Practical driving test failed

You are effectively held to randsom by these people, talk of them being on fail quotas is often dismissed as rubbish but some test centers do have much higher fail rates than others which is something I only found out about after passing mine on the 5th attempt, the center I took my test at had the highest fail rate of the nearest 12 centers

I failed one through having just returned from a 3 day festival where Id been stood the whole weekend and between numbness and cramp I didnt have full use of my facilities couldnt even hold my leg steady enough to manage the clutch for a 3 point turn, leg litterally started twitching so the test wasnt really a good test of my ability, nor do I really have an issue with getting failed as a result

I failed another because I was taken on a completely unfamiliar route and took one safe looking corner to find there was another sharp one right after, while i managed it I took it to fast, fair play

Then there was a test where the examiner 'claimed' that I dangerously pulled out in front of someone exiting from the test center, absolute rubbish because I remember sitting in the exit before pulling out to both wait for it to be clear and for a lady to finish crossing, There was no car for me to have 'forced them to brake harshly'. So he'd failed me before Id even started, I got only 4 minors on the whole test and being that his made up fault was out of character for the rest of the test he then marked another one as I reentered the test center claiming I did the same thing, forced the person behind me to brake sharply... In short I was robbed

The test that followed that I failed because I was still annoyed and angry about the last one and nervous because my companies offices had moved about 12miles away to a place where using a car was the only reasonable option and keeping my job was litterally costing me a fortune in taxi fares

Fifth one, calmer... passed with 6 minors

Your only recourse if you sucessfully challenge the fairness of your test is to be offered a free retest, so its as good as pointless if you just desperately need to pass, chalk it up to experience and keep trying

I do still that instruction and testing should be better than it is, the fact that such a good number of people seem to have no idea how to properly use the motorways must litterally be costing the UK millions each year in unneccessary delays and traffic, there should be some proper car handling training to reduce the number of accidents, and to a point demonstrate how little skill they actually have in a safe environment before they go trying stupid things on the road, the road safety training they hand out to people who speed should be a compulary part of learning to drive even
 
Last edited:
Can you book at a different test centre?

That sounds proper rubbish.

Talk to your instructor about what day is best to book on.

I think it's easier on a particular day.

Keep working on those mirrors.
 
desires said:
Depends if the examiners are actively trying to maintain the pass percentage
Click to expand...

This drives me absolutely mental - I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would think this actually happens.

If you do not meet the requirements to pass the test, you fail.

THAT'S IT

There is some interpretation or leeway dependent on examiner opinion/mood/whatever but the notion that they aim for a certain percentage is absolutely absurd.
 
I moved from Guildford test centre where I had taken 2 tests with complete front piece instructors to Chertsey and passed with 4 minors and a really nice instructor. its a blind pick for who you get.
 
n3vrmind said:
I do still that instruction and testing should be better than it is, the fact that such a good number of people seem to have no idea how to properly use the motorways must litterally be costing the UK millions each year in unneccessary delays and traffic, there should be some proper car handling training to reduce the number of accidents, and to a point demonstrate how little skill they actually have in a safe environment before they go trying stupid things on the road, the road safety training they hand out to people who speed should be a compulary part of learning to drive even
Click to expand...

I agree with some of this. Some instruction could/should be better than it is. There is almost no regulation, other than having a single one hour lesson observed by an examiner once every FOUR YEARS(!), an instructor can do as he pleases.

This means that unfortunately, whilst some instructors have some conviction about them and strive to do the best job possible (including using faster DCs, skid control, arranging to practice safe overtaking in tandem with another instructor/pupil, and tuition and guidance in more advanced planning and anticipation skills), there are many, many more instructors who do the bare minimum (they teach only on the official test routes, ignore teaching a bay park if the test centre doesn't have bays, don't give any "real life" input into lessons, and literally teach pupils to pass the test)

The real problem though is often the good instructors being undermined by impatient pupils/parents who see the extra months worth of tuition to cover all the "real life" stuff after the basic "could scrape through the test" stage has been reached as a total waste of money. After all, Johnny from down the road passed much more cheaply and quickly...

It's not unheard of to have a "good" instructor who's trying to teach all the extra stuff lose pupils in the latter stages. The pupil wants to get the test passed ASAP, the instructor wants to do their job properly (which does take more time), and the pupil just moves on to a "worse" instructor who'll put them in for test if they think the pupil can scrape a pass.

So whilst there are impatient people about (which can be all of us, let's face it), and a free market of driving instructors who are able to offer the tuition they want to, there will always be problems of this sort - you can't just say "driving instruction needs to be better/overhauled"

(IMO)
 
There are plenty of ways that it could be done, new drivers could be give limited license, to apply for the full license they also have to produce a certificate to say they completed pass plus/safety training and have a minimum of x months driving experience since their pass.

The limited license could have the same 6 point limit it has now, not allow motorway use, an engine size/power limit and perhaps a 2 year limited duration so people have to complete the requirements for a full license or a retest is required

Allows people to get on the road and get some experience, doesnt place too much urgency on getting the full license as the extra training would have a cost associated with it. But theres incentive enough to not just sit on the limited license forever dodging the extra training
 
My misses passed 3rd time first was her fault second was on the "test instructor Discression" despite only having 3 minors. Just forget about it and get on with the next mate.

On another note, a lot of driving is common sense, you cannot no matter how hard you try teach that, the amount of people i see getting on motoways at 30-40mph is ridiculous
 
PardonTheWait said:
This drives me absolutely mental - I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would think this actually happens.

If you do not meet the requirements to pass the test, you fail.

THAT'S IT

There is some interpretation or leeway dependent on examiner opinion/mood/whatever but the notion that they aim for a certain percentage is absolutely absurd.
Click to expand...

As absurd as the notion that every retake nets them £62? People naturally come to this conclusion when they are failed for arguably minor infractions. Its either that or some of the examiners are sociopathic sadists.
 
stealthgeek said:
As absurd as the notion that every retake nets them £62? People naturally come to this conclusion when they are failed for arguably minor infractions. Its either that or some of the examiners are sociopathic sadists.
Click to expand...

So they fail people deliberately to ensure they get another £62 for the government's coffers...?

Don't you think they'd rather have the hundreds of pounds of insurance premium tax, road fund licenc and fuel duty that a newly qualified driver would put into the system?

The retest fee argument is a fairly weak one if you look at it objectively.

My view is that if you're good enough, you pass. If you're judged not good or confident enough to be "let loose" yet, but you somehow fluke an OK drive without any massively serious faults, a more minor fault might get trumped up a bit to fail you.
 
most test centres are corrupt, just to make more money, thats a fact. Same **** happened to me, failed me for something i didnt do, not indicating etc when i did. kicked up a fuss, complained, turned out others had complained about the same guy... then we find out hed taken leave for issues in his personal life.. great. needless to say i passed my test next try afetr that.
 
Those that blame quotas and whatever are more than likely the ones that failed, more than once ;)

I passed first time btw! I found the major factor in me passing so easily (imo) was that my instructor took me on a mock test of the most difficult route he knew of in my test centers area, it gave me a good taste of what to expect. Driving in silence and just listening to commands rather than having a chatty instructor next to you are gulfs apart.
 
timbob said:
I can't quite make out what actually happened from your OP(!), but it sounds like a junction where you were turning right across oncoming traffic at a traffic light controlled junction without a right hand filter arrow?

In those cases, the best shout is to move forward positively into the middle of the junction and wait at your normal "point of turn" position at the junction whilst the oncoming traffic passes. You're then best positioned to turn right smartly if there is a reasonable gap in the traffic.
Click to expand...

So that you understand this is the junction!
http://i46.tinypic.com/vh6wpz.jpg

Keep images under 1024px

Cars going forward right and left, i came towards it when it was on red i came to a pretty much stop before the line (i went down into first but i did not have time/i did not engage the handbrake) it then turned to green so i was moving forward very very slowly up until the line incase the lights changed, i was stopped from turning right and going into the box because of traffic turning right left and going forward thus as i thought it would be safer and better incase of a light change just too hang back abit.


As for the whole its a fixed race thing you could argue it is just people upset and angry that they have failed and are just blaming somebody else for what has happened or you could make the point that if the average pass rate is 50% across the country imagine if it was higher 60% 70% or even 80% then that would mean a lot less test's across the country and fewer jobs or cheaper price's/wages.

There is two ways to look at it i for one know i messed up in my first test by not paying enough attention to my mirror's, i know that in my second test the guy has left me in a bewildered state by not answering my question's and not informing me properly on what i had actually done wrong.

I have already booked my retest and hopefully that will go well !! :)

p.s. i personally think they should test examiners every few year's (if they do not do that already without them knowing) just to make sure that they are not being too harsh on people and and fully explain if the person does fail what they did wrong and how they should have proceeded.
 
That is slightly clearer having seen the picture. If I was turning right, I would have moved as far forward as I could. At the very least I would be waiting with my nose up to the line where the tarmac changes - this is where I would wait if there was a steam of oncoming right turning cars. Once the right turning cars had all turned (you see no more oncoming right signals for instance), I would move up confidently to my turning position in the middle of the junction.

By hanging back at the line you were being too cautious and impedeing traffic behind you. It's hard to tell from the perspective of that shot, but you might find that waiting in the junction to the right of your "lane" would mean that cars behind you and going straight could have moved around the left hand side of you.

It is worth knowing that in this situation neither you nor oncoming RIGHT TURNING traffic has priority - it's first come first served. Of course you must give way to oncoming traffic going straight as you know.

For what it's worth, examiners are kept a close eye on - they have regular check tests. Whilst there are no quotas, test centres do have statistical average pass rates (the proximity to horrible junctions can be a factor, for example). If examiners are found to be deviating too much from their average (either positively or negatively) they are observed more closely.
 
Unlucky buddy, you never know it may have been that any other day you would have passed. Wouldn't want them to overdo their quotas would we?
 
trisp said:
Cars going forward right and left, i came towards it when it was on red i came to a pretty much stop before the line (i went down into first but i did not have time/i did not engage the handbrake) it then turned to green so i was moving forward very very slowly up until the line incase the lights changed, i was stopped from turning right and going into the box because of traffic turning right left and going forward thus as i thought it would be safer and better incase of a light change just too hang back abit.
Click to expand...

From what I can gather you were stationary at the red light, and when it went green you stayed where you were until you had the opportunity to turn right? If that is the case then you should have moved forward as soon as the light turned green into the junction to indicate your intentions. Obviously not too far as to block the oncoming traffic turning right. Staying where you were might give the impression to the person behind that you have stalled/broken down, it would also prevent some cars making it through the junction.

Imagine, hypothetically, there is a continuous stream of oncoming traffic blocking you turning right. If you wait to turn right by the traffic light, then when the light goes red you are stuck and have to wait till its green again. This process would keep repeating itself and you would be stuck there forever (hypothetically).

Now if when the light goes green you move into the junction past the white line, then when the light goes red you are already in the junction so you have an opportunity to turn right (as the oncoming traffic is stopped by the red light). This would also let through a car behind you if they also moved over the white line, even against a constant stream of oncoming traffic.

Can you see what I mean :p

It's a bit harsh giving you a major fault for it though.
 
Last edited:
I would have stopped with my front wheels inside of the box as far as right as i could. This would allow vehicles behind me to proceed forwards and turn left.

Traffic coming towards you crossing your path (turning to their right) do not have priority and therefore should not concern you.
 
Yeah, You should have pulled forward. As soon as it was green I'd of placed my car in the middle of that junction (Think front corner of car under that B). It looks like that would give room for those behind you to turn left and maybe get past you to go straight over.

I hesitated on a similar junction on my test and got a minor, I imagine if I waited as you did I'd of been given a major.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom