Yael and other test-passers, do you have any driving test tips?

Congratulations !!

Based on everything I've been told over the years, I fully expect to fail on my first attempt.  Now, hear me out.  While this may sound like negativity, it actually is quite a freeing thought.  I won't have to be nervous, and can treat it entirely as a learning experience!!  I should add that I will take lessons and practice tons before my test, so as to be prepared.  If I should pass on the first attempt, it would be a lovely surprise, but I'm not going to put pressure on myself with expectations.  Anyone else felt this way?

I tried to think this way, but it didn't work.  Hope it works for you though!

Congrats on passing your test!

Best of luck to everyone else that's going to take it!

That is such great news!! Congrats!!

Now I'm off to my driving lesson and then to the office.  I like my instructor, by the way.  He's been doing this for a long time and actually teaches other driving instructors how to teach.  He's giving me lots of tips that I hadn't thought of--making the manoeuvres much easier (ie. when you can see the curb at this point in your window turn the wheel two turns right, then when it gets to this point over your shoulder turn hard left and you'll glide right in to your parking spot.)  I'm feeling much more confident--but my first lesson was a disaster b/c i got so nervous.  It makes me very glad I'm taking lessons.  If my first lesson freaked me out, I'd have hated to see what happened if I went in to take the test!!!!  This is definitely helping.

I think one good "trick" is to not get too worked up about the test.  It's going to be a lot harder if you are agitated.

I know the stats for first time passes look really bad but I'm not sure they tell the full picture.

Remember most people taking the test are 17 and only got behind the wheel for the first time a few months previously.

Also the pass figures are probably just the total number of tests taken against total passes but that doesn't mean that most people don't pass first time.  My totally unscientific sample of people that I know shows this.  Most people I know passed first time but one or two of my friends are hopeless and took five or six goes.  I bet if you took the mean average of my friends it would look like it takes 2 or 3 goes to pass but in actual fact most of them passed first go.

Based on everything I've been told over the years, I fully expect to fail on my first attempt.  Now, hear me out.  While this may sound like negativity, it actually is quite a freeing thought.  I won't have to be nervous, and can treat it entirely as a learning experience!!  I should add that I will take lessons and practice tons before my test, so as to be prepared.  If I should pass on the first attempt, it would be a lovely surprise, but I'm not going to put pressure on myself with expectations.  Anyone else felt this way?

Yep. This is my mentality as well. I think my husband is getting a bit frustrated with it, but oh well.

aw im taking my test for the first time tomorrow, ive had lessons here on and off for about a year but i hope im ready...thank you all for the advice, learning from other's mistakes has been really helpful so thank you all for posting! if i dont pass ill let you all know why good luck to everyone else taking it soon!

My instructor gave me some good advice today.  He said that drivers often fail right after their manoeuvres.  They will do really well and be so relieved, then the examiner will tell them to go ahead and drive out when ready and they'll forget to check their blind spots and fail.  I've heard many say they failed b/c of forgetting to check a blind spot like this after finishing other parts of the test.

His advise was to finish a manoeuvre and pull up the handbrake and put the car in neutral immediately, then when the examiner says to move forward, you'll have a little reminder with the parking brake that you are starting over and you need to check your blind spots and mirrors.  He said to do it that way in your regular practice so you get in the habit of it for now and will remember on your test when you are feeling more anxious.  I thought that was pretty good advice.

well i failed my 1st test but for such a lame reason. when i turned out of the test centre, i went on the wrong side of the road thinking it was a 1-way and he counted that as a serious fault. other than that i did pretty well with the maneouvers thought i stalled twice on my hill start because i got nervous . it was 8.40am and jampacked full of cars and children, but overall i think i did ok. taking it again in january (lol another £48 plus £40 for a 2-hr lesson!) so hopefully i wont be so neverous. thanks for all your advice, it really did help!!