Failed driving test

arcticoptimism

I failed my first test today with 10 grade 2's and 2 grade 3's! I would consider myself an okay driver but I think my nerves got to me very badly today so I did bad.
I've reapplied for a cancellation and I'm hoping for one before the end of the year. Can anyone give me advice to help me pass the next time?

Dravokivich

Everyone thinks they're a good driver.

Do you understand why you got so many grade 2's and 2 grade 3's?

Speak with an instructor. They should be in a position to assess your driving and give you excercises to work on.

arcticoptimism

It was coming up to a roundabout and he didn't tell me until literally the last second which exit I was going to. Because I was unsure, I stayed in the left hand lane but I safely moved to the right hand lane using my mirrors and indicators. He gave me a grade 3 for being in the wrong lane and another grade 3 for a "dangerous manoeuvre" to the right hand lane, even though I checked and moved when it was safe to do so.

dennyk

Just a tip: if that happens again, just take the correct exit for your current lane and position (or make the other correct maneuver, e.g. turning from a turn-only lane or continuing straight on from a straight-only lane) rather than making a late adjustment. They cannot mark you down for accidentally deviating from the test route so long as you don't commit any actual driving faults in the process. And if they're being too late with their directions regularly, you can ask them to give them earlier, and you can also ask them to clarify any directions that were unclear.

arcticoptimism

Thank you dennyk!

dennyk

dennyk wrote: »

Just a tip: if that happens again, just take the correct exit for your current lane and position (or make the other correct maneuver, e.g. turning from a turn-only lane or continuing straight on from a straight-only lane) rather than making a late adjustment. They cannot mark you down for accidentally deviating from the test route so long as you don't commit any actual driving faults in the process. And if they're being too late with their directions regularly, you can ask them to give them earlier, and you can also ask them to clarify any directions that were unclear.

Just on this point, I'm not sure you are correct about the bold part. I passed my test about 5 months ago and I posted in here about an error I'd made.

Essentially, I was in the lane for turning right at a crossroads instead of the one for going straight ahead (at the 6 position on a clock, aiming to turn towards 3 but he wanted me to go to 12). I contemplated taking the right turn, then doing a U-turn and coming back to the junction from the 3 o'clock and turning right towards the 12. I wasn't sure if there would have been a suitable/legal spot for the U-Turn so I indicated left, changed into the correct lane after waiting for a gap in traffic and continued straight.

When it was all over I queried that incident with him and he said "you made a mistake, so I gave you a grade 2, but you dealt with it correctly and recovered well". I told him about my first instinct being to turn right and double back and his exact words were "that would have been an immediate disqualification".

I said "wow, an instant fail?...is that because it would count as a grade 3?" and he said "No, not a fail, a disqualification.....A grade 3 means you continue the test. If you're disqualified....you are asked to return to the test centre immediately".

I was more relieved than anything, so I didn't press him any further. When I mentioned it to my instructor, she said it might be to prevent people from 'accidentally' avoiding tricky parts of a particular route that they know they may have trouble with, or to favour a route they're more comfortable with.

It may be different in the OPs scenario, but that's what he said about mine. So, just be careful folks.

Kenno90

I completely believe what you just said, but i was on a pretest and was meant to turn left but 'forgot' and went straight instead.

I handled it well but he said "it doesn't matter if you make a wrong turn, the instructor knows the area well and will redirect you."

Thats a problem with driving tests in Ireland, its based on the discretion of the tester. Some could fail you, others might not even give you a grade 2. Its ridiculous and needs to be consistent.

BadSanta

Sorry to hear that. hope you passed the next time..

Guys I just passed my CPC2 today and planning to book my CPC3 Driving test soon. I'm confused about 6 months learner to sit for the test of that is only for Lower Category like motorcycle and car?

I'm here in Dublin any advice is much appreciated. sorry for my English as this is not my first language at home.

dennyk

Deleted User wrote: »

When it was all over I queried that incident with him and he said "you made a mistake, so I gave you a grade 2, but you dealt with it correctly and recovered well". I told him about my first instinct being to turn right and double back and his exact words were "that would have been an immediate disqualification".

I said "wow, an instant fail?...is that because it would count as a grade 3?" and he said "No, not a fail, a disqualification.....A grade 3 means you continue the test. If you're disqualified....you are asked to return to the test centre immediately".

He was either bull****ting you, or he would have been violating RSA guidelines if he failed you simply for accidentally taking a wrong turn. Per the RSA Driving Fault Marking Guide:

Where an applicant inadvertently goes off the route, or misses a turn, a fault should not be recorded when it is done safely. However, any fault which occurs subsequently should be recorded.

Now, the testers can choose to curtail the test for safety reasons due to dangerous driving, so it's possible that he meant he would have stopped the test if you'd tried to make a dangerous U-turn maneuver or something to get back on the route. I'd guess they could also curtail the test if you completely ignored the tester's instructions and just drove around wherever you wanted, as well, but making a single wrong turn should absolutely not lead to an "instant fail" or even a mark (there's no applicable category on their fault marking form). Unfortunately if oversight and accountability are lacking, that may not prevent a pissed-off tester from marking or failing you improperly.

Dravokivich

I did the test 3 times. Each time the examiner said don't worry about taking wrong direction. Or if direction was unclear to ask for it to be repeated. It's your driving they are assessing, not your navigation skills.

chancer12

My daughter failed yesterday, category 3 for incorrect position turning right, no road markings at the junction but he said she should have driven farther forward before turning. seems v arbitrary. My real issue now is that she can't apply another test for at least 3 weeks. The RSA are saying that 3 weeks isn't too big a deal as most people are waiting 15 plus weeks. What planet are these people on? She needs the licence for a new job in January and could lose this if she doesn't get the test. She's a good driver and her instructor was v surprised she failed. They don't have any cancellations and it seems we now have to ring every day on the offchance that there is a cancellation in 3 weeks time. Actually getting to speak to someone took me 25 mins. Just venting but the system of having to wait is putting obstacles in the way of young people trying to secure work in a very competitive environment.

tipptom

chancer12 wrote: »

My daughter failed yesterday, category 3 for incorrect position turning right, no road markings at the junction but he said she should have driven farther forward before turning. seems v arbitrary. My real issue now is that she can't apply another test for at least 3 weeks. The RSA are saying that 3 weeks isn't too big a deal as most people are waiting 15 plus weeks. What planet are these people on? She needs the licence for a new job in January and could lose this if she doesn't get the test. She's a good driver and her instructor was v surprised she failed. They don't have any cancellations and it seems we now have to ring every day on the offchance that there is a cancellation in 3 weeks time. Actually getting to speak to someone took me 25 mins. Just venting but the system of having to wait is putting obstacles in the way of young people trying to secure work in a very competitive environment.

Its a disgrace that this quango are making people wait 15 weeks to get a retest while the incompetent minister trys to double down on persecuting learner drivers based on dodgy figures about provisional drivers and accidents.

The worst drivers I see on the roads today are older people and if they cause an accident wit a provisional driver it is the provisional driver who is cited for statistics.

This minister and his quango should be working to sort out this backlog and give young people a fair shake at getting their full licence and re-tests in faster times so these kids can get to work legally.

The money and days of from school to go for even the theory test with stupid questions that make no sense and any of the three answers which could be correct but fail on the question if their answer is not arrived at is really annoying at the level of stupidity.

Then on to more money for an eye test and medical, more time out to be forced into getting a public services if the kid has no passport etc.

All this while paying through the nose at every juncture while dealing with staff who treat you as an inconvenience to their day

chancer12

TBH, it was the attitude today that really got to me. "Some people are waiting 15 - 19 weeks", as if this was ok, grrrr. My daughter is in a temporary job and has just secured her first permanent position. There's extensive training in the first couple of weeks and she won't be able to take time off to do another test. So, she has to have it done and passed by Christmas. This system is a total ripoff, when her brother passed his test 10 years ago there was no requirement for 12 lessons and the pass rate was approx 55% in Tallaght. They now have to take 12 lessons, can't drive on their own and the pass rate is 43%. Someone should question Lord Ross on that.

I overheard another student who failed yesterday. He told his dad he had gotten the same guy again and he failed him on a different set of criteria. The dad was chatting with another parent while he was waiting and he said 'he should get it this time, he's passed the pre-test and I've done the route with him on numerous occasions. And, he failed. My daughter did two pre's with an ex-examiner and he advised her to leave greater distance with the cars in front. She was failed on leaving too great a distance. So, we have no option but to wait 3 weeks and see if we can get a cancellation, take more unpaid leave from work and hope for the best. But, the idea that she can't get an appointment during that time even if there is a cancellation is just ridiculous.

chancer12

chancer12 wrote: »

TBH, it was the attitude today that really got to me. "Some people are waiting 15 - 19 weeks", as if this was ok, grrrr. My daughter is in a temporary job and has just secured her first permanent position. There's extensive training in the first couple of weeks and she won't be able to take time off to do another test. So, she has to have it done and passed by Christmas. This system is a total ripoff, when her brother passed his test 10 years ago there was no requirement for 12 lessons and the pass rate was approx 55% in Tallaght. They now have to take 12 lessons, can't drive on their own and the pass rate is 43%. Someone should question Lord Ross on that.

I overheard another student who failed yesterday. He told his dad he had gotten the same guy again and he failed him on a different set of criteria. The dad was chatting with another parent while he was waiting and he said 'he should get it this time, he's passed the pre-test and I've done the route with him on numerous occasions. And, he failed. My daughter did two pre's with an ex-examiner and he advised her to leave greater distance with the cars in front. She was failed on leaving too great a distance. So, we have no option but to wait 3 weeks and see if we can get a cancellation, take more unpaid leave from work and hope for the best. But, the idea that she can't get an appointment during that time even if there is a cancellation is just ridiculous.

I feel for your daughter completely, I've failed 3 times now, and the previous two times I really should have passed! My most recent fail was last week and I was pretty annoyed as I'm moving abroad in January so can't afford to wait around for a re test. My advice is to tell your daughter to ring them to check for cancellation tests every day. If she explains her circumstances they will try get her a test soon. A lot of it depends who you get on the phone, I rang every day for a week before I finally got someone really helpful on the phone who was willing to waive the 3 week wait time for me! Also if she's willing to do the test in a number of different centres that will increase her odds of getting a cancellation. I now have another test for next week, I'd better pass this time...

Wishbone Ash

tipptom wrote: »

....The worst drivers I see on the roads today are older people ...

If that was actually the case, motor insurance would be much higher for older drivers but it isn't. Motor insurance is calculated on claims settled and bearing in mind that older drivers are much more likely to make a claim than younger drivers, it further emphasizes that younger drivers are statistically much more dangerous on the roads.

caldew

Pity the test isn't self assessment. You would all have passed.


I wonder why it isn't?

tipptom

caldew wrote: »

Pity the test isn't self assessment. You would all have passed.


I wonder why it isn't?

Pity this country doesn't have an assessment to exclude smartasses making fun of kids frustrated at not passing their test.

I wonder why it doesn't?

chancer12

Best of luck for next week, fingers crossed for you. Post how you do

arcticoptimism

Best of luck piratequeen! let us know how you do!

Failed by a single mistake which cost me 1 grade 2 and 1 grade 3... Accidently went too far past the line turning right at some traffic lights and the light turned red as the car in front of me turned. I hesitated about whether I should go or not but I didn't think I was blocking the junction where I was and I didn't want to break a red light. Turns out that was the wrong move and I should have gone, got a grade 3 for it. Devastated and so was my tester, only had 3 grade 2s otherwise.

smcg64

I would like to know how many people in this country are outraged with the RSA and the way they conduct Driving Tests?

MissShihTzu

smcg64 wrote: »

I would like to know how many people in this country are outraged with the RSA and the way they conduct Driving Tests?

Outrage for wanting to test the competency of people wishing to drive unaccompanied on these roads, with one of the easiest tests in the EU?

Ooookay....

MascotDec85

smcg64 wrote: »

I would like to know how many people in this country are outraged with the RSA and the way they conduct Driving Tests?

What’s your specific issue?

Posy

I passed my test earlier this year, on the second attempt. About 6 weeks after reapplying, I got another test date, but changed it online to a date later on which suited me better.

I found my first and second testers both fair and they were both very nice, giving me helpful feedback.

So I'm not outraged with the RSA- just my opinion; speaking as someone from the 'class of 2019'.

LorelaiG

I passed first time last week. I found my tester to be very polite and very fair. Very clear in giving directions in enough time and put me at ease before we even set off by explaining things like if I didn't understand an instruction to ask.

They don't want to fail you, but they have a very clear set of criteria to stick to and if you do something wrong within that then they have to.