So sorry to hear that you didnt pass! what went wrong with the 3 point turn?

I assume the best thing to do on approaching those narrow 90 degrees turns is to drive on first gear. It could have been possible to do it in second gear but I just did not have the confidence when another car was waiting to emerge.

Honestly I think a lot of what people say about their driving lessons is bull (don't forget, the majority of first time drivers are teenage boys!). I've asked my driving instructor, and my trustworthy friends and family what their first few lessons entailed and nobody drove home within the first few lessons. A lot of first lessons are just a cockpit drill, not even trying to move off. I did moving off and stopping in my first lesson, and approaching left turns (1 hr) on a 'nursery route' so there was nothing for me to crash into. I did my second lesson (1.5 hrs) on a proper road at night with no traffic. Then my second lesson (2.5 hours) in traffic. I think a lot of it depends on where you live though. I live in manchester city centre so driving myself home would require me driving over the Mancunian way - a road more treacherous than the rainbow road from mario kart. If you live in a sleepy village then you're more likely to be able to do your lessons in normal traffic. Congrats on passing after 30 hours! That's given me a bit of hope :)

Thank you but a bit too late for me too reply to this, But I passed my Driving test at Wood Green :) So relieved and Happy. But thank you for your reply. No more stress, can now carry on with my life...college..work.. going Denmark this Wednesday.

Good luck :D

To be fair I am a very safe driver and I take good care, I have been in a lot of scenarios while driving and know how to get around them, safely as possible, like I was approaching a roundabout and one car hit another and I had no choice but to miss that exit cause my route was blocked, I anticipated and planned well ahead... depends what type of learner you are.

Yeah, I hate it when i'm driving along a road and I don't know the speed limit. You can't judge what it is from other road users because they are usually going above the limit anyway :K:

I passed first time with one minor. BUT my minor was reverse bay parking so was about 1inch from failing!
I was nervous until I sat in the car and realised who my test person was (someone notorious for failing people!) but I think I had convinced myself that much that I was going to fail that I began to believe it. That or my whiskey tasting relaxing spray was working!
Just remember to stay calm, think before you do something, breathe, try to relax, look in your mirrors A LOT (mine loved the fact I looked in about every 5 seconds). And they want you to pass really!
If you do fail, don't worry! Lots of people fail, my friend failed 7 times but she finally passed! It's nothing to be ashamed of, you don't even have to tell people!
Good luck! Let us know how you got on!


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So I just took my test for the first time and failed - 3 minors and 1 major. The major was approaching a roundabout with 3 lanes, he said "ahead 2nd exit" .. to me this means middle lane, as the left is for going left and the right is for going right... so the middle means ahead, no?

I got a major for going into the middle, apparently the wrong lane, then he looked at me and repeated the instruction as if I had gone into the wrong lane, so I moved into the left lane and it was too close to another car.

What would you have done in this situation? I still think I was in the right lane, as the middle lane leads onto the left lane of two on the next set of lights on the roundabout, whereas the left lane was an immediate exit to the left.

It was the ambiguity in his instruction that threw me, and I asked him to explain before we got there, he just repeated the same ambiguous instruction.

What would you have done in this situation, left lane or middle lane?

Also, are there are 'free' ways of preparing? And how, would a book from the library suffice?

I am bricking it...
At the examination centre, I know one of the examiners extremely well so he can't take me out for the test. I am fearing that the others may be hard on me though... Ugh.

I am having nightmares and think they are going to give me a reverse around the corner ...

I need tips for my nerves on the day...
Plus I have a two hour lesson beforehand so it means getting picked up at 7:50am, I am worried that I'll barely have had breakfast meaning by my 9:50 test I will be starving. Would it be weird if I take a banana and eat it at the test centre before my name is called?

Anyone have any tips for the day?

Haha yeah I guess that's the problem, will try the tips given by everyone next lesson

Manchester test center what about yourself? Oh and what time is your test booked for? Mine is 9:37am on a weekday (so just after school opens), do you think the roads are going to be busy?

Okay so I've been driving with my instructor for a good 8 lessons now,paid almost £200 in lesson fees(gulp!) and I admit it's taking abit of doing to get the hang of it,but my instructor is making it difficult for me by screaming at me when it's not needed; I just came back from today's lesson and started crying because he put me down so so much and shouted at me so much like for example screaming at me to build my speed up when I was doing so, it's making me hate driving even more:(

Am I in the right to change instructor?:(
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I took mine on my 17th birthday and failed. I got 41/50 and then I retook once I did about 70 mock tests on a CD an I ended up getting 47/50 and 54 on the hazard perception, just revise revise revise:)

Took it today and passed :)

Mine has a ton free as I thought, when the website finally started working I was able to book it - Next Friday at half 1.

Haha I was like that until 3 lessons before my test, it kinda just clicks and when it does you feel so much better.

One thing my instructor taught me (which I mentioned above) was the general rule:

On a two lane roundabout:

To turn left: Go in the left lane (obv)
To go straight on: If it's before 12 o clock then go in the left lane and only signal after the last exit, if it's after 12 o clock go in the right lane, signal right then left to come off.
To turn right: Go in the right lane, signal right and then left to come off.

On a three lane roundabout, usually the left lane is for turning left, middle for straight on and right for turning right, unless the road markings tell you otherwise.

One useful thing I also did was to go on google streetview and run through the roundabouts several times, it really helps!

Good luck anyway :)

Everytime I've gotten overconfident I've made a mistake,

Hi! If u have a smart phone i would highly reccomend you using the theory apps! They are really good i revised for my theory for 3 weeks and passed first time... And remeber to take both parts of your provisional licence as i forgot to take it in! But luckily they gave me 15 mins to bring it in! So please remeber both parts!!


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Hello

Please can anyone recommend a good driving instructor in coventry who charge reasonable price for their lessons. I have had lessons before but failed d test twice but now i am looking to give it another go. I had lesson with them driving school before but it ended up really bad, as they all wanted 2 dry out my pocket.. Thank you

I'm sitting my test very soon (a matter of days) and I occasionally wear glasses, like for reading of the board at school and stuff but my driving instructor and optician say that I'm fine to drive without them.

I would much rather sit my test without glasses, so I don't have to wear them all the time and I'm used to driving without them. I should be able to pass the eye test fine however I'm pretty sure that when I applied for my provisional I checked the box saying I'd need to wear glasses because I really wasn't sure. Does that mean that I'll need to wear them for my test?

yeh but they give discounts if you pay full amount for 10 lessons..so then if u do this then it only costs £20 a lesson..im from bolton great lever

I've bought the DVD I linked earlier, haven't tried it yet as suddenly my computer has broken down :@ I'm halfway through reading the highway code on gov.uk, then I'll start the DVD - do you reckon I can pass this test in 3 weeks time provided I spent an 1 hour a day on it?

Catford
Lewisham
Eltham
Blackheath
Hither Green
Lee
Grove Park
A little bit of Kidbrooke and Shooters Hill (I think)



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Hi dudes,

I am applying for a provisional license by May. Seen that it takes approximately 21 days to process the provisional license application, followed by 1-2 weeks for theory and 4-6 weeks to get a driving test date.

However it would be grateful if someone can give a more detailed time frame for each of these steps. Also it’s greatly appreciated to know the city which has the least waiting time to get a practical test date.
Note: I drive my dad’s car without a license

With regards,

So, I'm having my practical test this Friday. I feel quite relaxed about it (so far:S) and I'm trying to think positively. I feel quite prepared for it. I'm not worried about maneuvers (maybe a bit about bay parking, because I haven't done this maneuver as many times at the others) but the only thing that scares me is, forgetting about something, for example doing observations, checking road signs, letting pedestrians cross the road etc.
So, maybe you guys can help me and give me some tips about my test. Tell me what I need to remember.
I have made a thread about my most common mistakes while driving, so feel free to help me fill it in with other suggestions :)
Tips and suggestions for driving test

Hey. So I thought about sharing my tips about driving with you guys.
I thought it would be a good idea to share any suggestion, so it will help us with passing our tests.

I'm having my driving test next week, and I'm just trying to remember everything that will help me with passing my test. I had about 20 lessons with my instructor and I have been driving my dad's car since I've turned 16, so I'm pretty confident about my driving.

The only thing that bothers me about my exam is forgetting about observations, missing any road sings and stuff like that. So let me share with you some of my tips, which should be useful for you, and which I found difficult to remember while I'm driving.

First one - When you're braking harshly CHECK YOUR MIRROR! I know this is kind of stupid, because if I'm going to brake rapidly, looking in my middle mirror is not going to change my decision. But my driving instructor tells me that, I should be checking if there's a car behind me, so I'm not causing any hazards to the driver behind me, by braking harshly
Second one - When there's a pedestrian in front of you, who's crossing the road, always wait for him to cross the whole road. don't just drive away, when he's in the middle, because what if he decides to turn back...
Third one - when approaching a roundabout or a junction, change your gear on your way instead of stopping before a roundabout and changing it there. You might have a chance of entering a roundabout without stopping, so be prepared before joining in
Always check what's the speed limit, remember when there's a sign which says the speed limit is 40mph, don't acceralate before the sign. You can only do it after you drove passed it.
Don't think that driving slower than you should be is good. It slows down other drivers and creates a hazard.
Don't be scared to change gears, driving on second gear through the whole town is not going to impress your examinator.
Be prepared to stop for pedestrians, when approaching a pedestrian crossing
Always use signals, but make sure you don't use them to early, as it might confuse other drivers, and then at the same time, don't signal just before making a turn. This is really important when you're driving on a roundabout or when changing a lane.
And the most important one - OBSERVATIONS!! Do them, when you're pulling away or during maneuvers, look through your left and right shoulder, then use all three mirrors. When turning right remember to check the middle mirror and then the right one. Do the same when turning left. Make sure your examinator sees you doing it. Don't just 'move' your eyes. Move your head as well.
REMEMBER that you can never be too careful, but at the same time, don't be a pansy. Show confidence.

So guys, I think that's all what I wanted to point out. You should consider these points because as a learner driver you probably at one point made some of these mistakes, just like me, so remember to work on things which are not your strongest points.
I can't give you any more tips, as I haven't passed my driving test yet, but these are the most common mistakes, which I have made, therefore I hope you will find them useful.
Wish me luck on my test guys. I'll come back next week and share my thoughts with you.

hope I got the formula right ;)

I'm wondering if there's anything I need to know that won't be on this disk?