Driving test wait times

NothingPersonal

I need to pay my car insurance by next Thursday, however the best price I can get rn is still exorbitant. Money is pretty tight for me at the moment, and I’m really on the fence on if I should even bother insuring the car and give up on driving for the time being if the waiting time is insanely long. Does anyone know anything about the times? I’m seeing people online seeing upwards of 18 months which has to be wrong surely? I can’t justify paying for another year of insurance if I can’t drive the car for another year again

I’ve been told that the urgent tests are significantly quicker to get a test in, however I’m not an essential worker at all. Would just need it for getting to college etc. I know people who are also not essentially workers at all who have applied and gotten it, however this feels pretty awful to do idk.

Prominent_Dawg

I Applied mid may was put on waiting list, Got invited to book start of Aug, might depend on the demand in your location

mortis43

That clickbait article about the 18 months waiting list was mostly based on the time it MAY take to go from your theory test to passing your actual driving test. It's not a case where people are waiting 18 months from the date of driving test application to the date of the driving test.

I know quite a few people who felt bad about applying under the urgent test category (even though I am technically an essential worker I felt bad too!) but once I went on the portal to book my test I was spoilt for choice with dates and times to pick a test date from! It made me wonder how real this backlog is - it seems if you apply as urgent/essential you will have multiple times and dates to choose from.

If getting a test is urgent for you, I say go for it. All other aspects of 'normal' Irish life are getting back to normal now and the RSA is pathetically behind. They could have and should have solved this issue of waiting lists a long time back.

I'll hold my hands up and admit I'm selfish and wrong if I hear of doctors and nurses unable to get a test date and who can't get to work as a result, but I don't think that is happening en masse. Seems like urgent applications are getting test dates quite quickly - within the month on average based on what I have heard.

NothingPersonal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117744431#Comment_117744431

Oh really? That doesn’t sound so bad. When did you book your test for if you don’t mind me asking?

NothingPersonal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117744588#Comment_117744588

Yeah I was on the fence on it a lot. I gave the RSA a ring about it and apparently they’ve gotten much more strict recently and remade the form for urgent tests on Wednesday to make it not as easy to apply for if you don’t fall under a certain category of essential employment?? This is what they told me over the phone anyways

Prominent_Dawg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117749248#Comment_117749248

I booked for end of the month, might need to reschedule it as I'm not sure if I'm fully prepared, was putting off lessons as like you I thought it would take a lot longer, and when you do get invited you have to book within 10 days, lots of times and days to choose from like the other poster said