hahaha Like seriously, when I was a kid, I used to think that driving is the definition of being a proper grown up. And when the examiner told me I did it, it suddenly hit me that I really am one; even knowing the fact that I would be turning 20 this year had not effect on me whatsoever. #priorities :p
Speaking of the examiner, let me tell you the story of how it all went:
My exam was due to start at 11 am, and my driving instructor (who was seriously the coolest teacher I could ever ask for!) came to pick me up at about 9:30 and we drove around to warm up and calm my nerves down. Then while I was driving, another instructor card sounded their horns at us and was really kind enough to inform us that the right brake light in our car wasn't working. And I was like
Making sure your car is in the right condition to drive was a vital part of taking the test. So we had to rush to the mechanics, who had God-given repairing skills in my opinion, given how quickly he fixed it. After that, my teacher and I still had some time left to go over the maneuvres again. Then we arrived at the test centre 10 minutes early and parked. We sat in the waiting room until my name was called. The examiner was an Indian lady who had a really quiet and calm voice and a spot on British accent. She explained to me everything about the test while we sat on the car.
The test started and I was asked to read a number plate from a 100 m away, two of the ''Show Me Tell Me questions'', and finally to drive off. She asked me to park a multiple times on the road and drive off again. I also got the Emergency stop part of the exam, which examiners ask only occasionally, but let me tell you that this is the easiest (and also freakiest) thing you could ever get on a driving exam, if brakes don't startle you too much. Then we had the independent driving, and I swear I saw it coming! I knew I would be tested on a dual carriageway.
I don't handle speed very well, and I am hoping it will get better by practice. The main problem though, is calming my nerves on the carriageway. And the way I deal with it is to have my own version of Dory in my brain.
And like HOW FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE do you control your speed, check mirrors, make sure you don't crash the car in front of you, and ALSO check the number of exits you have passed? I mean, I did it,.. but how???!
By the end of the test, I was 100% sure I had failed. My reasons being that when I was asked to turn right I did it without even checking whether there was a no entry sign, which I had the suspicion that there was one only later. Also, there was a hazard car down the road which made me brake quickly and I couldn't get past the other oncoming vehicles so the car behind me was ringing the horn.
When the exam was over, we stopped at the centre, and the examiner told me the following words.
''I am happy to tell you that you have passed you test.''
Now, with the British accent, what I understood was ''You half passed you test'' and I was thinking like, ''Wait what? Is that even possible?''
Then she signed and handed me my certificate, and my driving teacher was so happy she was screaming, but I was too dumb and shocked to express my feelings out. All I could think of is that my mom can finally stop taunting me. You guys have NO idea.
I'm sure all people who have grown up in a South Asian family will understand the struggle. I was subject to being held responsible for all the pain and discomfort in the house just because I still don't have my driving licence. Everytime we would go to the mall or something, my dearest mother would be sure to make a point of telling me how we could all have gone home by now if we had a car. She also told me multiple times to move my test date to a later one because she was sure I wouldn't have passed. Don't get me wrong, I love my Mother to the moon and back, and this kind of parenting is really popular from where I come from: using negative vibes as motivation. It's been about 4 days I passed my exam, and we have been going to malls and places a lot. It was SO satisfying to not hear a single word about everything being my fault. Like guys, really! I shiver just to think the hell I would be living now if I had failed.
Phew.
Well, if any of you are looking forward to your exam soon, or preparing for it, here are some tips on how to do well with your lessons and not to loose courage.
1) Make sure you have a good instructor.
If you are in the UK, I would suggest that you look for an instructor in www.gov.uk . There is a list of Crown-given rights instructors with their name, contact details and how far they are from you. Mostly all their lessons cost about £20 per hour. It is expensive, but really worth it. They are all fully trained to make students ready for their exams and pass it first try.
I found my teacher from that website, and she is amazing! She was patient and strict with her standards, which made the exam seem like a piece of cake (if you forget the nerves that start shaking just by hearing the word ''exam'' anywhere). But best of all, she acted more like a friend to me and also all her other students. She has a record of having most of her students pass first try, and she shares that victory with the rest of the students as well. After the exam, when she drove me home, she said she would really like to keep in touch and that if I need to talk about anything, even non-driving related, she would be ''just a phone call away''. I mean, don't you love those kind of teachers that really believe in you, and truly push your potentials to get the results you both want to see and also end having a good friendship moment?! With the negative vibes floating around my house, she was the one person who always claimed she knew I could do it, and I honestly always never believed her. hahahaha I think, I wasn't really a bright kind of friend who shared her enthusiasm, but I'm glad that it didn't discourage her.
So yeah, I suppose that one of the key things that will benefit you is to find an instructor that makes you feel comfortable as well as confident behind the wheels. There are many out there. Just ring them up!
2) Make a driving playlist.
From experience, there will come a point where you will feel like you are getting nowhere and that the lessons are endless. You will have good days where you get you get your turn rights, best days where you slay your way at the dual carriageway, and also bad days where you missed the lights or almost crashed into another car at the roundabouts.
So what I do is to come up with a music playlist. Basically a playlist of songs I will play when I get my very own car and go for long drives Somehow, that really got me pumped up to do my best. I made mine in Spotify so I always update and change the songs, here is a link if you would like to check it out: https://open.spotify.com/user/11162775510/playlist/305aHpUmMErup59LC6Y0eB
About the playlist, it has both of K-Pop and English music. Some of the songs are just the hits I heard on the radio during my driving lessons.
3) Paste a picture of your dream car on the wall.
Look at it to re-charge you batteries.
4) Youtube is your home tutor.
You probably use Youtube already for school-related tutorials. But you should know that there are also excellent tutorials of maneuvres and tip from driving instructors as well! Of course you should absolutely not use them as an alternative for driving lessons, but they are quite useful to brush up your topics or get a better understanding of what you have already tried before with your instructor.
5) Revise the Highway Code.
Just because you have passed your Driving Theory Test, that doesn't mean that your HC copy can rot in your shelf in th company of spiderwebs. The best drivers will always keep referring back to the HC and get the updated information frequently.
6) Know your weaknesses.
When you are at your lessons, make sure to make a note to yourself on what areas you make the most mistakes. Then when you go home do a brainstorm on what they are and how to avoid or correct them. You can also ask your instructor for advice and comments on your performance.
I hope this helps you. Let me know, and if you also have your own tips you would like to share, comment down below.
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