Hey guys, first post ever. I’ve got my driving test at 3:29 pm today. The time is currently 1:52 pm. Hoping and praying for a first time pass. Please can I get some good luck comments, a bit nervous but trying to prep myself by saying I can do it.
I’m just looking for advice because i genuinely don’t know what to do. So far I’ve been doing my driving lessons since Feb 2026 I started just at the end of Feb around the 20th and that previous instructor I had he was so sweet and kind but the issue was I wasn’t getting frequent lessons. The lessons would be way to spaced out and when I want to book future lessons his timetable/timing was very busy and way too far apart. Which meant for the 10 hours I had him we’d always spend 2 hours doing the same left and right turns which were only meant to be maximum 15-30 minutes recap sessions. And another thing to add I think because of how spaced out the lessons were I was losing a lot of confidence. It was only until my 8th and 10th hour we did roundabouts and he took me onto the main roads.
Fast forward I ended up leaving him after the 10th hour due to the long lesson gaps and I have a test booked in August and I want frequent lessons so far I’m almost at 20 hours but I’m aiming for hopefully 30-40 hours if possible. But he was so kind and I would’ve loved to have him all the way till my test. So end of April I booked with pass n go in my area and honestly I regret it so much. All I’ve been going thru is continuous cancellation after cancellation. I was supposed to have my first ever lesson on the 30th of April the instructor cancelled he didn’t give me a reason why, then 13th of May cancelled due to his car not working then 16th of May he now had a puncture in his tyre then on the 19th of May I had my first lesson with him which was okay. Then today was suppose to be my second and he cancelled on me again because his tyre is punctured again…
Guys what do I do cos I’m genuinely feeling like I’m running out of time and I’m not progressing forwards I came to another driving school so I can hopefully move forward and be prepared for August but I feel like I’m just dealing with the same situation but worse
I was driving to work today, from thr traffic light that I marked in the picture it was green and drove through the traffic but I didn't see that from ahead it's temporary traffic light which it was new and installed last night. Then I just stopped in the middle of the road but I just reversed a bit to let another cars go from my right and I didn't block the traffic. Even the buses could go through
But I saw a random man that took a picture of my car?
Failed my test today with 1 serious fault and 4 minors. I had to do a reverse bay park on the left up a hill and at an angle so the bay was shaped like / / not | | if that makes sense.
My instructor basically changed cars 2 days ago and wouldn’t take me due to the change. So I had to do this my 20 year old little c1 that I’ve not had much practice. I worked so so hard for this and started crying in the car when he said I failed. He was really nice tbh but I’m still upset. But, my previous test in January was a fail with 1 dangerous, 4 serious and 9 minors, so i did better this time even under difficult circumstances. So annoyed that I have to wait till October though because the cancellation apps don’t work 😭
First of all congratulations! I was a passenger waiting for someone but I saw the joy, excitement and relief on your faces. It reminded me of when I passed in October and it has made my week as it's rare to see pure joy these days. Yet again congratulations and have fun driving.
There's a bridge I drive on my way to college that's only wide enough for 1 car, is 2 ways, and is on a hill. It's not ridiculously steep but because the bridge is quite long you can't see if there's someone on it until you're basically in their bonnet already.
I'm overly cautious of it because I got there the other day and a BMW was speeding towards me and slowed down but wouldn't stop for me. I had to slam on and then I panicked because there was someone behind me and I had to reverse out the way, with this guy waving his arms around angrily and still driving towards me. I managed to get out of the way and stalled like 4 times on the hill start because I was panicking.
Finally my title becomes relevant, I've asked my mum (she supervises these drives) if I should pip my horn coming to this bridge in case anyone is coming towards me, just to let them know I'm there. She said it's unnecessary but I'm still very wary of this bridge, and it shows when I'm driving.
Okay so firstly I've started late. I'm 34 and just learning. I've had 3 lessons so far ( 6 hours behind the wheel ) so I know it's super early days. Firstly roundabouts scare the hell out of me please tell me it gets less daunting. Secondly anything above 30 feels so fast ! Like I don't feel as in control of the car above that. Had me doing 45 last lesson and felt so anxious. Please send me encouraging messages that it does get easier and feels more natural
my driving test is in 2 weeks, i feel confident in myself that i am near enough ready with a few more tweaks needed
one thing bugging me is that my instructor told me that on the country road part of the test, they are testing to see what speed YOU think is safe on there (eg. 35 in a 60 etc)
obviously i personally think country roads with blind bends should not be national speed limit but i saw someone a few posts below me saying they failed for going 40 on a country road?
is my instructor lying to me or am i just being stupid?
Been fine driving for the last month and then suddenly the nerves kick in an following the sat nav becomes really hard.
Slowed down to abruptly to make a left turn which caused the car behind me to brake suddenly.
Really annoyed with myself and have to find another test before 24th July *when my theory runs out
I am 39 years old and passed on Tuesday at my 5th attempt, this is on and off over a 7 year period due to various life changes
To anyone who has yet to pass or has failed more than once
STICK IT OUT YOU HAVE GOT THIS 💯💯💯
It will all click one day trust me, i wanted to pack it in so many times
When my instructor picked me up he suggested keeping the radio on, in the test it was on low and i found it helped me relax
Nothing like heading on to a bypass with Spandau Ballet - GOLD playing mid test
Keep the faith ✊️
I failed because I forgot to release the handbrake when moving off, and when the examiner told me my handbrake wasn't released and I panicked and accidentally pulled it up even more making me stop and cars behind braking harshly - this is due to nerves and not thinking straight. However now I am not worried about that test, I just want to find another test ASAP whats the best way to do this?
Hi everyone, I’ve seen a few posts recently from people wondering if they should give up and just wanted say please keep at it!
I’ve just passed last week on my 3rd test and I absolutely know how disheartening it can be when it feels like things aren’t going your way. I don’t want to sound patronising or anything so sorry if it feels that way at all but in my time learning to drive (which spanned 7 years!) I felt like giving up so many times, I actually did several times, done my theory 3 times as i kept letting it run out, but the feeling when I finally did it, I can’t even explain. Makes all the lows worth it.
It’s hard especially when you’re hearing about people passing in 20 lessons or whatever or even the general expectation of 40. I tried to estimate how many hours I had yesterday and I’m sure it’s at least 100 and 6 different instructors (not even counting time with my dad), then the other expenses, the 3 theories, the 3 practicals, the intensives, the L plates that blew off constantly, the extra internal mirror (x2 as the first broke on the way to my 2nd test! How’s that for luck), the booking apps, the theory apps, insuring, taxing, mot-ing and repairing the car that’s been sat on my drive since November. I have spent upwards of £5000 on learning to drive.
So the top and bottom of it, my main advice:
Keep going! You’ll get there.
If you have doubts about your instructor, CHANGE.
There’s no cut off age for learning to drive.
Don’t compare your journey or timeline to the those of others. Your experience is personal to you.
Don’t tell everyone you know when you take your test, it’s too much pressure.
That pink license is all that matters once you’ve got it, not how you got it and how long or how much money it took!! Good luck everyone! 😁
Passed at 18 on my first attempt, want to let everyone know even if you fail a few times to keep trying!
I am watching a video. It says overtaking the bike at this position is a 'serious fault - overtaking'. Is it too close? Can I overtake the bike with more distance to the right?
Shit to of test dates for West Wickham like over 50, notification came from BEEP. Is this real as I went into the site and there was one and I went a minute after the notification
People keep talking about swapping tests with one another. Does this actually work? I assume one person just cancels their test and the other tries to immediately pick up the cancellation on the dvsa site, but that seems kinda risky. Has anyone done a test swap and can confirm it works?
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. 🚗💓
Running horse roundabout, Maidstone.
I'm sorry I beeped at you in anger after you pulled out on me, I didn't see the 'learner' livery immediately.
You were 100% at fault but I hope it was a lesson and not your test... But if it was a lesson then leave that driving school! The instructor should not have let you pull onto the roundabout!!
That said, we all make silly mistakes sometimes. I hope you see this.
Spechless.
