Tips to Stay Calm and Composed During Your Driving Test

Learning to drive can be a nerve wracking process, for some learner’s lessons can be simple and they take to drive like a duck to water but there are some other drivers who may be more nervous and can get themselves very tense when driving. When it comes time to take the actual driving test though you could find that you are so nervous that you make a mistake or forget to do something important such as check your mirrors.

There are ways in which you can build your confidence when driving so that when take you practical test you will be able to drive normally and safely without any extra pressure on your mind. Firstly you should only apply to take your driving test when you feel that you are totally confident with driving, turning and all of the advanced manoeuvres such as parallel parking and reversing round a corner. Your instructor will let you know when he or she feels you have reached the correct level of ability but ultimately it is up to you.

Once you have applied and have a date in your diary then you should start practicing through mock driving tests, your instructor can base your lessons leading up to your exam date around test conditions such as getting you to cover all of the possible questions that you will be asked initially during the ‘show me’ and ‘tell me’ phase. These questions relate to where specific items like the oil dipstick and screen wash are so you should familiarise yourself with where these are in the car you will be examined in.

During practice tests your instructor will mark down any minor errors or major errors, don’t be worried about making mistakes at this point though as you’ll have time to correct them before your actual exam. You may notice areas where you would have failed and so your instructor can include practice for these situations in your next lesson.

When the day comes make sure you are relaxed but alert for the test, you can still fail because of another road user’s actions so make sure you are aware of any vehicles cutting in front of you or stopping suddenly. Many learner drivers panic because of the examiner being sat next to them whilst driving, the best advice for this is to pretend they aren’t even there. Some examiners even say this as they want to see your natural driving style and ability.

If you fail your test then the examiner will let you know where you slipped up and even if you pass they will tell you the minor errors you may have made, either way don’t worry, not everyone passes their test first time, some may take two or three times before their ability is at the right level.