Test tomorrow but I have trouble going into 5th gear! Please help.

Clearly you do not have a life....go get one!

Oh. Swear? Ask my dentist.

I would echo the advice "Take your time". The car will be going so quickly that the gear change does not need to be rushed. Stay relaxed and change at your leisure.

When my pupils struggle with going into the correct gear, I advise as follows:

The gear selection is quite narrow and it is very easy to push the gear stick too far, or not enough, when changing gear. If you push the gear stick out of 4th a little too far, you end up in the channel for 3rd and then, when you try to move across into the channel for 5th, the gear lever can't do it and so you end up in 3rd. What I recommend is to push it out of 4th and then release your grip on it for a split second i.e., let go of it completely. This will allow the gear stick to find its natural resting place which is right in the middle. Then, take hold of it move it to the right and then forward. This should mean that you do not end up in the channel for 3rd.

A couple of things though. Don't take your hand away from the gear stick; the release of it should be for a nanosecond only. Follow the diagram accurately and think of it as 3 separate movements: forward, right and forward again, rather than one single movement. If you add the little release specified above between the forward and the right, this should solve your problem.

Finally, relax when you do it. 5th is very forgiving and you can really take your time...

Best wishes

Seperate the movements and do them slowly so it is gently forward just so you feel it go into neutral, push it along to the right as far as you can go, and then push forward. Go with the flow and don't force the gearstick. Going along the bypass I almost went into 3rd on my test, realised what I was doing and kept the clutch down until I sorted it - I was going pretty fast so thought I would stall if I brought the clutch up which would be pretty deadly if someone coming up behind you was going at 70mph - I didn't stall or damage the gearbox and I passed, so I think as along as you don't panic it will be okay.

Don't try to go diagonally and rush it, make it a sure thing, put your palm on the opposite, left, side of the gear stick and go CLUNK up, CLUNK right, CLUNK up.

Thank you guys, I'll definitely put this into practice tomorrow!

I used to have this issue- though it was due to a fault with the car.

I found that putting it into neutral for a brief second before shifting it to fifth was a big help. It'll give you that split second to make sure you're moving it the right way.

Now I think about it, for a time after I learned I would always separate the movements too. Let go and let the gear stick spring back into the middle itself, then you know where it is.

I would say try transitioning into 5th gear a bit slower. Calm down, slowly build up speed and make the switch smoothly. If you happen to go into 3rd, be assertive and just go back into 4th. Good luck

Thanks for your advice everyone! It actually really helped and I got into fifth gear fine and I passed! Thanks

Congrats what did you get minors for if you did get any?

YAY! Well done!

Thanks, I got 7 minors, some for things like coasting a bit and one for messing up one of the questions at the beginning, which was because of nerves really. I can't remember the rest sorry!



Thank you