Passing Your Driving Test - The Worst Of It

Trying to pass your test is no mean feat, one little mistake when you're inexperienced, then the examiner jumps on the brakes and that's it, test failed. But it isn't always doom and gloom, even when everything is against you, there's chance that you'll ace it! Here is what happened to me on one of the most important days of my life.

Absolute Hell.

So, it was April. I was still in college and in a few weeks I had a maths test that I was going to sit to get me where I wanted to be for a university degree. I'd decided to also book my driving test around this time because my brilliant instructor had told me that I was ready to sit my test.

A few months before, I had passed my driving theory test and that was bad enough, the tension and anxiety leading up to it was horrid, I really wanted to pass. Thankfully, I did! However, this didn't come without a bit of an 'oh crap' moment. While sitting the theory exam, I had flew through the questions, then for the hazard perception I had clicked too many times on one of the clips and got a warning! I honestly thought it was over. I'd finished the exam, collected my belongings and walked over to the woman at the desk who gives the paper results and the walk of shame began. Slowly, everyone walks out with their test results folded over and as you walk out the door, you unfold it in the hope that you'd done the impossible. Two lads who'd left a second before me didn't seem happy at all, which didn't give me any hope, but I ran over to my dad after I'd seen my result. I was over the moon!

Back to April. It was around a day or two before my driving test and I wasn't feeling great, not brilliant at all. Gradually getting worse, it turned out I'd gotten a water infection which was absolute hell! I'd gone the hospital to get some antibiotics but, for anyone who has never had one, I can't explain to you the misery that entails - it's relentless. By this time I'd also messaged my instructor to tell them what was going on and also for some advice on what to do, because I really did think I'd have to give the test a miss.

Click Click! Source: Unknown

Click Click! Source: Unknown

Please Make It End.

The day was here, I'd soldiered through and told my instructor that I would go ahead with the test, not that I was any better. We did around 30 minutes of tuition before the test making sure the manoeuvres I was unsure of were okay and any questions I had were answered. I really was crapping it by now! Arriving at the test centre, I was trying to get the anxiety under control, making sure I had also gone to the toilet beforehand, because it was very much needed with this dreaded illness - too much information? I'd also asked my instructor who's Mondeo it was parked in the test centre car park, as it was exactly like the one I had bought a few years previous, hmm. A bloke came out into the waiting room and asked me for all the relevant information, we then walked to the car and it was time to start. Before the test started I had decided to say something about the Mondeo, it was actually his! This really was my pathetic tactic to try and make small talk to butter him up a bit, maybe this is the only reason why I passed in the end - who knows?

Before I go on about how the test went, let me just talk you through the car a little. It was a 2016 Dacia Sandero, I'm not sure on the spec or engine but all I can say on that front is that it wasn't that brilliant and the engine was gutless. I can't say I ever really enjoyed driving this thing at any point, I feel bad for saying this because my instructor was absolutely brilliant, but the car really was the opposite. I felt really awkward with the seating position as there really wasn't much adjustment, couple this in with steering being so vague, I may as well have been turning the temperature adjuster to steer it. This really wasn't a nice car. You know how people say a classic Mini is scary at 70? At least those have steering feel at those speeds, at 70 in a Dacia Sandero the steering wheel isn't for steering, it's for hanging on to for dear life! For an inexperienced driver at the time, it was horrid! I'm probably being harsh here, but I just couldn't enjoy this thing at all.

Test time! I was first asked to follow a sat-nav on the first half of the route, this part wasn't too bad apart from a 60mph back road on the first stretch, which as you can probably tell from what you've just read, I didn't enjoy. Winding through the roads with some real anxiety, we got into a 20 zone where he asked me to do the first manoeuvre which was pull up to the side of the road, stop and then drive off again. After that, I was asked to follow the sat nav again which lead us to a leisure centre car park, here I had to do my next manoeuvre which was a bay park. At the end he said I could have taken my time a bit more here, but it was in the bay. Sorted, right?

We'd set off out of the car park, but this time following his directions. We'd approached a busy roundabout where I had pulled out with another car coming around, there was plenty of time for me to do this, but I got a minor as he said I could have taken my time, again. A short blast on a dual carriageway then led us to a turn off for yet another back road, by this point the test really was dragging, I felt awful and was sweating like an absolute bastard! Having to put my foot down in the Dacia, due to it being yet another 60mph zone, I wasn't enjoying this one bit. Couple this in with him telling me to do an emergency stop on what felt like the Le Mans back straight in the Dacia, I just wanted it over with.

As with anything, you think you're going to fail. He was constantly ticking and flicking stuff on his check sheet. I'd do something and then he'd be picking up his pen again. This really did feel like the theory test all over again, the feeling of dread while driving, it really doesn't help the situation... It really did feel like an eternity on this back road, I was begging to get back into the town so I could drive on roads I was a bit more happy with. After what felt like a gazillion years, we'd finally arrived back, 11 miles done! (Though I swear it was actually 200 miles).

It was sort of like this.. Source - Unknown

It was sort of like this.. Source - Unknown

You What?

After pulling into the test centre, I was sat there expecting to go back into the building to then get my result and also meet back up with my instructor. To my shock, he turned around and said, "well done Mr Warburton! You've passed!". I had to give myself a second here and asked him to repeat himself, as I wasn't sure what I'd just heard. To my amazement he said what I thought he'd said first time round. He'd given me six minors, but I wasn't worried due to him saying he was being very picky, so I respected his decision. But I'd done it!.. Or the small talk did. Throughout all of the worries and pain, I'd actually achieved the thing I've always wanted!

I honestly think if you have the practice and belief in yourself, you really can achieve your licence with no issues at all. Even if you have to resit either the theory or practical test, it isn't the end of the world. I hope this story inspires you to try and achieve whatever it is you want, even in the worst of circumstances, the outcome won't always be as negative as the situation!