i passed first time!!
i’ve been a long time lurker of this sub. i’ve never really made posts before, but i figured so many of you helped me in the lead up to my test just over a week ago, so i wanted to post things that helped me the morning of, incase i can help someone else 💓
my test was on a friday at midday, so i had plenty of time to build the nerves up! 😅 i had an hour lesson before my test, which i actually found really really helped to calm my nerves. i didn’t do any of the classic banana/ rescue remedy ideas, i hadn’t actually heard of most of these until the night before my test!
the main things i would keep in mind (which are mostly the comments of posts in this sub summed up 😂):
1. anything that impacts other drivers can create a serious fault. take your time, and take a deep breath. you will be okay. mirror checks is one of the most important things to be mindful of during your drive. the examiners aren’t expecting a perfect drive, they do expect a *safe* drive though.
2. commentary driving. i know it doesn’t work for everybody, but i found for me, letting my examiner know about my planning and intentions really helped me remain calm. the examiners aren’t mind readers, and if you let them know you have a plan in place, that can really aid your drive.
3. the examiners are humans. i was quite nervous before getting in the car, and i was really on the fence about whether i would tell my examiner this because i feared it would make him mark me more harshly. but i honestly think letting him know helped us humanise each other. he was really soft-spoken, and quite mindful of my nerves, and again i think this really helped to calm me down. they aren’t all out to get us. it might help to relax you to ask them questions about their work, how many tests they have today, what they have/had for lunch etc. (obviously when it is safe to do so, don’t risk safety to have a conversation! 😅)
4. if you think you have failed, take a deep breath, and drive on as normal. i know this is so so much easier said than done, but it really does help. on my test, i stalled coming out of a junction because i had forgotten to switch from second to first. i was so frightened that i had ruined my chances, and felt my heart start to beat faster. i had to consciously choose to remember that it happens, it’s human. it’s how you *respond* to the mistake that determines your result. i actually said aloud to myself “don’t panic, fix it, go again” before fixing my mistake 😅. make sure to do your mirror checks before you set off again, and you should be okay!
5. the examiners *want* you to pass. this sort of piggybacks off my 3rd point, but demonising the examiners really will not help you calm your nerves. as much as they are scary, i promise they *want* you to pass. sometimes they will even give you clues as to what they expect from you. at one point in the drive, we were coming up to a roundabout, my examiner said “now, we’re going to go right over the roundabout, but please treat this roundabout as if you are going straight on”. don’t be afraid to ask them to repeat a direction either!
i think those are my main points, and they’re slightly long winded (😅😅😅) but i just wanted to share my experience and what helped me!
good luck everybody, sending positive vibes. 🚗💓