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Returning to the office after the test

  • 15-01-2017 12:10PM
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2


    Hi all:

    A quick question. When the driving test is finished, the tester will ask the candidate to accompany her/him to the office for the result.

    My question: is it a requirement to comply with this request? Could the candidate refuse?

    My guess is that if the candidate has passed, the tester will give a signal after the test. Thus, if he/she asks to return to office without saying anything, this is an indication of failure. So, why would the candidate want to return to the office?

    Any thoughts
    Edgar


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,213 ✭✭✭Samsgirl


    I had to go back to the office to be told I.passed and have the certificate of comptency issued. That was 2004, may ve different now.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,519 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    edgarsec wrote: »
    Hi all:

    A quick question. When the driving test is finished, the tester will ask the candidate to accompany her/him to the office for the result.

    My question: is it a requirement to comply with this request? Could the candidate refuse?

    My guess is that if the candidate has passed, the tester will give a signal after the test. Thus, if he/she asks to return to office without saying anything, this is an indication of failure. So, why would the candidate want to return to the office?

    Any thoughts
    Edgar

    That's a sure way to getting a fail.

    Honestly don't go looking for hassle. No some don't tell you until your inside that you have passed.

    That's a bad way to start.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,812 ✭✭✭thelad95


    The tester doesn't tell you whether you've passed or failed until you're back in the office, why would you refuse?

    Admittedly it is a bit of a waste of time though, all they do is give you a piece of paper saying whether you've passed or failed and then explain any faults if you got any, this all could easily be done sitting in the car in the carpark after the test but I suppose because of data protection or something they have to do it in the office.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34,152 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    Perplexing thread.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,519 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    thelad95 wrote: »
    The tester doesn't tell you whether you've passed or failed until you're back in the office, why would you refuse?

    Admittedly it is a bit of a waste of time though, all they do is give you a piece of paper saying whether you've passed or failed and then explain any faults if you got any, this all could easily be done sitting in the car in the carpark after the test but I suppose because of data protection or something they have to do it in the office.

    One reason would be for copy of sheet and also in some cases for safety as some get extremely aggressive or upset.

    At least they can't drive off right away.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,420 ✭✭✭✭athtrasna


    Also you get the sheet that shows how you did, how many faults of each type etc. If you failed it will give you an idea of what you need to work on for next time. Even if you pass it's helpful to see faults and how close you came to failing.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2 edgarsec


    Thanks for the replies.

    Okay I guess you have to take a gamble, then. If you think you have failed, why go through the embarrassment of going back to the office? What possible gain is there?

    I went back last time, and it was utterly humiliating to be told you failed when you are surrounded by others that have passed.

    My American driving tester issued my certificate in the car!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 199 ✭✭Hana98


    It's not really a big deal. I failed the car test a good few times. I would have rather been crying in the office than the car park to be honest. It's not humiliating at all. There's always others in the same boat as you


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,345 ✭✭✭doolox


    Its probably established practice to return to the office before saying anything about the results in order to avoid emotional interference with the candidates driving abilities or lack thereof.....

    Has it ever happened that a test was abandoned and the tester had to take over driving the test car when faced with a candidate bad enough to be an immediate danger to themselves and other road users?

    What is the law regarding driving to and from the centre?

    Does a candidate have to bring a qualified driver with them on the day of the test to get to and from the centre legally?

    Can a third party accompany the tester and the candidate in the car during the test when faced with cultures which frown on encounters between single female relatives and strange men??


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,519 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    To answer yes it has happened where driving was so bad they would take over.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 662 ✭✭✭clairek6


    I passed and was brought back to the office. I know I had to fill in my details on an iPad which may not have worked without wifi.. suits the examiner too he has to go back anyways for the next candidate


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,878 ✭✭✭dennyk


    When I passed my test, the tester gave no indication of the result until we were back in the office at his desk and he went through his official spiel. You're gonna have to go back into the office to get your result, so just be prepared for it either way. Half the people who take the test fail, and many of those people who passed may well have failed themselves on their last try, so it's not like they're going to be judging you; they'd be sympathetic if anything, I'm sure, but most likely they're too concerned with their own result to pay any attention to yours anyway.
    doolox wrote: »
    What is the law regarding driving to and from the centre? Does a candidate have to bring a qualified driver with them on the day of the test to get to and from the centre legally?

    Legally, yes, you are never supposed to drive without a qualified accompanying driver on a learner's permit, and you are still a learner driver until you have actually received your full license from the NDLS, even after you've passed your test. Now, whether the tester will care how you arrived is anyone's guess, though. I drove to my test alone and stuck my L plates up in the test centre parking lot (technically legal for me, as I had a full foreign license and insurance under same, and I was allowed to drive alone on that since I hadn't been resident here for a year yet). The tester didn't say anything about the fact that no one was accompanying me, and it evidently didn't make any difference on my test as I passed with just a couple Grade 2s. If you are truly just a learner without another full license, though, I wouldn't recommend flaunting the law; besides the tester, there's always a chance of getting done by the Gardai for being unaccompanied, which carries penalty points.
    doolox wrote: »
    Can a third party accompany the tester and the candidate in the car during the test when faced with cultures which frown on encounters between single female relatives and strange men??

    I believe the RSA may allow some testees to be accompanied on the test if it is for religious or medical reasons, but you'd have to contact them in advance to make arrangements, as I believe they must also send a supervisor along on the test. Whether they'd make such an exemption for "cultural" reasons as opposed to religious, I don't know.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,210 ✭✭✭pablo128


    A mate of mine was doing the test in Tallaght, and fcuked it up royally. I cant remember what exactly he did wrong but it was a serious mistake. He got flustered then and made a few more mistakes. Anyway he stopped in Tallaght village and told the tester to get out, and drove home.

    Apparently the tester wasn't a happy bunny.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,380 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    edgarsec wrote: »
    Thanks for the replies.

    Okay I guess you have to take a gamble, then. If you think you have failed, why go through the embarrassment of going back to the office? What possible gain is there?

    I went back last time, and it was utterly humiliating to be told you failed when you are surrounded by others that have passed.

    My American driving tester issued my certificate in the car!

    What's so embarrassing about it? No-one else is going to know how you did. They don't announce it or ring any bells for passing.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 801 ✭✭✭Mary63


    I would think they bring you into the office for their own safety, I wouldn't like to be sitting in a parked car with a very angry person especially if he or she had locked the doors..


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,239 ✭✭✭Lurching


    Maybe concentrate on your driving and not whether or not you'll have to go back to the office or not.
    If you're already worried about something like this before you start your test, you're concentration will be in the wrong place during the test.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 5,903 Mod ✭✭✭✭irish_goat


    pablo128 wrote: »
    A mate of mine was doing the test in Tallaght, and fcuked it up royally. I cant remember what exactly he did wrong but it was a serious mistake. He got flustered then and made a few more mistakes. Anyway he stopped in Tallaght village and told the tester to get out, and drove home.

    Apparently the tester wasn't a happy bunny.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,164 ✭✭✭J_R


    Hi,

    Perhaps this is why he wants to be sitting behind his desk when he impart the bad news ?

    uc?export=download&id=0BxptATNNxj1jUzgzaFFKcm4zdjA


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,117 ✭✭✭✭neris


    the testers dont bring you back to humiliate you. being back in the office gives you a more relaxed time to ask them questions about where you went wrong or mistakes you made. majority of testers are friendly, easy going and helpful especially after the test whether you pass or fail they,ll have advice or pointers for you.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 262 ✭✭Claireyy


    neris wrote: »
    the testers dont bring you back to humiliate you. being back in the office gives you a more relaxed time to ask them questions about where you went wrong or mistakes you made. majority of testers are friendly, easy going and helpful especially after the test whether you pass or fail they,ll have advice or pointers for you.

    Don't agree with this at all. Failed my test for the third time yesterday morning. I had 8 grade 2s and 1 Grade 3. The grade 3 was given to me because the windows had become fogged up. It was then recorded as something completely different on my marking sheet.

    When I asked to discuss this further, I was refused. Going back into the office is a complete waste of time, imo. In fact, being handed a sheet and told to apply for a second learner's permit is extremely patronising. I'm hardly going to need another learner's permit if I have just sat the full test.

    The second attempt was the same. The instructor refused to discuss my errors when back in the office. He was also wincing during the test and on one point he raised his voice to me because a motorcylist pulled out from a footpath right in front of me. This shouldn't have happened as he should not have been exiting from where he did and yet I was given an automatic fail.

    All of my experiences doing the test have been awful and the instructors are nothing but a horrible bunch of money-grabbers who will find any reason to fail you.

    Friendly, easy-going and helpful, don't make me laugh.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,906 ✭✭✭TallGlass


    Claireyy wrote: »
    Don't agree with this at all. Failed my test for the third time yesterday morning. I had 8 grade 2s and 1 Grade 3. The grade 3 was given to me because the windows had become fogged up. It was then recorded as something completely different on my marking sheet.

    When I asked to discuss this further, I was refused. Going back into the office is a complete waste of time, imo. In fact, being handed a sheet and told to apply for a second learner's permit is extremely patronising. I'm hardly going to need another learner's permit if I have just sat the full test.

    The second attempt was the same. The instructor refused to discuss my errors when back in the office. He was also wincing during the test and on one point he raised his voice to me because a motorcylist pulled out from a footpath right in front of me. This shouldn't have happened as he should not have been exiting from where he did and yet I was given an automatic fail.

    All of my experiences doing the test have been awful and the instructors are nothing but a horrible bunch of money-grabbers who will find any reason to fail you.

    Friendly, easy-going and helpful, don't make me laugh.

    I think you need to ease up and just take advise on board and you might end up passing the test.

    Motorcycles or cars pulling out from roads happens all the time. You've to plan ahead for it, he might have thought you seen what was unfolding in front of you and when it became clear to him that you hadn't, raising his voice might have been the only thing he could do at that stage.

    As for the OP just go to the office and find out, if he says fail, just walk off. You don't need to hang around then.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,990 ✭✭✭nhunter100


    edgarsec wrote:
    My question: is it a requirement to comply with this request? Could the candidate refuse?


    Why would you refuse? What's to be gained by behaving like a numpty?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 262 ✭✭Claireyy


    nhunter100 wrote: »
    Why would you refuse? What's to be gained by behaving like a numpty?

    Because it's absolutely not necessary. The only reason that was even introduced is because instructors were being assaulted in the car. Sitting in the office with them is a complete waste of time. All they do is fill out a sheet. They don't discuss your errors. "Which roundabout did this happen? I can't remember now etc."


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,990 ✭✭✭nhunter100


    Claireyy wrote:
    Because it's absolutely not necessary. The only reason that was even introduced is because instructors were being assaulted in the car. Sitting in the office with them is a complete waste of time. All they do is fill out a sheet. They don't discuss your errors. "Which roundabout did this happen? I can't remember now etc."


    Do you realise you contradict yourself in your second sentence?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 8,947 ✭✭✭cml387


    Claireyy wrote: »
    Because it's absolutely not necessary. The only reason that was even introduced is because instructors were being assaulted in the car. Sitting in the office with them is a complete waste of time. All they do is fill out a sheet. They don't discuss your errors. "Which roundabout did this happen? I can't remember now etc."
    If,as you claim, instructors were being assaulted then I'd say it's absolutely necessary.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,122 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    Claireyy wrote: »
    ...When I asked to discuss this further, I was refused.
    ... The instructor refused to discuss my errors when back in the office....
    The tester is not permitted enter into a discussion about the reasons why you were unsuccessful.

    You are entitled to apply to the District Court for a retest if you feel you have a grievance.


    Claireyy wrote:
    He was also wincing during the test and on one point he raised his voice to me because a motorcylist pulled out from a footpath right in front of me. This shouldn't have happened as he should not have been exiting from where he did and yet I was given an automatic fail.
    The fact that it shouldn't happen is irrelevant. Everyday people are confronted with things that shouldn't have happen but do. The tester needs to know that you acted properly following someone else's error/bad driving. The fact that the tester winced leads me to think you didn't react correctly.
    Claireyy wrote:
    the instructors are nothing but a horrible bunch of money-grabbers who will find any reason to fail you.
    Instructors merely instruct, they don't examine people. Tester are on a fixed wage so I don't see how they can be 'money grabbers'. The testers don't fail people, people fail themselves.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 262 ✭✭Claireyy


    Yeah and I failed because my windows were slightly foggy? Also, that's a ridiculous notion. Imagine going to the dentist and him refusing to discuss what's wrong with your teeth. If you are paying that much you should be able to discuss your mistakes so it shouldn't happen again.

    And as for testers being assaulted, what does that say. They're protecting themselves. That's the only reason they bring you into the office.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 902 ✭✭✭Cows Go µ


    I must have been really lucky doing my test. The first guy was dead silent but I could actually feel the disapproval. In fairness though, I wasn't ready. I'd had a few lessons when I first started driving to get me going then after a year of driving with my mum, I'd picked up lots of bad habits. I only went for one lesson more lesson to prep for the test and that wasn't enough time to unlearn everything (I did it before the compulsory lessons). I deserved the disapproval. He basically told me I needed to do more lessons which I did.

    The second time, I had a good few more lessons to get ready. But the second tester really helped, he could tell I was super nervous so started talking to me on the way to the car and had me (mostly) relaxed. I'm so glad he did because I wouldn't have passed without him doing that.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 627 ✭✭✭Pete Moss


    Claireyy wrote: »
    Because it's absolutely not necessary. The only reason that was even introduced is because instructors were being assaulted in the car. Sitting in the office with them is a complete waste of time. All they do is fill out a sheet. They don't discuss your errors. "Which roundabout did this happen? I can't remember now etc."

    Well then, for that reason of tester safety alone, it is necessary.

    I passed second time around, so I've experienced getting bad and good news in the test centre. Either time, I found re-entering the test centre after the test was not that big of a deal, it's basically the results stage of the test, but I can see why some may be anxious about it.
    To be honest though, if you're dreading the thoughts of being told whether you passed or failed in the test centre, then I'd try remove that from your mind as it'll increase anxiety and, most likely, affect your driving on the day.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,122 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    Claireyy wrote: »
    Yeah and I failed because my windows were slightly foggy? Also, that's a ridiculous notion. Imagine going to the dentist and him refusing to discuss what's wrong with your teeth. If you are paying that much you should be able to discuss your mistakes so it shouldn't happen again.

    And as for testers being assaulted, what does that say. They're protecting themselves. That's the only reason they bring you into the office.
    You have a lot to learn!


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