Driving Test does anyone have any useful tips?

Re: Driving Test does anyone have any usefull tips?

June..I agree with you there... Friend of mine was failed as he was told that he did not use the mirrors enough...He felt that he certainly did use the mirrors all the time but that this may not have been obvious to the tester because he didn't actually move his head...When he resat next time, he made sure to do so and passed...I guess it depends on the tester on the day....
 
Re: Driving Test does anyone have any usefull tips?

Itchy said:
Then its seven months instead of 12!!
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you can be lucky with cancellations sometimes.. i know a few people that got a cancellation within 3 weeks, it just depends on the centre and luck! what test route are you doing?
 
Re: Driving Test does anyone have any usefull tips?

Hi,

Lauren said:
When he resat next time, he made sure to do so and passed...I guess it depends on the tester on the day....
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Second time he was thinking of moving his head to check the mirrors, therefore he was concentrating more on actually checking the mirrors.

He passed because he checked his mirrors, not because he moved his head.
Second time he was more focused. First time, would guess he forgot to check the mirrors at various junctions, some crucial times.

It is unnecessary to move your head to check mirrors.

However, if you think it would help, by all means keep telling yourself, "must remember to move my head when checking the mirrors". Then check the mirrors, but it is unnecessary to move your head
[broken link removed]
 
Re: Driving Test does anyone have any usefull tips?

paddi22 said:
you can be lucky with cancellations sometimes.. i know a few people that got a cancellation within 3 weeks, it just depends on the centre and luck! what test route are you doing?
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Raheny, its tomorrow actually. I rang up looking for a cancellation and it goes something like:

ME: "Hi im looking for a cancellation"
DT: " You are on the priority list we will be in touch in due course."
ME: " So how long will that be?"
DT: "About four months."
 
Re: Driving Test does anyone have any usefull tips?

All I can say is take your time, defintely dont get into a state on the day of the test. Maybe have one lesson an hour before your test and relax dont drive anymore, chill out.

To this day I still cant believe I passed my test, I think on the day you just know you have to pass and will put all your effort in.

I messed up my reversing around the corner made an ass of my 3 point turn as a car came along and i got paniki and took me 4goes. although you are allowed do it in a few turns if you have a small space.

I think if you mount any kerb its an automatic fail, (friend of mine failed)

And my boyfriend done his 3months after me and failed on observation, bad hill start etc.

Some of the questions I got were What would you do if dazzled by oncoming lights? what does amber light mean? what are the lines in the middle of main roads (the median strips) must know about them.

Should also know under ur bonnet oil water etc, min thread on tyres. make sure all ur lights are working as he/she will check. make sure uve ur tax, insurance disc and nct if needed.

And dont forget to bring your prov licience in to the test centre. And reverse your car into a spot and pick a handy one to get out of and when yis come back make sure you park properly between the lines cuz my sister didnt and got a mark for that.

Hope ive helped you.

Let us all know how you get on and Goodluck!!
 
What time are you doing it at?

Try and do a practice run at that time earlier in the week.

I did my test in raheny but I got the worst time - when the parents are picking their kids up from the local school. I had driven the routes a lot beforehand, but never when the roads were so packed with stressed parents doing u-turns and parking on corners, it was completely different and really threw me. I got marks for being too slow progressing, mainly because cars were parked at corners and and both sides of road were blocked, and I couldn't see around corners!

Also, you have prob covered these in your practices but there is a TINY tight roundabout on one of the routes and you have to crawl around it in first, my friend took it in second gear and failed.

I passed my test in raheny on friday and I got one of the clontarf routes. A tip I got was that when going down the steep hill in raheny, you know the one where the road converges with a bigger road beside the chinese restaurant. Pause at the stop sign for three seconds even if the road is clear to go and make sure the handbreak is used on it.

best of luck with it, its nerve racking but you'l be grand!!
 
Actually my situation is that I decided not to buy a car yet and I have have been learning by taking lessons. After a thought provoking comment by ACA. See here:

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=2095

So I did the maths and the the differance in insurance price between a provisional and full licence was €1100, so I decided to spend the money taking lessons instead. I have had about 20 lessons at this stage and I feel that at least I know how to drive safely now, albeit with less overall driving time.

To be honest I am not really that nervous about the test. Im at that standard now and have had a few more lessons than I probably needed. I suppose thats just my big head, i'll put my money where my mouth is tomorrow!!

paddi, there is loads of tiny tight roundabouts around the test centre!! Its on at lunch time so hopefully all the well behaved Manor House girls will use the pedestrian crossing tomorrow!!
 
ah if your confident and you've been driving a while you'l fly through it! its just driving with someone sitting beside you for half an hour!

That roundabout is a really tiny one at a T-juntion. Think there's a sign saying saying 'Raheny' behind it. You'l know it if you see it! It nearly caught me out as well but i remebered my friend had mentioned it. Its really tight so crawl around it.!

Best of luck with it!
 
Some very good comments by contributors. Here is a very basic but misunderstood aspect of the Driving Test here in Ireland.There are three grades of mark...
Grade One... which is a minor fault and which does not effect the outcome of the Test.
Grade Two... which is a serious fault and where you have a maximum of 8 allowed before you are in the failure zone.
Grade Three... which is a dangerous or potentially dangerous fault which will disqualify you.

Some Examiners are really keen on illustrating faults in the grade one category which will highlight your deficiencies and help you in the future but will not effect the outcome of the Driving Test. Other examiners don't bother with Grade one faults at all.
The tip is to totally ignore the amount of writing the Examiner is doing , because even if it seems to be constant it may well be many grade one entries and you may be well on the way to a Pass.Just concentrate on listening, observing, and doing what you are asked.
Here is an example from three years ago:-
18 entries on the sheet ( must be a fail methinks?)
Result:-
12 Grade one Faults!
6 Grade two Faults!
First Time Pass with two marks to spare which is a good result for anyone!
 
Testers get a general idea of how experienced you are. You do need some luck.

Be confident (try and relax) and concentrate if you are too nervous you can make mistakes.

Do pre-test.
 
All the tips are helping... Must remember to keep a doors width between stationary cars (i tend to stay a bit close too).

Had problems trying to lift the bonnet but i think i'm fine now with it.

Bit more practice tonight!

Oh do i need to know the distance i should be behind another car when travelling at X speed? In the Rule's of the Road book i bought it is still in Mph
 
Think positive going in! If you are ready for the test you should pass. I had a pre-test beforehand and completely messed up my reverse three times due to nerves but did it grand in the test! Take your belt off completely when doing it to make sure you get a good view. Take it as slowly as you need to and go easy with the steering wheel, don't lock yourself in too sharp. Cars will prob come around the corner behind you but don't let that phase you. I had to drive back around the corner 4 times due to oncoming traffic and I didn't get marked down for that. Plus when the front of your car starts to swing around the bend make sure you stop and look around yo each way..

Relax and drive normally for the rest. You'l feel nervous at first but when the drive starts you should settle down.

Take a detached view. What is the worst that can happen ?

You fail. so what, only cost 38 Euro to do again. Request a cancellation and could be doing again in a few weeks.

You probably will make a mistake or two, or something totally unexpected could happen but remember its not the event but how you deal with it that is important. So, relax if something happens try and take a second or two to figure out what is the SAFEST thing to do. Then act. Don't waste time or concentration trying to see what marks you have or how often he is marking you. As the poster above said it can be dif to what you think.

Are you the raheny centre? The speed limits are easy enough to remember for those routes. theres only two roads, think its the howth road and the clontarf road where you go to 60. So make progress do not hang around when clear, get up to the legal speed limit immediately. But always drive at the speed you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear. When you are stopping, make sure you can see the tyres of the car in front of you on the road, that means you are a safe distance behind.
 
paddi22 said:
Are you the raheny centre?
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Thanks...

No i'm in the citywest centre, have my 3 pretest 2m - hour before test, instructor still didn't know the test route because the testing only started last week as far as i know. Fingers crossed i'm not phased by the area i'm brought...
 
No nothing tricky, just asked lots of signs, yellow box junctions and dipped headlights, then had to point to the things under the bonnet and explain how you would check the oil, and in the car i just had to explain what was on the dash board.
got 2 marks - slighty tipped the corner on the reverse around - it was so perfect but then i had to keep going till he said stop and unfortunately it was a windy kerb . My other mark was about a right turn which i'm a little confusted about - if you are taking a right turn and there is no white box with a right turn arrow should you move past the white line or stay behind it and wait for a gap in the traffic????
 
Hi,

Well Done


Re. Turning Right

Enter junction, stop just before your point of turn (bumper level with white line - other road) then wait for traffic to clear.
 
John_DI said:
Re. Turning Right

Enter junction, stop just before your point of turn (bumper level with white line - other road) then wait for traffic to clear.
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and thats even if there is no white box...? normally i was a bit unsure in the test so i stayed behind the white line. It wasn't a main fault which was fine.
 
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