Failed driving test :(
- Thread starter riddler
- Start date
I've heard loads of people complain about not passing their test due to some reason or another not directly related to driving i.e. quotas, examiners not liking instructors etc. I can't comment on a given persons specific case, but in general I feel people delude themselves and attribute their failure to something other than their driving. But, like anything there will be cases where somebody has a legitimate reason, it's just a shame there isn't really anything that can be done about it. Just suck it up and redo the test.
Maybe it'd be good if test cars were fitted with cameras and recorded your driving. Afterwards you could review this with your examiner/instructor and they would be able to point out exact mistakes. If they failed you for not looking in your mirrors, and the tape shows you did in fact look in your mirrors, then that's good.
Although at the cost, I doubt it'd be worth it.
Maybe it'd be good if test cars were fitted with cameras and recorded your driving. Afterwards you could review this with your examiner/instructor and they would be able to point out exact mistakes. If they failed you for not looking in your mirrors, and the tape shows you did in fact look in your mirrors, then that's good.
Although at the cost, I doubt it'd be worth it.
Clearly it was not as perfect as you think it was, you would not have failed if it had been.
Bad luck, have another go anyway.
Not to mention the time and cost of double checking every slight grievance over a test failure. Better that the candidate (read total novice) use the experience to their advantage and learn from it rather than complain about something in which their opinion of their own ability is not a criteria for safe driving.spp said:
Related to that, I've always thought that learners should be able to learn how to control the vehicle in a closed environment instead of on the open roads. Hesitancy and intimidation due to the challenge of learning the mechanics of how to drive whilst mixing with other road users is a big factor in new driver confidence. How many times have you seen a learner stall or make a more dangerous manoeuvre because they have become disorientated with all of the information they have to take in whilst behind the wheel?
Granted much of your experience that makes you a good driver comes after you have passed your test, but I know I would have had more confidence and ability at the very beginning had I had more of a formal chance to drive the car in various conditions without having to take into account other drivers. Despite having learned to 'drive' when I lived abroad as a kid, messing about over desert and sand dunes in an old 3.5L v8 range rover.
For the record, I had 10 one hour lessons then took my test at 17. Passed first time. I think I had ten or eleven minor faults. In all the time since, I've had two slight bumps that were my fault resulting in a cracked number plate and headlight respectively, and one writeoff due to someone else's bad driving.
Soldato
Some examiners are more particular then others, some have off days, and of course some learners can't see their own faults..
I'd say chalk it up to experience, and just take another test, if you can have your instructor in the car, then perhaps it's a better idea, at least it'll be a second opinion which it sounds like you need..
I have a relative that is a driving instructor, and he knows which examiners are more fussy then others, and what their pet 'hates' are, it's part of life, you just have to play the game...
I'd say chalk it up to experience, and just take another test, if you can have your instructor in the car, then perhaps it's a better idea, at least it'll be a second opinion which it sounds like you need..
I have a relative that is a driving instructor, and he knows which examiners are more fussy then others, and what their pet 'hates' are, it's part of life, you just have to play the game...
Dude i totaly feel for you, i was dreading my test
i really thought i had failed and did not drive to my usual standard at all! my nerves were eating me alive and i had some major foot wobble going on
turns out i had the head instructor Peter Bowler at newcastle-u-lyme test center
ended up passing with 3 minors. Personaly i would say my drive was substandard, but your drive was near perfect oh man you really should have passed!
i really thought i had failed and did not drive to my usual standard at all! my nerves were eating me alive and i had some major foot wobble going on
turns out i had the head instructor Peter Bowler at newcastle-u-lyme test center
ended up passing with 3 minors. Personaly i would say my drive was substandard, but your drive was near perfect oh man you really should have passed!
It wasnt.
Most examiners I hear of tend to be complete grumpy sods. I don't really care as long as they are objective and fair.
Only mistake I made was in a reverse parallel touched the kerb but stopped and re-adjusted. Did not mount so I guess it was not an instant fail.
At the end he simply said "That's a pass" handed me the sheet and got out of the car. Completely emotionless and "cold". It's their job at the end of the day and they are not your mother.
Don't listen to crap about how the examiner and your tutor have had a falling out. If they have, they probably speaks more about your tutors ability and getting students tested and passed than it does about your examiners potential vindictiveness to have a stab at your tutor through failing his students.
Only mistake I made was in a reverse parallel touched the kerb but stopped and re-adjusted. Did not mount so I guess it was not an instant fail.
At the end he simply said "That's a pass" handed me the sheet and got out of the car. Completely emotionless and "cold". It's their job at the end of the day and they are not your mother.
Don't listen to crap about how the examiner and your tutor have had a falling out. If they have, they probably speaks more about your tutors ability and getting students tested and passed than it does about your examiners potential vindictiveness to have a stab at your tutor through failing his students.
Soldato
[TW]Fox;16115047 said:
I would if I'd have gone there past summer
. I couldn't be bothered to go though as summer usually means I can work a lot of extra hours and I preferred that.Thinking of it I should have done it, I think I still have the Polish nationality too ( not sure, I've always been in my mums Polish passport too) so would be able to do my exams there too, would have saved at least 700€.
I doubt it's any different, people are people, if the examiner doesn't like you he's more likely to make you fail?
Stuff like this shows everywhere. The whole family of my boss at work somehow seems to get a job there while they say they don't need any people. At uni and school, if you flatter teachers they are more likely to ''not see things'' or not moan to you, etcetc. This has nothing to do with motoring or the UK, but with the behavior of people.
Finally, I've been in your precious country, not that it means anything...
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It was the final few days of the year and I failed my first test within a few minutes.
Apparently I was at an inappropriate speed thus he gave me 7 minors for this which equaled a major. I was doing on average about 23-25mph (30 limit) on a notoriously hard driving road around the test centre. Double parking, vans on double yellows, corner shops, families+kids running around etc.... You get the gist, and going faster would have been dangerous.
In the end the examiner pretty much fell asleep on the dual carriage way part of the test as I had long failed by then.
All down to just your driving on the day, not for me as otherwise the drive was perfect and got a couple of other minors.
Apparently I was at an inappropriate speed thus he gave me 7 minors for this which equaled a major. I was doing on average about 23-25mph (30 limit) on a notoriously hard driving road around the test centre. Double parking, vans on double yellows, corner shops, families+kids running around etc.... You get the gist, and going faster would have been dangerous.
In the end the examiner pretty much fell asleep on the dual carriage way part of the test as I had long failed by then.
All down to just your driving on the day, not for me as otherwise the drive was perfect and got a couple of other minors.
I have always wondered a little about tests, I mean, the national pass rate is something like 44% IIRC. There must be a lot of instructors putting pupils through tests who aren't ready or examiners failing people for very petty things. I could see maybe 15-20% of people being capable but overly nervous, maybe another 10% being genuinely rubbish but two thirds of people taking tests? Seems a little bit of a stretch to me.
Especially when you consider a test now is £65 or so, when you scale that up to a national level it is an incredible amount of money they are making purely off of people going back for second and third tests.
Especially when you consider a test now is £65 or so, when you scale that up to a national level it is an incredible amount of money they are making purely off of people going back for second and third tests.
Associate
Bad luck to the OP, but suck it up and make sure you don't make the same mistake again. I failed twice before I passed and I definately deserved to fail the first time
I'm still a bit miffed about the way I failed my test the second time though. The first failure I don't dispute as I got like 8 minors on mirrors (not being obvious enough about it, and probably just failing at some points) My second failure was pulling out of a one way street turning right, I was too far over to the left hand-side and so apparently someone behind me had to wait to pull out left and I was perhaps a foot too far to the left.
The said person behind me was in a bedford van, one of those 3 tonne or so jobbies with a lift on the back. He wouldn't have been able to get out even if I'dbeen positioned right
lol. I admit the bad positioning though, just the fact he said it was because this van had to wait that got me a bit miffed 
I'm still a bit miffed about the way I failed my test the second time though. The first failure I don't dispute as I got like 8 minors on mirrors (not being obvious enough about it, and probably just failing at some points) My second failure was pulling out of a one way street turning right, I was too far over to the left hand-side and so apparently someone behind me had to wait to pull out left and I was perhaps a foot too far to the left.
The said person behind me was in a bedford van, one of those 3 tonne or so jobbies with a lift on the back. He wouldn't have been able to get out even if I'dbeen positioned right
lol. I admit the bad positioning though, just the fact he said it was because this van had to wait that got me a bit miffed Just the bring up this thread of the dead, I now join the club of epic fail.
Ended up with 2 majors and 9 minors (some of which were debatable).
2 majors being:
Drove off with handbrake on (doh! never done that before!)
Some issue on a roundabout where I got into the wrong lane, cut someone up.
Oh well, re-booked for 2 weeks time.
Ended up with 2 majors and 9 minors (some of which were debatable).
2 majors being:
Drove off with handbrake on (doh! never done that before!)
Some issue on a roundabout where I got into the wrong lane, cut someone up.
Oh well, re-booked for 2 weeks time.
Sorry to hear that
I failed two tests before passing the 3rd, first was 1 major for a poor reverse around a corner ended up too far away from the kerb, second test had 2 majors, one for speeding; pulled out onto major road and for some unknown reason thought the speed limit was 40 when it was 30 (was changed a few years earlier) and was travelling towards speed camera on the other side of the road, fortunately slowed down before I got to it. Knew I'd failed at that time and managed to mess up the emergency stop later on.
Third test passed with 4 minors, one for stalling on the way back to the test centre in heavy traffic.
Try and stay positive & calm
I failed two tests before passing the 3rd, first was 1 major for a poor reverse around a corner ended up too far away from the kerb, second test had 2 majors, one for speeding; pulled out onto major road and for some unknown reason thought the speed limit was 40 when it was 30 (was changed a few years earlier) and was travelling towards speed camera on the other side of the road, fortunately slowed down before I got to it. Knew I'd failed at that time and managed to mess up the emergency stop later on.
Third test passed with 4 minors, one for stalling on the way back to the test centre in heavy traffic.
Try and stay positive & calm