The few, the brave - those of us taking driving lessons right now!

Congrats! Way to go and yes thank you for posting your faults!

Thanks guys.

I think each and every examiner is so different, it's hard to accurately gauge what they are looking for. For instance, my minor with the handbrake could have been a fail under another examiner (in fact, my instructor said he had a student who was failed for such a thing). I took a mock test with my instructor a few days ago, and failed with 6 minor faults and 1 major. You would think that this would be a knock to my confidence, but he told me that if my examiner had to fail me they would be sorry to do so because they would know I was a capable driver. This really helped boost my confidence.

My examiner was very friendly, and he seemed to accept that I was a capable driver within the first ten minutes of driving. There were a few times where I made little mistakes my instructor had previously corrected me on (signalling a bit too early, not checking my mirrors before signalling) which my examiner didn't mark at all. At the end of the test, I mentioned I was sad it was over as I was enjoying our little chat, and he told me I was driving so well that he was easily able to conversation, (In fact, I think he was a bit distracted as he would sometimes give me directions and continue talking about his travel plans in same breath!) so I think if your examiner seems relaxed enough to have a chat, take it as a good sign.

I can't stress how much confidence was the key to driving for me. I had some pretty awful moment of sheer panic whilst driving over here. But one morning I just woke up and thought "Don't be ridiculous, of course you can drive!", and after that I felt so calm and cool when I would otherwise enter complete panic shut-down mode.

Good luck to everyone currently taking lessons and exams. I know EXACTLY how you feel, but it CAN be done!

(btw, I had 7 hours of lessons, but had done bits of driving before that)

Congrats!!

My examiner was very friendly, and he seemed to accept that I was a capable driver within the first ten minutes of driving. There were a few times where I made little mistakes my instructor had previously corrected me on (signalling a bit too early, not checking my mirrors before signalling) which my examiner didn't mark at all. At the end of the test, I mentioned I was sad it was over as I was enjoying our little chat, and he told me I was driving so well that he was easily able to conversation, (In fact, I think he was a bit distracted as he would sometimes give me directions and continue talking about his travel plans in same breath!) so I think if your examiner seems relaxed enough to have a chat, take it as a good sign.

I had a similar experience.  As we started off the examiner asked, "What would you be doing today if you didn't have to do this?" and that started a chat that lasted throughout the test. 

At the end he had me just pull up to the curb outside the center rather than doing the parking test.  Afterwards my instructor said, "I knew you'd passed when I saw that he was skipping the reverse parking.  If they think you've got a good handle on things they often just skip that part."

I'm taking my third lesson this week.  Can't say i'm excited about the maneuvers though.
It would be interesting to know what people's faults were...

I had two minors. One was that I didn't look over my should long enough during a lane merge, and the other was that I wasn't perfect on my parallel park. The examiner I had told me she just stuck the second one in there because I was so close to perfect she wanted to remember to tell me about it (so she explained one little thing, and now I nail parallel parking like 99% of the time!), as she knew I was going to pass as long as I didn't totally randomly blow it.

She was nice, and asked me where I was from and how I was liking Manchester etc. For all of my freaking out, it was probably at least 75% easier than any of my lessons!

Good luck!

I'm seriously stressing and really just want to cry thinking about this test... Does anyone know where I can find the definitive answer on how close to the curb you must be when reversing around a corner?   My instructor told me to be a drains-width away from the curb, which of course would be perfect, but do you really NEED to be that close? Will you fail if you are further away, but still on YOUR side of the road?

Probably like anything else with the driving test here, the answer is 'it depends'.  

My instructor stressed the importance of not crossing over the painted middle line (in the road) when reversing around the corner (so the car stays in lane, all the way around the corner).  And being close enough to the curb so as not to cause an obstruction or hazard for other vehicles to then drive by you.  I never heard anything about a drains-width distance though.

The 'fail or not fail' thing probably with that, as with so many other things, all is down to - are you creating a hazardous situation?  If so, how hazardous?

Good luck to you!

Thanks Mrs Robinson.  Surely, I am not the only person who believes that reversing two car lengths down a street, then reversing around a corner, then reversing another four or five car lengths down the street is a hazard in itself, but I wont get started on that

Thanks Mrs Robinson.  Surely, I am not the only person who believes that reversing two car lengths down a street, then reversing around a corner, then reversing another four or five car lengths down the street is a hazard in itself, but I wont get started on that

I always say that I knew how to drive (in the US) just fine.  It took coming to the UK where I had to learn to drive backwards... 

Thanks Mrs Robinson.  Surely, I am not the only person who believes that reversing two car lengths down a street, then reversing around a corner, then reversing another four or five car lengths down the street is a hazard in itself, but I wont get started on that

Haha! I remember having similar thoughts when I was going through what you're going through now.  Hopefully come test time it'll all go smoothly.

The only thing I'll say in defense of the driving test is after spending the summer in the countryside around my in-laws' place, where roads commonly have narrow points where only one car can get through, I now understand more fully why the DVLA wanted to make sure I could reverse and turn at the same time. 

I'm seriously stressing and really just want to cry thinking about this test... Does anyone know where I can find the definitive answer on how close to the curb you must be when reversing around a corner?   My instructor told me to be a drains-width away from the curb, which of course would be perfect, but do you really NEED to be that close? Will you fail if you are further away, but still on YOUR side of the road?

It's not like you have to reverse around it perfectly, keeping equidistant at all times around the curve. You just have to stay a reasonable distance to the curb. We were practising this manoeuvre right before my test, and I was by no means doing it perfectly. But I adjusted accordingly, and made sure I ended up close to the curb on the road I was reversing onto. My instructor said it was fine, and I would pass with any of my attempts.

I tried practising in my own car, but it was difficult to translate to my instructors car as the turning circle is different on each car. So be sure you know how to do it in the car you are using for the test.

Thanks Across.  I can always do it without ever crossing over the centre line, but then the instructor opens the door and shows me that I'm far from the curb.  I'm going on a reversing-around-a-corner-practiceathon tonight sans instructor and hopefully I can figure it out.

I passed with 4 minor faults.  I had to do the reverse around a corner and must've done it well because it was never mentioned in the "debrief".  Other manouver was three-point-turn (hooray!)
Faults were something for steering which I honestly dont remember what she said I had done wrong, changing lanes without looking enough in mirrors in a super nasty roundabout, lane discipline in that same roundabout and taking one turn too wide.  All in all easier than I thought and not worth the tears and stress   Good luck to everyone else!

Aww.. Congrats Mirrajay and well done. It's such an amazing relief to have out of the way!

Well done, Mirrajay!