Things you struggle with mostly while learning to drive

Hi it took me ages to pass and I went through an unbelievable amount of frustration and failure along the way but you WILL get there.
What I did was use one of the companies that search for cancellations and can get you a sooner test date (driving test cancellations 4 all was the name)

I know it literally is the most frustrating test to get through in life and believe me it's the only test I've ever done where it just takes one silly mistake to fail. I mean you could literally have the perfect drive but one moment of loss of concentration where you forgot to check your mirror etc.. can be enough for a fail.

It doesn't matter how many tests you take. I remember when I passed my test I literally thought I failed right outside the test centre because I went through an amber light and I saw the examiner write something down, so I literaly spent the rest of the test thinking I have nothing to lose.
Turns out I made no mistake and only had 1 minor for the test and that was for something else.
Just relax for your next test and try and enjoy the drive

What I find helps nerves is if you watch youtube videos of people doing mock tests and then try to assess whether the person failed or not, and often (owing to your inexperience as a driver) you'll find you're way off. Either you'll find out you're too lenient with what you don't consider major errors, or too critical of minor ones.

I passed on my 3rd attempt, and literally part of me thought I'd failed as there was times where I thought I'd got majors like waiting a few minutes to get out onto the road into a space to drive on as my test was at the end of the school day (and we all know how busy the roads are at that time of day!) and I'm pretty sure I kinda hit a curb when driving up a hill (kinda felt like I did lol) , but like you said it is literally the most frustrating test to pass


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Completely agree and most people once they pass forget all those "good habits" like checking their blind spot and mirrors and keeping both hands on the wheel.
I think passing nowadays is much harder.
Btw what did you do regarding your insurance after passing ? , it's soo expensive

Oh no , sorry to hear ! I passed 3rd time, and when I did my 2nd attempt I had someone sit in observing the examiner, so I know how it feels and it caused me to mess up big time and fail, so it was 3rd time lucky for me !

If you do book another test and then find another instructor, just remember to make sure they can do the date you choose and I'm sure you'll pass next time


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What I find helps nerves is if you watch youtube videos of people doing mock tests and then try to assess whether the person failed or not, and often (owing to your inexperience as a driver) you'll find you're way off. Either you'll find out you're too lenient with what you don't consider major errors, or too critical of minor ones.

Hi it took me ages to pass and I went through an unbelievable amount of frustration and failure along the way but you WILL get there.
What I did was use one of the companies that search for cancellations and can get you a sooner test date (driving test cancellations 4 all was the name)

I know it literally is the most frustrating test to get through in life and believe me it's the only test I've ever done where it just takes one silly mistake to fail. I mean you could literally have the perfect drive but one moment of loss of concentration where you forgot to check your mirror etc.. can be enough for a fail.

It doesn't matter how many tests you take. I remember when I passed my test I literally thought I failed right outside the test centre because I went through an amber light and I saw the examiner write something down, so I literaly spent the rest of the test thinking I have nothing to lose.
Turns out I made no mistake and only had 1 minor for the test and that was for something else.
Just relax for your next test and try and enjoy the drive

Thanks for your message

Yeah, when theres another person in there it does feel more uncomfortable even though they don't observe you.

I've booked another one for March just to have one booked up because theres such a long waiting list, I might as well. Im going to get the number from my auntie tonight and probably contact him this weekend.

Im hoping I pass next time!

Hey, thanks for your message

I have heard about those websites, but have never tried them before.

How many tests did you take before you passed (if you don't mind me asking)?

Because I messed up the independent driving which was the first thing and I saw him make a note on the serious part, I thought that's it, I've failed so kind of gave up at that point...which led to me making even more mistakes.

Irony is, I got the turn in the road manoeuvre, the one I was hoping for, and that was probably the only thing I did perfectly during the whole test.

Yeah I completely agree there with forgetting all the 'good habits', I try to stick with the good habits lol ! Yeah I agree with it being harder to pass the practical these days.

I know right. The cheapest quote I got was with Admiral, and it's a black box insurance ! How about you?


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I've got a question about a strange roundabout near me that I don't exactly know how to approach and was wondering whether someone can help me out. Below is the street view of the road sign for the roundabout:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.6764029,0.0643618,3a,50.5y,189.26h,86.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sl2sVhH4fj2Ljwc4T9l82Vg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

There are two lanes on the approach to the roundabout. Suppose you want to get off at Woodford (3rd exit), how do you approach the roundabout? The way I would approach it in the test is I'd get into the right hand lane and start indicating right (because it's just past 12o'clock on the sign, despite geographically it's straight ahead). However, my instructor contends that you don't need to indicate right and infact, it might even mislead traffic behind you into thinking you're going to Waltham Abbey (4th exit at 3o'clock). The highway code seems to be pretty clear that you should approach on the right indicating right if the exit is on the right, but I can see the instructor's point. Who's correct? Thanks!

The highway code way is how my instructor taught me. We had lots of roundabouts in my test route and always show your indicator when approaching a roundabout. Show left indicator if turning at the first exit on the roundabout and right indicator if you are turning at any other exit. Never leave it off. However be quick to switch your right indicator to left indicator when you pass middle of Loughton exit so that traffic from Loughton entering the roundabout can see you are turning at Woodford, the cars behind you and also to the side of you should have some indication where you are going.


Yes initially the cars behind will think you are going towards Loughton, Woodford or Waltham Abbey as you approach, and not Theydon Bois that would be indicating left and only if you positioned your car in the left lane, but if you are in the right lane and indicating right its for the other three exits Loughton, Woodford and Waltham Abbey that is as it should be.

However, some drivers try to cheat as everyone is always in a rush, they will approach the roundabout in the left lane even though they aren't going to Theydon Bois but intending to go where you are going Woodford, just so they are in the right position to turn into the road already and overtake you from the left, So its not you who are wrong its them. Assuming the tarmac arrows show the left lane is only for those turning to Theydon Boise (left arrow only)

For third exit, Woodford, be in right lane and indicate right.

even if it's technically straight on?
I would be so confused if the examiner said 'take the 3rd exit going straight ahead'

My thoughts were if you are going "straight ahead", you'd be in the left lane, but then that would mean 3 different lines of traffic would be crowded into a single lane whereas the right would be dedicated just to the 4th exit. I feel as though that's the reason the 3rd exit is just past 12o'clock, so traffic uses the right lane rather than the left. If you're going the opposite direction coming from the other side of the roundabout, the road sign to Epping says straight on.

I guess sure, if you're local you know that the road is geographically straight and that most people from the area probably know what you mean when you're not indicating in the right lane then it's okay to not indicate, but also I think that's not really the point of the test. The test should be testing your ability to drive on a road regardless of what local knowledge you have, I mean theoretically you should be able to pass your test on any route without ever having driven it before. There's no way you can know in advance that the road is geographically straight on and that it's local custom not to indicate in the right lane here, so therefore I'm more likely to believe that indicating right is the correct solution by the book and something you do on the test, but may not be something you do in reality.

The highway code also doesn't specificy precisely on what "an exit on the right" is (i.e it does not specify something like "exits past 12o'clock" ) and the vagueness might be for people to make their best judgement on what an exit on the right actually is in grey areas like the situation above.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

It's really difficult to find insurance. Ideally I wanted to get added as a named driver to my parents policy however the insurance company wouldn't insure me because the engine size was 1.6 on the manual and in their strange policy the license needs to be 1yr old.
They are insuring on my parents other car which is automatic for £865 for 11months. Which is v good tbh.
I don't think driving a manual is something you can forget and I've booked onto the pass plus scheme in January. It's like £20 here in Wales as the government pays the rest for you.
After I gain some experience and have completed the pass plus I'll probably buy my own manual car and insurance if I can afford it.

It's a real pain tbh !!

I failed. Everything went fine, except when I had to navigate my way through this gigantic roundabout, I just couldn't find where I had to go on the sign, so I panicked and got a serious. Gonna book another test ;'(

I failed. Everything went fine, except when I had to navigate my way through this gigantic roundabout, I just couldn't find where I had to go on the sign, so I panicked and got a serious. Gonna book another test ;'(