FAILED 9minor marks - 1 serious fault

I really want to use a ton of profanity here.  >:(I would have passed, but I hit the curb at the very END of my test. Seriously, turning into where we park up is a tight corner that I have to go into 1st gear, well, I didn't want to go into the right lane so I turned it too tightly. I failed. He said I would have passed if not for that. Needless to say, I can still drive on my american license for a long while, but I am seriously upset. I would have passed! I have quite a problem with the driving standards of this country - I am a proven safe driver and I still fail? there's something wrong with that.

Before you say they're right and I'm wrong, I know that, I'm really upset b/c this is a LOT of money to spend on a license when I am legal to drive anyway for a while longer. I reschedule for 2 weeks from now. I feel a lot less confident now b/c I failed once and now I feel like I'll just keep failing b/c I can't stop thinking about that one moment that cancelled out all the good driving I had done for 35min previously. I want to move back to america.

Aw, I'm so sorry! I wish there were something to say that would make it all better (and all make sense), but I know there's not. Just know that next time you WILL pass! Really, you will!

aw sorry, good luck next time!

btw, I was having a chat about the eye test part and my colleagues said the tester just asks you to read a license plate and that's it... no big E and little lines, no left then right eye like in the states. True?

btw, I was having a chat about the eye test part and my colleagues said the tester just asks you to read a license plate and that's it... no big E and little lines, no left then right eye like in the states. True?

Yup. They do the vision test as part of the practical portion of the test. The examiner will ask you to read a plate a certain distance away. That's it!

Yup. They do the vision test as part of the practical portion of the test. The examiner will ask you to read a plate a certain distance away. That's it!

Note to self:  get new glasses before I do this...

I'm sorry to hear that you failed your test.
I know how it feels, as i failed the first time i took it as well.

But: 

I have quite a problem with the driving standards of this country - I am a proven safe driver and I still fail? there's something wrong with that.

                 


If you can adjust your attitude a wee bit, I'm sure you will pass the next time!   

pittpanther -- Now that I'm going to be having some more free time, one of my plans is to start my driver training in earnest (take lessons, actually use these CD-ROM's I bought) & seeing to *finally* getting my licence.  I'm sure I'll be commiserating with you too!

Good news though!  After previous disagreements with DH on having a manual vs automatic car...he conceded the following:  he thinks that I am a better driver than he is and so long as I succeed in getting my UK driver's licence -- if I agree to do most of the driving (between us), he said I could pick out our next car & it can be an automatic if I want!  Woo hoo!  (I can drive--and have driven--a manual, but TBH I'd rather have an automatic for these narrow, higgledy-piggledy roads over here.  Not to mention the loopy, spaghetti junction that is traffic in Leeds.)

LOADS of people fail the first time, cos you dont really know what to expect, what it's going to be like, etc.

Nothing to worry about! 

I am sorry to hear that you failed the test...that must be really tough to take, especially since you were so close to passing.  To be honest, I think the driving tests here are ridiculously hard.....

I am taking my test in about a month, and wondered what your  thoughts were on the rest of  the test?  Did you feel it was hard?  Did you take driving lessons beforehand, and if so how many?  Any suggestions or recommendations for those of us who still have to try it?

Don

Okay guess i'll come out and admit .. It took me 5 or 6 times before i passed my UK driving test.. ROFL.. Yep you heard it right.. Ended up being VERY expensive lesson for me..
I finally passed when it became a matter of taking some extended lessons to get rid of my merrican bad  driving habits and realise what i needed to do to pass the test. The t ime i finally passed was a make or break test for me as if i hadn't passed i'd of lost my agency job and not been able to purchase the new car that i  did purchase..
What a nightmare the tests were..
I honestly thought i could pass it without lessons.. WRONG i was.. I needed some intensive lessons to learn what was wanted from the UK testers..
Kaylesh

Sorry to hear that but I am sure you will pass next time. Hang in there!

I took lessons as well...  once a week for probably about 3 months!   At £15 an hour!! 

When I first moved here, someone suggested I take driving lessons before my test. I was so insulted I nearly laughed in her face! Me?? Take driving lessons?!?! I'd been driving for 25 years! But I did and I'm so glad. I never ever would have passed the test without them.

DH failed three times before he passed.  Every one of them was a 'you would have passed but for . . . '

In the end, he passed w/only 4 minors. 

MANY expats were perfectly legal to drive back home and failed 3+ times here.  Hell, many Brits do as well!  My work colleague also took 4 times to pass and even gave up driving for a while after his 3rd failure b/c his confidence was at an all-time low.

Just part of life.  Dust yourself off, get your groove back and try again! 

Your profanity would be well justified.  After you have got it all out of your system, you can take comfort in the fact that you did better than most people do.  Better than I did.  

You can look forward to sailing through next try.

Jim
been there, done that