Failed Driving Test

Although passing the driving test requires a good level of competence in your ability to drive, there is also a degree of luck involved. A friendly and fair driving examiner on the day along with a nice clear run with no crazy impatient drivers on the road certainly helps.

At the end of the driving test the examiner will tell you the results. Of course the last thing you want to hear is that you have a failed driving test. It is great if you pass the driving test first time, if not however, it’s important to learn where you went wrong with previous driving tests. Provided is advice we offer any learner drivers who have failed a driving test.

Some test candidates think of their first driving test as a ‘test run’ and think of it as a guide only into what to expect. This is quite a good attitude to take as it puts less stress on yourself as you will be expecting a failed driving test.

Conditioning your mind in this manner may appear as a negative attitude so may not work for everyone. It’s benefit is only for those that suffer high levels of nerves and stress for the driving test.

Taking driving instructor on test

You may prefer to go it alone with just yourself and the examiner on the driving test but if you do happen to fail the test your instructor will know exactly where you went wrong and can provide remedial tuition to correct faults acquired.

If you haven’t taken a driving test yet and you do not want to take your driving instructor along, if the result from the examiner is a failed driving test, they will provide details on where you went wrong in the summary at the end. It may be a little difficult to take their information in due to the stress of the test, but try to listen to the examiners advice on where you went wrong as it will help you next time.

The driving test report will also contain basic information on the reasons you failed the driving test whether through excessive minors, serious or dangerous faults. Keep this report handy as it may come in useful later.

Explanation of a failed driving test

There’s two main reasons why people fail a driving test. Either they do actually have a good standard of driving but crumble under test nerves, or their level of driving competency is simply not up to passing the test, regardless of what they might think. Occasionally you might have a driving examiner who’s expectations are too high and might fail you for something that most examiners would permit perhaps with a minor. Most examiners are however fair.

So it’s important to understand exactly why you failed the driving test as this reason will require different remedial action. If you and your driving instructor are confident in your abilities to pass the driving test and the reason for failure was down to nerves, you will need to formulate a strategy to combat this. Adopting the correct mind-set when going in for the driving test is important.




Forget about the results of the test and either go into the test thinking it doesn’t really matter if I fail, I’ll just try again or adopt a highly confident approach, going in for the kill, no room for nerves approach. Use a strategy which best suits your personality.

During the driving lessons you are taking before your next test, ask your instructor to put you through as much stressful situations as possible. Driving through the busiest times of day, the hardest roads, to keep pushing you hard at all times. Going into the test with a suitable attitude that best suits your personality combined with stressful and difficult driving lessons will make passing the driving test an easier prospect.

Also take a mock test with a different driving instructor, this will simulate a real driving test with the examiner to a degree, including the nerves and will provide you with more confidence when the next big day comes. If the failed driving test was due to mistakes and not nerves, the feedback off the examiner at the end of your first driving test, the report sheet and if you took your instructor on the test, their feedback will be valuable. You will need to continuously practice any areas that are not to a high standard until perfected.

Ensure your instructor takes you on the difficult areas of the test routes and that you know these areas thoroughly. Ensure your instructor is picking up all of your faults. If you notice them letting faults go unnoticed, bring this to their attention. Ask your instructor for a mock driving test to establish how far off test standard you are. Take a mock driving test with a completely different instructor to get a different opinion on the standard in which you drive.

DRIVING TEST RELATED INFORMATION

• Taking driving instructor on test
• Driving test age
• Can I book two driving tests?
• What to wear for driving test
• What to take to driving test
• How many manoeuvres in driving test?
• Crossing hands on driving test
• When to use handbrake
• Speeding
• Are driving tests fixed?
• What happens in a driving test
• Driving school instructor pass rates

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