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2018 Driving test fail experiences

Add your 2018 driving test fail experience to let other drivers know what to avoid doing on their test to pass!

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Original post by livvydibby
Add your 2018 driving test fail experience to let other drivers know what to avoid doing on their test to pass!


Don’t dodge a red light
Reply 2
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livvydibby
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14
Took mine at 8:10. Failed pretty much straight away, within the first five minutes. Got to a roundabout, saw a gap I thought was big enough but the examiner thought otherwise and braked for me. Was annoyed for maybe five minutes before thinking ok well this is now just a very expensive driving lesson! Ended up just wanting to see how many minors I would get - 7. 1 for steering, 1 for signaling (it said bare left but it was a left turn), 2 for meetings on tight roads trying to weave around cars and 3 for undue hesitation because after the first roundabout I stopped at every other roundabout whether they were clear or not. Actually pretty happy with myself that I kept it together and drove well despite failing pretty much instantly and somehow left the test more confident than I was when I arrived.
(edited 6 years ago)
Moved to Learning to drive.:kart:
Original post by livvydibby


My advice would be to be not paranoid, but do every check that you would usually do and then do them all again. Don’t give them any excuse to step in for you. After that first fault (a serious) I picked up 7 minors, 3 of which were for ‘undue hesitation’ because I stopped, waited, looked, looked again, looked, looked again at every single roundabout whether they were clear or not because there was no chance I was letting her touch my controls again.

You do have to drive differently in your test than you do in lesson because this new person doesn’t know your driving ability and will always be safe rather than sorry even if that results in you failing. So, be wary but not TOO wary.


"do every check you would usually do and then do them all again" - no wonder you had hesitation faults.
"you do have to drive differently in your test" - erm no.

Sorry but that is probably the worst advice to give anyone. I had a pupil who in the hour before his test was stopping everywhere. Pulled him up at the side of the road and asked him one simple question. "Has anyone said anything to you?". Turns out the last thing his dad said was along the lines of "be extra cautious". Nipped that in the bud there and then and told him to drive like he had been taught to. Passed first time, 1 fault - didn't check mirrors on one occasion that he needed to. If he'd listened to his dad, or your advice, he'd have racked up umpteen hesitation faults and probably failed because of it.

Examiners know what to expect from people on test and you do not have to drive differently.
Reply 5
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livvydibby
OP
14
Original post by EvilShubunkin
"do every check you would usually do and then do them all again" - no wonder you had hesitation faults.
"you do have to drive differently in your test" - erm no.

Sorry but that is probably the worst advice to give anyone. I had a pupil who in the hour before his test was stopping everywhere. Pulled him up at the side of the road and asked him one simple question. "Has anyone said anything to you?". Turns out the last thing his dad said was along the lines of "be extra cautious". Nipped that in the bud there and then and told him to drive like he had been taught to. Passed first time, 1 fault - didn't check mirrors on one occasion that he needed to. If he'd listened to his dad, or your advice, he'd have racked up umpteen hesitation faults and probably failed because of it.

Examiners know what to expect from people on test and you do not have to drive differently.



Examiners absolutely know what to expect of you I’m not denying that. I’m saying from my experience, and I was warned of this by my instructor, is that the examiner doesn’t know you, doesn’t know how you drive and what your ability is. They will be cautious as they should be but did I find my examiner maybe overly cautious? Yes. Do I maintain that I would have easily entered that roundabout had she not braked? Yes. Would I have done the same thing on a lesson? Yes. Do I totally understand that she was doing her job? Yes.

I think just like the examiner scopes you out, you have to scope them out. I knew after that fault that she didn’t want me to go when people were signaling off or angled to go off the roundabout, clearly she wanted me to wait until it was absolutely clear which I did for the rest of the test. Did I take it too far? Absolutely, partially because I had already failed and so was being overly cautious at roundabouts to prove a point that yes I can safely enter a roundabout, let me show you. All three of my undue hesitations were roundabouts where I would not go when people signaled off I would go when they had started to turn off instead (usually and on the first roundabout I went with the signals but she braked me twice so I wasn’t going to do that again).

Examiners do have “qualities” and “preferences” for how you move your car and unfortunatly for me I found out very quickly what she didn’t like about my driving that other examiners were fine with. (I had a mock test with another instructor I didn’t know and she had no problem with how I entered roundabouts)

It all depends on the candidate and the examiner, fair enough that as you said your student would have failed from this advice, I failed without it so clearly we don’t all need the exact same advice. Take from this what you like, leave what you don’t.

Should have said, you might end up needing to drive differently on your test. I did feel like I needed to adjust my driving to placate my examiner.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by livvydibby
Add your 2018 driving test fail experience to let other drivers know what to avoid doing on their test to pass!


Had my test today and.... FAILED.

got 6 minors and 3 majors.

Im so retarded
Original post by kishxx01
Had my test today and.... FAILED.

got 6 minors and 3 majors.

Im so retarded

What were the major errors you made?

Just do a few more lessons and get some confidence back before going in for it again.
Original post by accountant-future
What were the major errors you made?

Just do a few more lessons and get some confidence back before going in for it again.


1 major was for when I was on a dual carriageway I needed to change lanes (left to right). I signalled right and checked my mirror, however I tried pushing in front of the car behind.
Another major was for taking off in 3rd gear and stalling (yes I know... stupid mistake)
The last major was for getting to close to a van that was doing a u turn or something in the middle of the road.
Had my test today 09:07am and failed! 3 minors.

Failed for hitting a curb.

UK, Surrey
Original post by kishxx01
Had my test today and.... FAILED.

got 6 minors and 3 majors.

Im so retarded


You’ll do it next time! You’ll be less nervous and more prepared!
Original post by livvydibby
You’ll do it next time! You’ll be less nervous and more prepared!


I hope
Took me three times last year!

1st time I was doing fine until the end of the test and I started thinking how it went and I got to a large junction. I was asked to take the left filter lane and all the lights were on red except this one but I got confused and stopped at a green light.

2nd time as I was pulling away from the kerb a bus was also doing the same and we both moved out, I failed as he didn’t like how close we got.

Then on my 3rd attempt I passed, don’t worry as you all will get there. Keep working at it and it may sound oblivious but you really need to relax and pretend its just your instructor and not an assessment.
I've done 4 driving tests but only one this year. I failed this year because I had to peep and creep around a car to pull out of a junction and the car was stopping me from seeing what's coming, examiner thought I was doing this too fast and pressed the brake as a car was coming, I was about the stop but I completely understand the examiner doing this, he didn't know I was gonna stop. I find it funny how my driving instructor has never pressed the brake in a lesson but the examiner has on almost all of my driving tests.
I have my next one on Monday so I'll probably come up and update this because I cannot drive on tests
Original post by emmamariekitty
I've done 4 driving tests but only one this year. I failed this year because I had to peep and creep around a car to pull out of a junction and the car was stopping me from seeing what's coming, examiner thought I was doing this too fast and pressed the brake as a car was coming, I was about the stop but I completely understand the examiner doing this, he didn't know I was gonna stop. I find it funny how my driving instructor has never pressed the brake in a lesson but the examiner has on almost all of my driving tests.
I have my next one on Monday so I'll probably come up and update this because I cannot drive on tests


This is pretty much exactly what happened to me when I failed at a roundabout. The first time I tried to pull out the examiner stopped me and the second time I went to move off and started to brake to stop but the examiner braked too although I was already braking. My instructor never ever brakes me at roundabouts but that examiner braked me twice! Next time I know that the gap my instructor knows I can fit into isn’t necessarily one the examiner thinks I can fit into! Now I know at least!

Good luck on Monday, fingers crossed for you
Original post by livvydibby
This is pretty much exactly what happened to me when I failed at a roundabout. The first time I tried to pull out the examiner stopped me and the second time I went to move off and started to brake to stop but the examiner braked too although I was already braking. My instructor never ever brakes me at roundabouts but that examiner braked me twice! Next time I know that the gap my instructor knows I can fit into isn’t necessarily one the examiner thinks I can fit into! Now I know at least!

Good luck on Monday, fingers crossed for you


I'm fairly sure I was already braking too but it was in January so I can't remember. at least you know it now so you don't fail for that again. It's better to get a minor for hesitation than pulling out I've learnt (unless you get three minors for hesitation)
Thank you and good luck for your next test too!
Reply 16
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8472
21
Original post by emmamariekitty
x


Good luck for monday!
Original post by 8472
Good luck for monday!


Thank you! Good luck for your next test!
Just had my first driving test today and failed with 2 majors :frown:( don’t think I’ve ever been so heartbroken I don’t want to do it again but know I need to my confidence has been knocked massively how do I get out of this rut
Original post by Soph8807
Just had my first driving test today and failed with 2 majors :frown:( don’t think I’ve ever been so heartbroken I don’t want to do it again but know I need to my confidence has been knocked massively how do I get out of this rut


I had another one today and also failed with two majors

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