Unsuccessful - post here

Wishbone Ash · 15-06-2007 10:52am #1

Have you just been unsuccessful in a driving test?

Crestfallen, dejected, despondent, disgruntled?

If you wish to relate your experiences to others, please post here rather than begining a new thread.

Please keep it clean. Any offensive reference to driving examiners, inspectors, instructors or others may be edited or deleted.

rain on · 25-06-2007 7:27pm

Nobody else is going to step up to the plate here, no? No?

sigh

Okay then. I failed today after my Freakishly Short Wait for Wonderful Surprise! Test, and only having been driving for three months or so. Didn't get any of the pink marks (yay) and most of my blue ones were for poor clearance of pedestrians and parked cars, and not using my mirrors enough for certain things. Nothing that can't be fixed with practice anyway. My tester was very positive and encouraging and told me to reapply straight away and get one or two more lessons. Overall I'm glad I did the test and I think it'll improve my driving.

feylya · 25-06-2007 8:45pm

I failed mine back in May. Got 4 in a line for observation turning left and 6 else where. Driving instructor was very surprised. Anyway, reapplied the minute I got home so should be resitting in February.

Wishbone Ash · 25-06-2007 8:46pm

Hard luck rain on.

Good to hear that the tester was positive and encouraging.

Seinas · 27-06-2007 4:15pm

I failed mine back in May... i was really down about it because everyone had me convinced i would pass it, even my instructor... and then i miserably failed it :cool:

i waited until last week after the Leaving Cert was finished to re-apply so i should be sitting it again in about 4 weeks time.

feylya · 27-06-2007 4:29pm

Did you apply for a cancellation?

Seinas · 28-06-2007 11:33pm

feylya wrote:

Did you apply for a cancellation?

me?? no....

Red Alert · 04-07-2007 8:13pm

Failed in Rathgar this evening. Very sound tester, and all the grade 2's and grade 3's were deserved - one for a very bad right turn. Will be applying asap.

Wishbone Ash · 05-07-2007 12:23am

Red Alert wrote:

Failed in Rathgar this evening

Hard luck Red Alert.

Red Alert wrote:

Will be applying asap

That's the spirit!

Creamy Goodness · 05-07-2007 12:31am

rathgar can be such an easy place to do your test, but if you get it at the wrong time from 3pm afterwards it's a fecking nightmare.

first time i got it there i was at 4:30pm, it was during midterm but still the amount of potential hazzards on the road that i didn't see lead me to fail it.

second time around i got 10am in the morning, was easier as there was less traffic and i was more prepared for it.

you'll get it next time Red_Alert for sure.

maxi-twist · 05-07-2007 6:31pm

Failed in rathgar, probably should have had more than 3 lessons!

dudara · 05-07-2007 7:39pm

I failed in Rathgar back in January - all the ticks were in clutch control and obstacles (the rest of the form was clear). My father taught me to drive and I suppose that's where that clutch habit comes from. I was gutted though - I really don't think that I dealt with any obstacles badly. I'm working on it though and I was called again for July. I'll be on hols though, so I need to postpone.

abcxyz123 · 08-07-2007 1:12pm

dudara wrote:

all the ticks were in clutch control and obstacles (the rest of the form was clear). My father taught me to drive and I suppose that's where that clutch habit comes from.

just wondering what was this terrible habit?? coasting?? i do that a bit..:rolleyes:

dudara · 08-07-2007 2:19pm

Coasting - though the thing is I don't often have the clutch pushed in. My foot does hover over it though.

SeanW · 16-07-2007 5:04pm

Just failed my test

I was so worried about avoiding big mistakes that I let smaller bad practice creep up in my practice. End result, 9 Grade 2s. In other words, failed by a single fault >_<

Faults mostly in vehicle control. Am I pissed off? Yes, a little. I don't mind failing so much as having to wait the guts of a year to go again.

tk123 · 23-07-2007 5:29pm

just failed in Finglas

I feel a bit disappointed that I let my nerves get the better of me!:rolleyes:

caesar · 24-07-2007 3:09pm

Failed on clearance of stationary vehicles......couldn't believe it:eek: I never ever got pulled up on that before. I thought the test went great apart from one silly mistake that I knew I made. Just finished it about 20mins ago.....I'm gutted in away because driving is like a hobby for me but at the same time I'm like wtf clearance of stationary vehicles....was hoping he would tell me I'm only joking ......just couldn't believe it.

dajaffa · 24-07-2007 3:59pm

SeanW wrote:

I don't mind failing so much as having to wait the guts of a year to go again.

After you get your ref number give them a ring. Apply for a cancellation, and if you say you'll take one at short notice (make sure to state this) you might get one very soon cause there's lots of cancellations this time of year. I got a call last Friday to take one today, you can get one very quickly!

silvo · 29-07-2007 7:31pm

How do you go about applying for a cancellation? I failed my test in Rathgar (again surprise surprise :mad: ) and the tester told me to apply for a cancellation. I asked him whether i needed a letter from my employer and he said that i didnt. When i rang up the next day after applying, the person on the phone told me i could only get a cancellation with a letter. Sorry if this has been asked before but some friends of mine have gotten a cancellation with a letter and others without - what is the procedure?

tk123 · 30-07-2007 9:32am

I'm sending in a letter with my application today - i did this for my bike test and got it in 2 weeks. I'm dreading the test thou - i keep going over the last one in my mind!

nicker_s · 31-07-2007 8:05pm

I failed early on in the year at Orwell road. TOO CLOSE TO STATIONARY OBJECTS! Correct me if i'm wrong but I was supposed to be roughly half a doors width away from parked cars. Don't get caught out like me!

Dave! · 31-07-2007 10:58pm

I was told a door's width from parked cars when possible. Dunno who's right, but I play it safe!

PeakOutput · 02-08-2007 12:37pm

failed last week for not reacting fast enough to hazards 2 strikes for not pulling out early enough at parked cars 1 strike for not stopping early enough when an oncoming truck nueeded to come into my lane even though i stopped about 50 yards away from the object the truck was going around and it had plenty of room and 1 strike for getting too close(15feet) to a motorbike turning in the driving test car park at the very end 4 grade twos in a row equals fail. no other strikes on the page except for 1 grade two in the turnabout.

the worst thing is my instructor never once mentioned that i was doing these things wrong

Red Alert · 03-08-2007 5:25pm

failed there for:

grade 3 for not giving right of way to a car coming up as I was turning right (
looking back I think the tester was perfectly correct)

grade 2's for Position on Bends, Position Turning Right, Position Turning Left and Observation Turning Right (x2) for a total of five.

It's annoying that I would have passed apart from the right turn (which was as I was heading back for the test centre!) Very sound tester, and I was much more relaxed about the whole thing than before so next time'll be better

misssunshine123 · 07-08-2007 3:26pm

hi failed in raheny today . v v dissappointed as most of my faults were simple things but nerves made me miss them.

however i got 11 faults altogether. understand most of them but just few questions regarding others.

2 grade 2's were for positioning on the straight ?? my instructor always told me to stay in on lhs so i was particularily aware of this and cannot for the life of me think why i got 2 faults ? anyone any advice regarding this ?

also 2 grade 2 faults for hazards - on one of the narrow roads off vernon ave i met a truck turning right while i was approaching to turn left. there was a parked car on his side so it was too tight. i stopped before turn and gave what i thought was enough distance for him to pull through but tester told me to reverse a little which i did successfully and carefully. would that still have been a fault and if so why and what should i have done differently?

also another fault for a hazard though have no idea why/where . could anyone explain types of hazards and what is the correct way of dealing with them.

also exactly what are the boundaries of test routes. is it so many miles from centre or specfic areas ?. im particularily interested about raheny.

finally (sorry 4 long post) all in all have to say tester was a bit of a stickler but reasonable enough. he advised me to do another few re-tests and then apply for cancellation. is this the normal thing to say or can i take a little solace from the fact that he said that and that im close to getting it?

TwoShedsJackson · 07-08-2007 5:00pm

The positioning on the straight ones could be if you were passing parked vehicles and didn't leave approx. a car door's width as you passed, in case someone opened a door suddenly etc. Otherwise I suppose it could be if you were too close to the left, as the edges of most roads are much more badly surfaced than the centre, have drains, potholes etc.

Surprised the tester told you to reverse when you encountered that truck - did the truck have enough room to turn when you were at the position you thought it was safe to stop at?

The hazard could have been pretty much anything encountered on the way that the tester thought you did not slow down enough for, didn't stop for, etc. He'd have to tell you what that was.

As for test routes, they have to be more flexible nowadays to cope with road works, people missing turns etc. My instructor recommended not learning a specific route but practicing in the general area of the test centre, he said it was not a good idea to get fixated on a particular route and then maybe get thrown if/when the tester deviated from that.

It sounds like the tester genuinely thought you were reasonably close to passing and were perhaps unfortunate and/or nervous. Do as he said and get a few more pre-test lessons with a good instructor, apply for a cancellation and you may be on the road with a full licence in a couple of months

Good luck.

Red Alert · 07-08-2007 8:47pm

I think the tester gave good advice there - i was told to do the same twice and am doing that - i did see the improvement the second time.

Cathmandooo · 14-08-2007 4:16pm

I failed in Finglas a few weeks ago. I drove quite well altho I got a few grade 2s on lack of left hand turning observation - i dont understand this, can anyone explain it? i got no bad marks for my mirrors but got done for left hand turning observation, when he told me i wasnt great on that i assumed he meant my mirrors, but it wasnt mirrors!

I failed on my turnabout though, I was quite good at practicing this, he took me to an awful road where both sides of the road were really sunk down, i.e. it was like doing constant hill starts. I got the feeling he wanted me to fail as I'm quite inexperienced on the road but i got my licence ages ago and needed the test to get my third provisional, I know that's terrible!! However the man was really nice and really calmed me down, I was shaking going into the test, I never expected to pass!

I havent reapplied yet as I really just dont use the car much and got so sick of driving in circles to practice

it actually got to the stage where I was upset at the thought of having to practice driving (I know I'm a sap) and I cried during my pretest cos it was going shockingly bad! Once I'm back from my hols I'll get back out driving and reapply again (but will go to a different instructor!!!)

feylya · 14-08-2007 4:20pm

I failed on the observation turning left in May. It was for checking my blind spot when turning. Makes sense, could be a cyclist hidden there and you could hit him quite easily.

Cathmandooo · 14-08-2007 4:42pm

yeah I thought it might have been left hand blind spot, i was never told to check that by my instructor, I was told that's what your mirrors are for??!! If I was changing lanes on a dual carriageway and changing into the left lane id check the blind spot then!

feylya · 14-08-2007 4:44pm

I wasn't told it either, which was strange. It does make sense to do it when you think about it.

1huge1 · 14-08-2007 7:48pm

Sure a lot fo things don't make snese really. Who in gods name would ever reverse around a corner.

Cathmandooo · 15-08-2007 10:00am

That's true, reverse around the corner is about accuracy and car control though so I can understand it being in it! But checking your blind spot when turning left I dont understand, you can possibly have enough time to thoroughly check your left hand blind spot, you've to keep your eye on the the traffic on the left, right and oncoming, check your mirrors, look out for pedestrians randomly crossing the road, when can you fit in a left blind spot check?? id have thought you'd be neglecting the oncoming road by doing this, particularly when you're at a junction with no lights!

TwoShedsJackson · 15-08-2007 10:25am

1huge1 wrote:

Sure a lot fo things don't make snese really. Who in gods name would ever reverse around a corner.

It's pretty rare but it does crop up occasionally. During the test thought they're checking your observation and control of the car, they're not really checking whether you can actually reverse around a corner as a practical day to day driving skill.

As for the left blind spot check, when you check your left mirror before indicating and/or moving left, you should be able to see (briefly) in your peripheral vision, your left blind spot as you do so. You don't need to look back over your shoulder for seconds at a time, thus distracting from what's going on in front of you.

macplaxton · 15-08-2007 1:31pm

nicker_s wrote:

I failed early on in the year at Orwell road. TOO CLOSE TO STATIONARY OBJECTS! Correct me if i'm wrong but I was supposed to be roughly half a doors width away from parked cars. Don't get caught out like me!

When I learnt, my instructor told me to leave 1' (30cm) per 10mph (16km/h).

So if I was to pass a stationery car at 15cm, I'd have to be crawling. Conversely, if I was to pass at 50km/h, I'd better leave at least a metre.

PeakOutput · 24-08-2007 2:30pm

failed again today basically for the same reason as last time(reacting to hazards)

im pretty pissed off as i spent 175 euro on 4 hours of lessons before the test. i showed the instructor my last sheet were it was very clear what my mistake was we had the lessons and she says im now doing it properly along with everything else and i should breeze the test. 1 hour later and according to the examiner im unfit to be on the road. one of the systems is very flawed.

im not as pissed of at the actual fact i failed this time i did everything i could

Keano · 25-08-2007 4:59pm

PeakOutput wrote:

failed again today basically for the same reason as last time(reacting to hazards)

im pretty pissed off as i spent 175 euro on 4 hours of lessons before the test. i showed the instructor my last sheet were it was very clear what my mistake was we had the lessons and she says im now doing it properly along with everything else and i should breeze the test. 1 hour later and according to the examiner im unfit to be on the road. one of the systems is very flawed.

im not as pissed of at the actual fact i failed this time i did everything i could

Sounds like the tester in your area is a bit harsh. During my test yesterday I had the grumpiest of the 2 in the area and my instructor beforehand had me well warned. He told me had failed people in the past for such minor mistakes.
Don't give up. You will get there

PeakOutput · 25-08-2007 6:13pm

Keano A Legend wrote:

Sounds like the tester in your area is a bit harsh. During my test yesterday I had the grumpiest of the 2 in the area and my instructor beforehand had me well warned. He told me had failed people in the past for such minor mistakes.
Don't give up. You will get there

my center (finglas) has the lowest pass rate in ireland(45%) if i do it again any time soon ill do it in a school branded micra(i reckon they dont like the look of me driving my mams new car) and ill do it in ennis(as ill be living in limerick) which has the highest pass rate in the country

Wishbone Ash · 25-08-2007 7:43pm

Hard luck PeakOutput.:( Keep at it!

PeakOutput wrote:

my center (finglas) has the lowest pass rate in ireland

I did all my tests in Finglas and always found them to be OK.

PeakOutput wrote:

they dont like the look of me driving my mams new car

The tester won't be in the slightest bit interested in the type of car you are driving.

lucozader · 26-08-2007 1:57pm

Edit: Sorry i meant female tester

I slowed down to a crawl at speed bumps.

She said I went too fast over them. That's 5 points for feckin speed bumps.

I made a total of 10 points.

I told her she was wrong about the speed bumps and she said I had to be careful as you never know how high they are going to be ? I think it was bogus.

Anybody here ever fail for speed bumps, what is the recommeded speed to go over them?

bonkey · 26-08-2007 3:07pm

When you say "a crawl", what exactly do you mean? 20kph? 10? Walking speed? Sub-walking-speed?

a5y · 26-08-2007 3:11pm

<edit>

a5y - if you have nothing constructive to add, please refrain from posting in this Forum.

WA

Wishbone Ash · 26-08-2007 3:16pm

Threads Merged.

lucozader · 26-08-2007 6:07pm

i did about 15 km/hr

she said it was too fast

i wanted to fire her

pow wow · 29-08-2007 11:08am

I failed today for having four Grade 2's for undue hesitancy at roundabouts. Gutted doesn't even begin to describe it.

Wishbone Ash · 29-08-2007 12:25pm

ellscurr wrote:

I failed today for having four Grade 2's for undue hesitancy at roundabouts. Gutted doesn't even begin to describe it.

Hard luck ellscurr - apply again today and tell them that you are willing to be tested at short notice. Most people pass on the 2nd attempt.

pow wow · 29-08-2007 4:23pm

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Hard luck ellscurr - apply again today and tell them that you are willing to be tested at short notice. Most people pass on the 2nd attempt.

Aww thanks. I went straight to the post office on the way home from the disaster and sent off my second application! I was just unlucky to have an early morning test and have him take me into rush hour traffic...which hampered my hesitancy (that I know I have!) to go onto busy roundabouts. Lots of practice and hopefully I'll bag it 2nd time.

Sparky · 31-08-2007 5:08pm

Failed today.

I was doing ok. I was overtaking a parked aygo and a black merc came fast around the corner. I had it in control as I was heading back into a space, but the tester grabbed my steering wheel while I was turning it.

I've been driving 2 and odd years everyday and I'm well used to this, but because of this I got a grade 3 and thus failed.

Ah well, I'll be re-applying asap

Red Alert · 12-09-2007 11:28am

Failed (number 4) today. I'm not a happy camper about it at all, because tests one and two were a disaster, and test three I made a stupid mistake and got a deserved grade 3 fault for it. However today I ended up with ten grade two's in random headings. I'm a bit at a loss as to what they're about - usually I know well (both when driving and elsewhere) when I've done a bad job but I actually believed that today's show was going to be a pass. Anyway I'm off to reapply again.

Wishbone Ash · 12-09-2007 1:05pm

Spankeh wrote:

Failed today

Red Alert wrote:

Failed (number 4) today

Hard luck lads.

Spankeh wrote:

Ah well, I'll be re-applying asap

Red Alert wrote:

Anyway I'm off to reapply again

That's the spirit!

Trix · 25-09-2007 12:21pm

failed today. first time. i'm only driving 3 months so not to bothered about it. I got a grade 3 for 'cross junction' but not sure what this is?

Unsuccessful - post here

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