r/Irishdrivingtest

Got a few points just want to see if its even worth reporting.

I’ve been driving near 7 months now a good bit and would say im near perfect, like im to a point where if i did something small wrong i would realise myself. I even did a mock test beforehand and my instructor told me not to even bother with a second practice because I was fully ready.

But just recently i had a test in portlaoise and it was a complete joke. The tester was so incredibly rude and unprofessional from the second he saw me. He went through the questions but was being completely impatient, cutting me off and literally not giving me enough time to even answer them properly. Then he did all the car checks but didn't even bother checking under the hood, which really surprised me.

When it came to the actual driving I had a near perfect run with everything done right. Came back to the test centre thinking ive absolutely aced this, only to end up with 13 grade 2s?? It makes zero sense. To top it off, he was so unprofessional at the end and didn't even describe or explain at all what I properly did wrong, just handed me the fail.

Should i at least send a report on him to the RSA for how awful his attitude was, or do i just have to suck it up and take the loss? Has anyone successfully appealed this kind of stuff? Thanks.

I passed my driving test on my first attempt today in Drogheda! 🎉🚗 I thought I’d share my experience and route because posts like these really helped me while preparing.
I arrived at the test centre around 15 to 20 minutes early and waited until they called me, which was roughly 5 minutes before my scheduled time.

Before the drive:
The tester first asked me to demonstrate the hand signals. He then showed me around 8 to 10 road signs and asked me to identify them.
He also asked a few Rules of the Road questions, for example, “What would you do if the traffic light turns amber?” Nothing unexpected or outside what you normally prepare for.
This part took around 5 to 10 minutes.
We then went down to the car. Mine is electric, so I wasn’t asked to open the bonnet. He checked my indicators, brake lights, etc., and asked me to show him things like the rear demister and hazard lights.
He also asked how I would check my tyres for wear or damage. I mentioned checking the tread depth, overall condition and whether they are properly inflated.

The driving route:
We took a left out of the Drogheda Test Centre and headed towards Grangerath.
We did a few left and right turns through the estate, exited and continued towards the roundabout. We went right at the roundabout, straight ahead and then left towards the Wheaton Hall area.
In one of the estates there, he asked me to stop and I did my hill start.
We then went to another quieter road where I did my turnabout. I made sure I was doing clear observations throughout the manoeuvre.
After leaving that estate, we entered another estate where I did the reverse around the corner. Again, I focused heavily on observations before and throughout the manoeuvre.
After that, we exited the estate and headed back towards the test centre.
The actual driving part was probably around 20 to 25 minutes, and the entire test from start to finish was roughly 45 minutes.
When we got back, I genuinely wasn’t sure whether I had passed! Then he handed me my Certificate of Competency and I realised I had passed with only two marks! 🥹🎉

My biggest advice would be to practice the area and focus heavily on observations, especially during your manoeuvres. I had practised these roads quite a lot, which definitely helped me feel more comfortable.
Also, learn your road signs, hand signals and basic Rules of the Road questions. Everything I was asked was something you would normally expect. There were no strange or out of the box questions.

Most importantly, stay calm, make your observations obvious and drive confidently and safely. You don’t need to be absolutely perfect.
Good luck to anyone doing their test soon! 🍀🚗