Test Day!

I woke up this morning knowing two things... 1 - I could be going car shopping by lunchtime today....Arghhhhhh!!!! 2 - I could well be booking more lessons if I fail....BOOOOOOO! If you can't already tell, today is my test day, and all things considered - I am slightly nervous but also I am quietly confident that I could pass today.

Hour before the test

So, as is customary , I have booked an hour lesson prior to my test this morning. This is just to address any concerns I may still feel I have with my driving, or possibly just to ease my nerves before I'm let loose with my instructors pride and joy, without him being in the vehicle for almost 2 hours. One thing I have to say here is, I not only had to pay £124 for my extended test, but I also have to pay my driving instructor 3 hours of tuition fees. Ouch!! Anyway that aside the hour flies by, with me doing pretty much all I would do on my test, including an emergency stop. Wait did we do everything? How do I parallel park again? Is it mirror, signal , manoeuvre!? Arghhhh! I've forgotten how to drive! Before I know it we pull into the test centre to wait for my test examiner to call me. I will admit at this stage, I am slightly more nervous and edgy than earlier on, that may have something to do with the can of energy drink I had instead of eating real food for breakfast but I am still quietly confident that I will pass today.

Hello Mr Examiner

My examiner calls my name and checks my details and then leads me out to the car. He asks me to show him where I would replenish the windscreen cleaning fluid. Ummmm, my mind has gone blank! What is windscreen cleaning fluid? Wait where do I open the bonnet? Argh! I've failed already! The examiner sees I'm a little flustered and reassures me to take my time and just relax. A few seconds pass, which felt like hours, I manage to open the bonnet and sure enough I remember where everything is, relaaaax now. We set off on my test route and already I feel calmer, but why isn't this guy talking?! Every time I try to strike up some sort of conversation, he kills it. Talk to me please, I already feel awkward as it is! Well time is flying by and already we have been driving for over 30 minutes and I'm one manoeuvre down and I nailed it!

You Idiot!

My examiner advises me that with a small amount of time left we need to head back towards the test centre, he asks me to take the third exit on the next roundabout that we are slowly approaching. I can’t see the exits! I can feel my face becoming hot, why am I so nervous, relax, this will be fine, just get in the right lane,I can sort of see all the exits now , one, two,.......The car slams to a stop! The examiner has slammed on the brakes.....I didn't notice the zebra crossing...., I didn't see the three people making their way across! Oh you idiot! OK, maybe that won’t fail me, I mean I was literally going 3mph if that! Surely....Nope definitely failed now! We get back to the test centre after a long ten minutes from the roundabout incident. I can sense its bad news. The examiner tells me I have three minors, then nothing, complete and utter silence....Or that's what I remember anyway, I must have blanked everything out after that because what the examiner had actually said was, "I'm so very sorry to say this, but I have had to fail you today due to the major incident on the roundabout approach. Your driving was fantastic up until that point, but unfortunately that incident had to be marked as a major." Great, I failed! I can honestly say I was not expecting that outcome. My instructor had a chat with the examiner out of earshot. When we get home I pay him the three hours tuition - what an added kick in the teeth that is - and we discuss the plan going forward, we decide to go and book another test right away! But all in all, I feel OK. I am already looking for the next available test date to resist , luckily there is one in 8 weeks’ time....BOOKED! I can honestly say I enjoyed my test today, despite failing. The examiner was a bit awkward, but overall I thought I did OK other than the one major. Now all I need to do is remember to look out for zebra crossings on my resit .

---

Would you like to write an article for InstructorcoverPlus? We are looking for a driving instructor(s) to write about their experiences. If you are interested please email us at marketing@instructorcoverplus.com using the subject 'Writing For You' Why not tweet us using #ICPlusBlog or send us a message on Facebook and let us know what you'd like to hear about.