It's all in the preparation!

That lesson before a driving test and waiting in that 'doctor's surgery' type waiting room can be quite daunting to most learners, and it doesn't matter how much you think you are prepared, at the end of the day it's all about luck!  Where will the examiner take you? What type of hazards will you come across and will you be able to deal with them in a safe manner? Will you be able to remember directions and follow sign posts and road markings? Not only will you worry about getting back to the test centre in one piece, but you'll also worry about which manoeuvre the examiner will give you....... Please God let it be the turn in the road!

Your driving instructor is there to prepare you for test day, and hopefully family members can help too with a little extra driving practice, but what more can you (the learner) do to make sure test day is a success? Well, I have to tell you about an exceptional pupil who managed to do just that today!  In fact, I've never known anyone to put so much effort into test day preparation as this pupil has!

He started driving with me last November after a 17 year break and two failed tests, and because his work place was relocating he decided to take up lessons again.  He eventually ended up having four hours a week with me as he wasn't always able to get out and practice privately. He said that he wasn't a 'natural' and had to work hard to get results, and I didn't realise how hard he worked until recently.  Not only did he have driving lessons, but he made notes! The Show me Tell me questions he typed up and made extra notes; he went on Google maps and looked up the roundabouts in the area so he could familiarise himself with the lanes; he took pictures of the engine and labelled the bits he needed to know, including the internal controls; he even wrote up notes after each lesson i.e. how to deal with junctions, reverse parking, general driving etc. And he even wrote down some of  my sayings, for example, 'Be positive', 'Make a decision and stick to it', 'Drive in a brisk and business-like manner', 'Remember - slow car, fast wheel'!

Anyway, his attention to detail paid off today and he passed with only one minor! So you see, sometimes you just have to go that extra mile to get what you want, as things are not always handed to you on a (L) plate!