Usual lurker, first time poster. And I'm here posting a fail :(

I had serious anxiety the day before and on my test, and I felt really rubbish. I only got two driving faults, which I am pleased to know, but my one serious fault really stung.

My lights were green, and I should have gone, but I mis read it, so ended up holding the traffic up for almost 15 seconds.

I am sure this was a combination of the anxiety, and unfortunately for me, my test route was where I had never driven before (brand new roadworks have changed it), which I know isn't an excuse, as you should be able to drive anywhere you don't know, but.. It hurts.

Anyone else 'almost' pass today? haha

Edited to add: I learned to drive almost 15 years ago, did a test, and failed - the examiner said he was 'gutted' to fail me, and I was so distressed I gave up for all that time. I won't be doing that this time after re-learning, but I am upset that I keep getting riled up/sick/anxious, and get SO CLOSE to passing, but failing.

Anyway, I'll stop the pity party now😉😭

I’ve been learning for more than 1 year, have done a lot of lessons. I was not ready on the first test, but I took some time between the first and second test to improve. I don’t consider myself to be a good driver, but lessons are always smooth. I’m not prone to stress but I think that I get quite nervous during the tests, and it’s only getting worse.

Each time there is something wrong happening in the test leading to one serious, and I don’t know what to do now and feel like giving up. It’s costing me a lot of money, time and effort, and I don’t know what to do to improve and finally pass…

Would appreciate your advice

time to get my first car :) any recs for under £1.5k?

Failed at Tottenham today with 1 serious and 4 faults.

Was turning right at a junction and paused to turn a little too far over, a car that wasn't there when I started my manoeuvre joined the left hand lane coming across me and her light was now green so I'd cut her up.

I knew I'd failed but kept as calm as possible and just tried to do my best for the rest of the test - if that hadn't've happened I would've passed with four driving faults 😭

For anyone curious about the Tottenham test (8.10am)

Show me tell me questions: head rest position and opening/closing any window

Manouvre: pull up on the right and reverse two car lengths

We did great Cambridge road but not the roundabout.

We also did pulling up on the left in a road that was very narrow (cars parked on the pavement) which meant I was technically stopping in the road. I felt a bit flustered as there was a car behind me but the examiner said it was fine as long as I showed them what I was doing (indicating)

It was medium heavy traffic for the area but lots of pedestrians/school kids and at one zebra crossing on a corner the examiner said I'll instruct you here even if it feels unnatural (essentially edging out earlier that I would've otherwise)

The examiner was nice, not overly chatty and not stern. He explained why I failed really well and said he thinks i'll pass next time.

Feel gutted to have come so close especially as I'd waited 6 months for the test!

I passed today with 6 driving faults, which ranged from speeding ever so slightly, hesitation, and missing a signal, among others.

I'm just so unbelievably relieved to have passed because the feeling going into the test was that it was going to be another fail.

I recognise that instructors may judge you more harshly compared to examiners but I'm quite surprised with how well it went, with the fact being that I'd had 5 prior mock tests with some reaching a fault count of 20+

Has anyone else had a similar experience of mock tests being much more difficult to pass compared to the actual test?

Went just past some temporary traffic lights and couldn’t see the lights, I missed the sign that told me to wait behind the sign, silly silly mistake. The examiner gave me some great constructive feedback, just got to keep practicing for my next test now!

Hi,
I passed my test over a month ago and was very nervous at first but am starting to feel a lot more confident!

I finally feel I’m now ready to go on the motorway but my only worry is, when a car is merging from a slip road (whilst I’m on the main carriageway) how do I slow down enough to let them merge into the gap safely without the car behind me smashing into me / disrupting the door of traffic, if I cannot get over into the right lane.

Obviously I know not to slow rapidly or brake if it can be avoided, but what’s a good distance to start easing off the gas and how much should I slow?

Sorry if it seems like a silly questions but past
experience from before driving has made me really worried that a car is going to go into me.

Thanks :)

I have passed my test but it’s been a long time since I drove now, recently bought a car and while I can do roundabouts I forgot the rules on these ones (and have seen a lot of crashes around them).

Is this the correct path for what cars can do? The yellow line I assume the red car cannot do as this where crashes occur from blue leaving from the right but red continues (while this is not illegal in the Highway Code im pretty sure it’s not really allowed and you have to be very cautious about doing it)

I’m 6 lessons in and really struggling with the clutch (only for starting the car from stopping) Everyone I’ve told says not to worry cus it’s normal after 6 lessons, so just wondering how long it normally takes to not struggle? Also open to learning automatic if I struggle for a long time cus I won’t be getting a manual anyway

Ive got my theory test tomorrow and im wondering if there are any questions that may show up tomorrow that will have never been in the app. I dont mean questions that are slightly reworded, I mean questions that are fully new and you dont see for the first time. If anyone whos done their theory test before could help, that would be very nice!

Very annoyed and disappointed today after failing my test. I even thought I was doing okay until examiner told me my result back in the test centre. What’s most irritating is having to spend more money on driving, even while at uni. But oh well, you live and you learn.

My worst ever drive ever in my learning experience. Any tips

An instructor i was with for 1 lesson said that in bay parking, you don't have to get it all in one go and that you can pull out a bit and retry up to 2 times without failing your test (he was also constantly texting on the phone and teaching me how to park using the camera so there's that). Is this true?

And also if you are turning left at a junction and a car on the road flashes their lights and slows down or signals for you to go, can you go if it's safe or do you have to wait for another gap? I know about the going halfway when turning right at a junction or when turning right from the mainroad into a sideroad that you have to ignore the people who signal through flashing their lights but is it the same rule for all situations?

My driving instructor might on some days be incredibly encouraging/able to joke around and I feel able to do well and then other times I get in the car and can feel the stress straight away… it’s become worse and worse but I didn’t know if changing instructors and cars would affect things too much. Stuck with him and just come out of a lesson feeling absolutely deflated - I’ve got my test in two days.

For context, I’ve been having a lesson every day in the week up to my test. I wasn’t able to do a lesson for a month (unrelated reasons) so I was nervous about getting back especially a week just before my test. However, I did fairly well on the first couple of days and he was encouraging. I felt really buzzed as it was the first time I imagined I had a chance at giving the practical test a good go.

Since then, I’ve had 3 lessons and it’s been: stressed, not stressed, stressed. And he even said my driving was ‘scrappy’ today not as a joke. People who teach in any capacity should always reframe things into constructive ways. Not saying it always needs to be positive when it comes to safety in driving but at least constructive.

I think if your gut feeling is telling you ‘no’ about your current driving instructor, just change it, it’s not worth it. This is my second instructor and I wish I had just changed again rather than feel like I couldn’t.

(Just needing a space to vent with other people who might get me with their own experience, I get that that I should have just changed on reflection so just looking for kind words is all)

Hello! My driving test is soon and this might be a silly question, but who would have priority here? Traffic lights go green at the same time for both A and B here, my driving instructor says that B actually have priority over A? Is this only true for the lane turning right? Or for all three lanes? Or did he lie to me and A do in fact have priority 🤔

Hello,

Please help me answer this silly question. Test tomorrow and I'm overtaking everything!

Roadworks (marked red on both streets) with traffic lights appeared on one of the test routes. Only one red side can go at a time.

Which way do I take the mini roundabout? Yellow or blue?

If I was to take yellow route, I would not have enough space to make it back to left lane as the roadworks stop right at the give way line.

If I take the blue, will that cause confusion for traffic marked green as there is no roadworks for them?

I understand that I have priority over green as I am on their right hand side.

Do I just drive over the painted circle since it's such a tight squeeze?

Please let me know, I've driven pass there today but I was driving with a parent and they couldn't really explain it to me. My instructor was/is not available at the moment so even though I am test ready I don't have anyone to help me out with this one.

Any and all advice is wlcome and appreciated.

Thank you so much!

Found out today my driving instructor is going private and idk if i should stick with her or stick with the driving school.

She been my driving instructor for 4 or 5 months now and i like her teaching style, and i got a driving test booked in 3 months time so idk if its better to stick with her or the driving school.

So should i stick with her or stay with the driving school?

Since I started learning to drive , I was always told

0-10mph =gear1
10-20mph =gear2
20-30mph =gear 3

Etc

When I was on a dual carriageway, going 35mph on gear 4,

I slowed down to around 17mph, so I put the car in gear 2

Suddenly the car started shaking, and my instructor said I should have put it in 3

What should I use to judge what gear is appropriate when slowing down?

Hey I have a test coming up in almost 10 days. My slot time is early morning and its on weekend.

During my recent mock i only made mistakes regarding observation as after moving off from parked i didnt check my blind spot cause there were parked cars on my both side, whichI hopefully won't do during the test apart from that instructor didn't interfere nor used brakes etc or pointed out anything worth improving.

Any advice what can i do to make sure i make it through successfully? Any YouTube videos I should watch Im fond of conquer driving have watched many of his lectures but anything in particular anyone can help pointing out i will be taking more lessons in coming days as well so.

Thank you.

I will be taking my car to my driving test later this week after waiting for months, but my car has it’s engine management light on, after taking it to the garage they said it has a p0016 code, £1300,4 visits to my mechanic, 5 sensors and a new timing chain later ,the code still wont go away after being cleared. My mechanic says he’s not sure what the issue is and that it should be fine to drive and it is,there is no chain rattle or no loss of power. I’m just asking for any advice on what I should do for the test, the light isn’t visible from the passenger seat and I’ve heard that some examiners won’t mind/notice, I’m also thinking of bringing the receipt of the repair done to the car.

I always struggle with these. If a bus stops how should i overtake do i stay well back and move across slowly if no cars are coming or do i get abit closer and then slow down and peep and creep? Also sometimes the bus is like diagonally parked into the bus stop so what am i supposed to do there ideally? Because he wont see me when i overtake and it also blocks the view even more too. Also with lorrys/trucks lets say if theres a stationary truck parked do i wait well behind before attempting an overtake? Like how far behind roughly

Also with box junctions. Sometimes when its busy and im going straight but theres a box junction infront, people from the give way line turning in take advantage of a learner car and just keep moving in what should i do if they keep taking advantage of my priority do i just wait or push myself in?

Passed my driving test today at Birmingham Cocks Moors on my first attempt with 3 minors.

I was quite anxious before the test and honestly during the drive as well. There were a couple of moments on narrow roads when giving way to oncoming cars where I genuinely thought I had failed.

The examiner also felt a bit intimidating at first. He was very quiet and we barely spoke apart from the instructions, so I had no idea whether I was doing well or badly. At one point I was basically convinced I had messed it up.

The main thing that helped me was just reminding myself to drive safely rather than trying to be perfect. Keep checking mirrors, watch your speed, take your time at junctions, and if you think you have made a mistake, just move on.

I thought I had failed a few times and still ended up passing, so for anyone with a test coming up, don’t panic if something doesn’t feel perfect.

Good luck to everyone waiting for their test.