded) too obviously though.If you swerve obviously to go between rather than over the ramp, you will get marked for reaction to hazard.

AdmiringWig

Thanks for all the advice. Yeah, those mini roundabouts can be a bit tricky.

With all the ramps, i've been going over them in 3rd gear. Which i assume is ok because my adi never said anything about it.

Reversing around the corner has become the bain of my life! But i figure as long as you don't mind the kerb the worst you can get is a blue mark.

Here's hoping!...

thomasjad

Don't drive too slow, I failed first time for progress, also when there were ramps i just didn't bother speeding up between them and stayed at a constant speed for which I failed..only other advice is to relax and listen to the tester, don't start until they said it, I was in such a rush to get going that when I thought he was done talking at the start I just started going, he made me turn off the car and take out the keys which really didn't help my confidence

MascotDec85

Some of the road markings in Finglas are a bit feint so be careful if you are turning or emerging right that you don't cut across the markings or you'll be marked

cassiedoll

i did my driving test in finglas last week and passed....

i was taken thru an estate in glasnevin for the majority of the test and the first thing i had to do was the hill start, then the reverse around the corner and then the turnabout.

i will say that on my pretest....we did mostly finglas but did venture into finglas at all...

i only had to do one roundabout, and none of those mini roundabouts that are painted on to the road...thank god.

i was very surprised to be brought down glasnevin avenue and up the ballymun road and the then through the back of ballymun to bring me back to finglas...

i did get some grade 2 faults....for turning left and right (not using mirrors) and observation on my reversing around corners...so remember look over both shoulders and use all your mirrors till u have completed it...

if you get brought up the back of ballymun i only did 35 kmh cos it was quite busyand i thought i was going to slow as people started to overtake me but he didnt. he made some comment about people being in a rush.

know all your hand signals cos i was asked all of them.....

best of luck....

cassiedoll

p.s.....there is a lot of ramps and i bounced over the ramps...they say you are meant to make the journey as smooth as possible for the tester....well i didnt...and i wasnt marked for them...i think i did bout 50% ramps nice and smooth but after that...ur man nearly dropped is pen when i went over some of them.

dublin guitar camp

do it else where, finglas instructors are idiots out to fail 7 out of ten people,

cosmic

dublin guitar camp wrote: »

do it else where, finglas instructors are idiots out to fail 7 out of ten people,

Do you have a link to back up that statistic?

andrew163

Most of the parking spaces in Finglas are two sided (i.e. you can drive in forward one side, and drive straight out the other side). Try to park in these ones.

However, beware the few in the corner with a small, half-foot-high concrete thing in front of them. It's very easy to forget they're there, and crash into them :pac:Luckily I only did it after I'd passed

dublin guitar camp

ya it says 37 on d website but its now lower according the adi

the_syco

Test on monday myself. Doing a pre-test on Saturday. Hope all goes well. Failed 3 times in Naas, so not going back there. The other two places near me in Dublin have the highest fail rates in Dublin, so Finglas it is.

Now I just need to find the place on a map...

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Elli-May

the_syco wrote: »

Test on monday myself. Doing a pre-test on Saturday. Hope all goes well. Failed 3 times in Naas, so not going back there. The other two places near me in Dublin have the highest fail rates in Dublin, so Finglas it is.

Now I just need to find the place on a map...

dya mind me askin what kinda things you failed in naas for? have a test there soon so might help knowing what the bad points there are