Tips on Passing Your Driving Test

Failing your driving test can not only be quite demoralizing but it can add up to be an expensive exercise. If, however, you make sure that you are well prepared, stay calm and execute each maneuver as you have learned, you should have no problems passing.

Preparation, preparation, preparation

• Familiarize yourself sufficiently with all the street signs, hand signals and traffic flow at different times of the day in the area where you will be doing your test. Drive the route with a licensed person or, better yet, with your driving instructor, should you have one.

• Be sure that you practise the yard obstacles, such as parallel parking, 3 point turn, and reverse parking to near perfection. It is recommended not to tell too many people that your are going for your driving test as they may, inadvertently, or intentionally, place further stress on you with rumors and horror stories.

In the yard

• Go through your external pre-trip inspection with confidence, stating aloud each check that you are performing. A great way to remember the checks in order is to use a mnemonic memory technique. Inside the vehicle, be sure to ask any questions that you may have.

• Adjust the seat and mirrors for your specific body height. You should be at least 10 inches from the steering wheel and your arms should be at approximately 45 degrees. Again, state clearly all the checks that you are performing. Follow the examiner's instructions and proceed to your first obstacle. Be sure to stay calm and remember all the little queues and short-cuts you learned.

Out on the road

• Stay alert and do not let your nerves get the better of you. Stay under the speed limit and remember to glance at your mirrors regularly. Be sure to do so in such a way, that the examiner will clearly notice. Do not speed up if the traffic light turns amber. Stop. Listen carefully to the instructions given and execute them smoothly and confidently. Do not overtake slower traffic unless instructed to do so.

• Taking a driving test is the same as any other test in that you need to make sure that you are prepared for any eventuality and have mastered the required material. You may have been driving your dad's tractor since you were four years old, but successfully completing a driving test is a little more involved than puttering through your parents' broccoli fields.