Driving test advice

Blibblion

I’ll be completing my final lesson next week. Planning to book my test soon.

Wondering if anybody has any general tips?

Know of any tricky questions or common mistakes?


Even general tips for preparing would be great



Embarrassingly, I don’t even know much about what’s considered a grade 2 error.

Any help/advice would be great, thanks!

spurious

Do you mean your final compulsory lesson?

Book a few lessons with your instructor focusing on the test. He/she will cover all your questions.

Blibblion

spurious wrote: »

Do you mean your final compulsory lesson?

Book a few lessons with your instructor focusing on the test. He/she will cover all your questions.

Yes the 12th compulsory one. I was thinking of doing an extra one but not many. €30 per lesson is hard to part with

I just thought that getting tips from other people might help. Trying to prepare in any little way that I can.

MascotDec85

I’m not being funny when I say this but fail to prepare, prepare to fail!

Don’t go into your driving test trying to scrape a pass by doing the bare minimum. It’s not about passing the test, it’s about learning to drive safely.

Well intentioned people on the internet are all well and good but nothing is better than proper training from someone who knows what they’re doing. People wouldn’t prepare for their leaving cert without proper tuition, let alone a machine weighing at least a ton that could kill themselves and/or others.

Posy

Exactly what MascotDec said. Plus, €30 per lesson is pretty good, considering what some places charge!

Your instructor really will be the best person to advise on the test- you should know what a grade 2 is at this stage, really; and if you do a few practice runs with them, you will soon know what they are. :pac:

Answering the theory questions wrong before the test is actually a grade 2, so study up! Plus, you want to give a good first impression. Same goes for the under the bonnet and car control checks. Again, your instructor should do a few mock tests with you- they will help you get used to the structure of the test, the eerie silence (!) and way they will direct you and mark you.

Of course, driving is a life skill and it's not just about the test and test route, but personally, I'd make sure you are very familiar with the test area. Is there a stop sign coming out of the centre, what is the parking like, etc. All the tricky turns/funny corners/places the testers on the route commonly use for turnabouts/reversing around the corner.

Don't panic is the main one I have seen on this forum. Lots of people think they have messed up something during the test only to go on to pass it. So if you think you've made an error, just keep calm and carry on. It might not be as bad as you thought.
Oh, and don't lose concentration when it looks like you're heading back towards the test centre and parking there. The test isn't over until you're out of the car!

Drive safely, practice as much as you can with your ADI and good luck when the time comes.

Gonad

Learn your hand signals .

Don’t forget to check over your shoulder when pulling off from a stop .

Be confident and just drive

Blibblion

MascotDec85 wrote: »

I’m not being funny when I say this but fail to prepare, prepare to fail!

Don’t go into your driving test trying to scrape a pass by doing the bare minimum. It’s not about passing the test, it’s about learning to drive safely.

Well intentioned people on the internet are all well and good but nothing is better than proper training from someone who knows what they’re doing. People wouldn’t prepare for their leaving cert without proper tuition, let alone a machine weighing at least a ton that could kill themselves and/or others.

Fair. Thanks

Kitty6277

Check that all your lights are working on the car you’re using! (Not as important if you’re using your instructors car, but if you’re using your own then definitely do!) I totally forgot to do that before my first driving test and had a brake light gone. That was an automatic no from the tester, €85 down the drain. My own fault for not thinking of it, but it was a hard lesson to learn

Blibblion

Posy wrote: »

Exactly what MascotDec said. Plus, €30 per lesson is pretty good, considering what some places charge!

Your instructor really will be the best person to advise on the test- you should know what a grade 2 is at this stage, really; and if you do a few practice runs with them, you will soon know what they are. :pac:

Answering the theory questions wrong before the test is actually a grade 2, so study up! Plus, you want to give a good first impression. Same goes for the under the bonnet and car control checks. Again, your instructor should do a few mock tests with you- they will help you get used to the structure of the test, the eerie silence (!) and way they will direct you and mark you.

Of course, driving is a life skill and it's not just about the test and test route, but personally, I'd make sure you are very familiar with the test area. Is there a stop sign coming out of the centre, what is the parking like, etc. All the tricky turns/funny corners/places the testers on the route commonly use for turnabouts/reversing around the corner.

Don't panic is the main one I have seen on this forum. Lots of people think they have messed up something during the test only to go on to pass it. So if you think you've made an error, just keep calm and carry on. It might not be as bad as you thought.
Oh, and don't lose concentration when it looks like you're heading back towards the test centre and parking there. The test isn't over until you're out of the car!

Drive safely, practice as much as you can with your ADI and good luck when the time comes.

Thanks for your detailed reply. Yes, I should know what the grades are. I looked them up but I kept getting UK results which I presume are similar but I will ask.
Didn’t know about the theory questions being a 2 at the beginning.

Great idea! I’ll definitely go have a look around. I do fear that I’ll get too nervous. I’m grand at driving but when something unexpected comes up, I often panic.


Thank you!

Blibblion

MascotDec85 wrote: »

I’m not being funny when I say this but fail to prepare, prepare to fail!

Don’t go into your driving test trying to scrape a pass by doing the bare minimum. It’s not about passing the test, it’s about learning to drive safely.

Well intentioned people on the internet are all well and good but nothing is better than proper training from someone who knows what they’re doing. People wouldn’t prepare for their leaving cert without proper tuition, let alone a machine weighing at least a ton that could kill themselves and/or others.

I am a careful driver but I do get panicky when unexpected things pop up. You did read me like a book when you said “to scrape a pass”. It really is all that I was aiming for. You’re the first person to mention that as a bad thing and you’re right but I’d be lying if I said that I wouldn’t want to scrape a pass. 😆

MascotDec85

Blibblion wrote: »

I am a careful driver but I do get panicky when unexpected things pop up. You did read me like a book when you said “to scrape a pass”. It really is all that I was aiming for. You’re the first person to mention that as a bad thing and you’re right but I’d be lying if I said that I wouldn’t want to scrape a pass. 😆

It’s those unexpected situations that are one of the things you need to improve then. You need to become better at reading situations and anticipate how they’ll develop to ensure you deal with them in a calm and controlled manner.
You need to learn where and when to look so that you can spot things you otherwise might not be able to see. That comes from the right instructor paying attention to detail and explaining things to you properly and you having enough interest to become a better driver and taking it on board.

Don’t aim to scrape it. Aim to pass it comfortably with plenty to spare. If you go into the test knowing you’ve not done enough work in the build up you’ll not be as relaxed as you could be.

I’ve 2 pupils going for test later. One has put in loads of preparation, the other I haven’t seen in weeks. I know who my money is on.

JP Liz V1

Mirror Signal Manuvore, Avoid Coasting

Good Luck

dsmythy

Swing that head around on those maneuvers.

Don't presume you've made a mistake that has failed the test and you lose all confidence. Things like clipping a kerb you may avoid a fault depending on various factors.

Its easier to tighten your approach on the reverse than to try shimmy away from the kerb if you ended up too close to start. Look to your blind spot to the right especially when you first turn as your front will swing into the road. After the reverse you might be quite close to the junction. Make sure you do the usual take off procedure including indicator before you indicate left for the turn if applicable.

If you make a mistake with your instructions like end up in the wrong lane or take a wrong turn don't worry. You can't get a fault for it so choose the safe option rather than throw yourself back into the right lane.

The more the risk around you the slower your speed should be.

Don't pay attention to what the tester is doing when you're driving. They're your satnav. Just imagine them as a voice in your head.

Watch out for progress. Drive like you've somewhere to be. Smoothly obviously.

Most people need more than one test. It's not the end of the world first time. Let it become a lesson in itself rather than a failure. Unless you pass of course!

Just some random things. There's so many a qualified instructor could tell you.

Cork Trucker

Just my 2c here. Don’t be afraid to ask the tester if you are unsure on something, did my attic test in Limerick and I was in the wrong lane to go straight ahead, I asked again what the instruction was, it was repeated, I had to change lane and didn’t get marked for it. So don’t ever fear the worst. I have a full license for every category but on all of my tests I got a mark for something or another. Don’t try and aim for a clean sheet, just concentrate on your driving. As my neighbour from yesteryear told me, “ you are being asked to drive a certain way for about 40 minutes just once in your life”

B0rG

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this guy videos, especially driving pretests with various people.

I know they are rather long 40 mins - 1 hr, but it puts you into calm and rational state of mind very suitable for the test and driving in general.

Just my two cents...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPwt-gLXAMMVVne6TFyCDFA/videos

ebbsy

Block out the tester, apart from their instructions.

Dont delay at roundabouts if there is no need.

Don't drive too slowly.

Drive normally.

Watch youtube. Dane Tyghe has some great videos.

Blibblion

ebbsy wrote: »

Block out the tester, apart from their instructions.

Dont delay at roundabouts if there is no need.

Don't drive too slowly.

Drive normally.

Watch youtube. Dane Tyghe has some great videos.

I watched all of his videos in the few weeks before my test. His videos are gold dust. Passed first go. I’ve already recommended his videos to a friend. Thank you

Dravokivich

I'd be careful about that. While I've gone through a lot of uk VLOGs when learning, I had to keep in mind there are different requirements in the UK than in Ireland. Our legislation is not on par. I used it more so to gauge perception and observation, more so than on skills, ehticate or legislation matters.

LorelaiG

Dravokivich wrote: »

I'd be careful about that. While I've gone through a lot of uk VLOGs when learning, I had to keep in mind there are different requirements in the UK than in Ireland. Our legislation is not on par. I used it more so to gauge perception and observation, more so than on skills, ehticate or legislation matters.

Dane is Irish and goes by Irish standards to pass the test.