Unfair fail?

The Young Wan

I've had a tester fail me as he felt I was hesitant on some roads, that I didn't know them. Is that part of the test, or have I been harshly marked?

stealinhorses

Sounds like typical examiner bollocks, just have to get lucky one day with a nice person

Alanstrainor

stealinhorses wrote: »

Sounds like typical examiner bollocks, just have to get lucky one day with a nice person

Failure to progress is a legitimate point to be marked down on.

Mention the reason for the fail to your instructor and work on that. Then do the test again. The appeals process will not result in you being given a PASS. At best all you will get is a free re-test. However I would say it is very unlikely to go that way given what you have said.

stealinhorses

Did you read what he said? He said examiner marked him down for progress, due to not knowing the roads. I understand getting marked down for progress, but to give an additional reason like that is bull****

Alanstrainor

stealinhorses wrote: »

Did you read what he said? He said examiner marked him down for progress, due to not knowing the roads. I understand getting marked down for progress, but to give an additional reason like that is bull****

I read what he said.

He said he was marked down for being hesitant. Not knowing the roads wasn't the reason for the marks.

The Young Wan

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I read what he said.

He said he was marked down for being hesitant. Not knowing the roads wasn't the reason for the marks.

I was told the exact reason was that I was driving like I didn't know the roads. Those were the words used by the examiner.

Also, she. Not he.

Shermanator

The Young Wan wrote: »

I was told the exact reason was that I was driving like I didn't know the roads. Those were the words used by the examiner.

Also, she. Not he.

How do you think you were doing? do you agree with the examiners comment. Do you feel you could have driven in a more positive manner ?

stealinhorses

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I read what he said.

He said he was marked down for being hesitant. Not knowing the roads wasn't the reason for the marks.

The reason for his hesitance was directly linked to not knowing the roads by the examiner. She didn't say OP was being marked down for driving with hesitance, she said the OP was hesitant for not knowing the roads and is therefore being marked down.

Torricelli

Not one bit surprised of your predicament, OP.

Testers are encouraged to fail people. More fails, more money.

JeffKenna

stealinhorses wrote: »

The reason for his hesitance was directly linked to not knowing the roads by the examiner. She didn't say OP was being marked down for driving with hesitance, she said the OP was hesitant for not knowing the roads and is therefore being marked down.

No where does it say the OP didn't know the roads. The fail was because they drove like they didn't know the roads...aka driving hesitant. The OP would have known the test route inside out from their lessons. Fairly standard fail.

Into The Blue

The Young Wan wrote: »

I've had a tester fail me as he felt I was hesitant on some roads, that I didn't know them.

How do you think you did on the roads you don't know?

Alanstrainor

stealinhorses wrote: »

The reason for his hesitance was directly linked to not knowing the roads by the examiner. She didn't say OP was being marked down for driving with hesitance, she said the OP was hesitant for not knowing the roads and is therefore being marked down.

I think you're reading a bit too much into the little detail we have about this. The OP was failed for failure to make sufficient progress. It seems the examiner then mentioned perhaps she didn't know the roads. It seems more likely for an inexperienced driver to drive more slowly than they should on unknown roads. This doesn't make it right however. And that's it. Marked for progress enough times to result in a fail.

There is no conspiracy here. And for those saying that the examiners are out to fail you, or have to make quotas etc. Prove it to us. Show us the evidence. People fail for not being ready, and making mistakes on the exam. A certain % should be expected to fail no matter what.

GrumpyMe

AFAIK there is nowhere on the marking sheet to record knowledge or lack of knowledge of road useds during the test.
Lack of knowledge would naturally affect your rate of progress but in the test situation you can rely on the tester to provide directional instructions in good time - all you need to do is manage the road situation presented and drive to an approved standard.

The "fail" must mean the driver had failed on some of the points that are listed in:

11 – Progress – Making reasonable progress and avoid undue hesitancy when:
• Moving Off
• On the Straight
• Overtaking
• At Cross Junctions
• At Roundabouts
• Turning Right
• Turning Left
• Changing Lanes
• At Traffic Lights

RSA have a booklet - DrivingFault_Marking_Guides.pdf which lists some examples
Examples of ‘Progress’ faults include:
(a) When an applicant intends to turn right and waits at a stop line when traffic lights are on green, and it is feasible to go forward towards the centre of the junction.
(b) Where an applicant waits at a stop line for a green arrow to come on when a full green light is showing.
(c) Where an applicant waits at a stop line for a full green light to come on when a green arrow or flashing amber arrow is showing for the direction to be taken.
(d) Where an applicant does not avail of an acceptable gap in traffic to proceed.
(e) Where an applicant stays too far back from the vehicle in front while driving along.
(f) Where an applicant stops too far back from the vehicle in front. (Not Position Stopping fault.)
(g) Where an applicant makes slow progress on the approach to a left or right turn, having been given a direction by the tester to make the turn.
(h) Where an applicant intends to go directly ahead at a Cross Junction which is controlled by traffic lights, a fault may be recorded for ‘Progress at Traffic Lights’ where the applicant does not proceed on a green light.
(i) Stopping ‘short’ at a junction for no good reason.

I come across every one of these common faults every time I drive for a few miles in the city!

I wish more testers would fail more drivers who exhibit these behaviours! No - that wouldn't fix anything because they would still be out there doing the same thing oblivious of their "lack of progress". So, I wish more drivers would pass their test having displayed that they do know how to behave where "progress" is concerned!

biko

Hesitant can mean he felt that you didn't drive well, and were making him and other drivers around you nervous.
I've seen this hesitation in drivers when I've been a passenger and it's quite disconcerting.