I passed!! I passed!! I passed!! I passed!!

Good job....one minor for me as well. I spent 5 years in High Wycombe so Aylesbury is in that area. I didn't verbalise, but my policy was to keep repeating look.....look in the mirrors......look around.....just keep the head moving around to make it look like I was doing what I was supposed to. I think it helped......kept me from getting too calm and settled and then forgetting something.

I passed my test yesterday and I have never been so relieved! I found the whole process very difficult.

Here's my experience for what it's worth:
I've driven a manual in the US for the past 30 years but they are so strict here that I knew I would need lessons. My test was in Aylesbury (Oxfordshire) and involved driving through a triple roundabout full of zebra crossings and navigating a gyratory among other things. I passed the first time with only one minor which even shocked my instructor.

It may sound crazy but I verbalized what I was doing throughout the test and it helped me to focus and not panic. I told the examiner at the beginning not to worry if I talked to myself and he laughed and said "it's okay, it's not a test of your sanity" I literally verbalized every time I was checking my mirrors, watching for pedestrians, moving to the left, signalling, etc.

I took 20 hours of lessons in order to fully understand what they are looking for on the test. Although I initially resented it and hated to spend the money, I ended up learning a lot and I think I'm a better driver as a result. I even prepared by printing roundabout maps and studying them because Aylesbury has some really crazy roundabouts that grow extra lanes as you go around-very weird. The instructor also reviewed lots of very tricky areas that would have caused me to fail if I had not known about them (one way systems for example).

I found the theory test and the driving test very stressful and I wish I had started the process much earlier because I never dreamed it would take almost a full year. If you are still going through this process I definitely recommend taking lessons. Learning to drive in the UK has definitely been the hardest part of the adjusting to the culture for me.

I often read these forums and also want to thank everyone who has shared their experiences here. It helps so much to know that I am not alone in how I feel!

Great post, thank you for sharing!

Congratulations on the pass!!!   

Thanks! I'm so glad that it's finally done:)

A gyratory is a bit of a nightmare. In theory it functions like a roundabout but it's shaped like a big triangle with multiple exits. It's spread out over quite a distance so that you can't see the exits the way you can at a roundabout and there are buildings, pubs, parking in the middle so you can't see from one side to the other. When you turn one of the corners you need to be in the correct lane or you risk not being able to go the direction you intended. I have no sense of direction so I had to literally memorize each side with landmarks so that I would know which lane to choose if I was told to go to town center vs. Stoke Mandeville, etc. I hope they don't exist in too many places!

Yikes!  That does sound like a nightmare.  It wasn't on my test route, but there may be one of those in Newcastle - I'm not planning to drive in the city any time soon, so I think I can avoid those.... fingers crossed. 

A gyratory is a bit of a nightmare. In theory it functions like a roundabout but it's shaped like a big triangle with multiple exits. It's spread out over quite a distance so that you can't see the exits the way you can at a roundabout and there are buildings, pubs, parking in the middle so you can't see from one side to the other. When you turn one of the corners you need to be in the correct lane or you risk not being able to go the direction you intended. I have no sense of direction so I had to literally memorize each side with landmarks so that I would know which lane to choose if I was told to go to town center vs. Stoke Mandeville, etc. I hope they don't exist in too many places!

OMG... I don't think I've ever seen anything like that!  Nightmare!
Congratulations on your pass 

Congrats Luvabrit!

Feels good to have it out of the way, doesn't it?

Passed my test a couple days ago first time with 3 minors! I chose to take the test in my own car (automatic, never drove manual in my life). Beforehand I just called my insurance company to make sure I was insured for a driving test. I've been driving here since December last year.

Like others on here, I found the process stressful and I am so glad it's over now. I had a TON of anxiety about driving in the UK- the narrow roads, roundabouts, driving on the left.... so I ended up putting it off for a few months. As a result, I went two months without driving as I was over my year. I also went through 3 different instructors (them, not me I swear  ). First guy was very rude and acted like he didn't want to be there, second guy was more easygoing and a better instructor but was shockingly unreliable. Third guy was the winner. I had about 11 hours of lessons total.

I had everything down with checking mirrors, feeding the wheel, lane discipline etc. but I was pretty nervous the day of, and as a result kept making other silly mistakes that may have failed me on the actual test. I tried to calm myself down after that. Luckily I had a friendly examiner and I'm pretty sure I got one of the easier test routes, so I think both those things worked in my favor. The test honestly wasn't hard, just need to remember all the things examiners look for and do it to a T.

So happy to have freedom again! No more expensive bus tickets and waiting for late buses!

Congratulations Karlee!!! 

Passed my test a couple days ago first time with 3 minors!
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So happy to have freedom again! No more expensive bus tickets and waiting for late buses!

Congratulations Karlee!  It's such a relief to have that out of the way.   

Just passed my test, feeling super relieved and so happy that I never have to do that ever again. Unless I move somewhere that's US or a U.K. license aren't accepted. First try pass for both my theory and practical!

Just passed my test, feeling super relieved and so happy that I never have to do that ever again. Unless I move somewhere that's US or a U.K. license aren't accepted. First try pass for both my theory and practical!

Awesome! Congratulations!!!

Way to go!!!
I'm so happy for you!
Not only that but you have given me hope!
If there is one thing I am insanely intimidated by its the idea of driving in England once I get there.
Congrats!!