Yep, you read that right; I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!!!
I've been a fully fledged pink license holder for almost three months and I absolutely love the independence it's given me. If I'm totally honest, I can't actually believe I did it!
If you've been following along with my journey, you'll know that learning to drive hasn't been plain sailing. I started lessons in January 2020 and things were going great, until good ol' covid hit and it all went a bit pear shaped. Lockdown restrictions meant lessons were disrupted and tests were cancelled; my first test in November 2020 was postponed to March 2021, which was then further postponed to July 2021. It was all very frustrating and incredibly disheartening. Even the week before my July test, I was fully expecting an email to come through telling me it had been cancelled again.
The Build Up To My Test
A few weeks before my test date my instructor told me that her car, the one I'd been learning in for the past year and a half, was going for work done and I'd be taking my test in a courtesy car. I had three weeks to learn how to drive AND park a car that I'd never driven before. Great.
It helped that I kept my driving test a secret from everyone, except for my instructor and my mum. I felt awful for lying but I personally didn't want the added pressure from family and friends and thought the less people who knew, the better.
In the build up to my test, I surprisingly felt quite calm. The courtesy car was relatively easy to drive and I upped my lessons to two hours so that I could have as much practice as possible. It was only the lesson before my test that the nerves really started to kick in. I had my last proper lesson on the Monday and my test was on the Thursday morning so for the rest of the week, I was a bundle of nerves.
The night before I was pacing round the house, revising my show-me-tell-me questions and going over the manoeuvres in my head. I made sure that everything was laid out for morning; my provisional license, theory certificate, glasses, face mask and then I got a very early night.
The Day of my Driving Test
I sat my practical at the St Helens test centre and opted for an early morning test, 8:47am to be exact. I also had an hour lesson beforehand, which I'd highly recommend to calm any last minute nerves and talk over anything you're unsure about with your instructor.
Despite my hopes of an early night, I had the most disturbed sleep, constantly worrying that I was going to sleep through my alarm and miss my test. Thankfully that didn't happen and I gave myself enough time in the morning to have a coffee and a banana (something that became quite a tradition before my driving lessons). It's actually rumoured that eating a banana before your driving test can boost your performance and help you to pass, I don't know what the science is behind that but I think it might have worked.
When my instructor picked me up at 7:45am, I resembled what can only be described as a walking lucky charm. I was covered in every single sentimental trinket I could find, if it had brought me luck at some point in my life then guarantee I was wearing it. I also had my Grandad's ring on my necklace and a little sunflower close to my heart, so he was with me too!
At this point the nerves had really kicked in but driving around with my instructor, practicing my manoeuvres and going over any questions really helped to calm me down. Having that lesson before your test really does make all the difference. When we got to the test centre my heart was pounding but I knew I was as ready as I'd ever be.
The Driving Test
The UK driving test lasts for 40 minutes and consists of 2 parts; 20 minutes of independent driving (either following road signs or a sat-nav) and 20 minutes of instructed driving (when the examiner tells you where to go). During this time you will be asked to perform one manoeuvre and sometimes an emergency stop. At the moment, due to covid regulations, if you receive a major fault you will be re-directed back to the test centre and your test will be cut short.
For some reason, I imagined my examiner to be this scary old man who'd do everything he could to make me fail. I'm pleased to say that actually, he was quite the opposite. From the minute he called my name he put me at ease, he was so lovely and I feel very fortunate that I had such a kind examiner.
We went through the mandatory eye sight checks (where they'll ask you to read the number plate of a car) and he asked my 'tell-me' question which was 'tell me how you'd check that the engine has sufficient oil'. Luckily my instructor and I had just gone over these so it was fresh in my memory. That was the easy part, now I actually had to drive.
I started by doing 20 minutes of independent driving following a sat-nav and he asked my 'show me' question which was 'when it's safe to do so can you show me how to open the driver window?'. One of the weirdest things about being on your driving test is not having the reassuring voice of your instructor next to you, so I started talking myself through every instruction which helped to calm me down. To be honest, I think my examiner found this hilarious and I don't know how many times I apologised for talking to myself. During my independent drive we also performed an emergency stop which is rare to come up on tests but actually went really well. So far, so good!
Then I started my 20 minutes of instructed driving which is when things started to go slightly downhill (no pun intended). Firstly, he asked me to do a hill start on one of the steepest hills in the town and I stalled it, not once, not twice, but a grand total of four times. Every time I tried to move the car it would stall. I went into pure panic mode but my examiner calmly told me to take a deep breath and double-check my gears, turns out I'd put it into third gear instead of first - smart move, Meg *face palm*. I was convinced I'd failed.
Could I make any more mistakes? Yes, of course I could because I took us the wrong way at some traffic lights. He asked me to go straight ahead but I was in the right hand lane to turn right. I apologised to let him know that I was aware I'd gone the wrong way, but he was lovely about it and re-directed us back to the route. It's important to note that if you do go the wrong way on your test, don't panic and make sure you continue to follow the rules of the road - they can always re-direct you!
As we made our way back to the test centre I knew it was make or break time. I'd completely lost track of how long I'd been driving for and was well aware that I hadn't performed my manoeuvre yet. The reverse bay park manoeuvre is performed on the test centre car park at either the beginning or the end of your test. I knew if he asked me to drive straight into a bay then I'd failed, but if he asked me to perform a reverse bay park I was one manoeuvre away from getting that pink license.
And guess what!? He asked me to do the reverse bay park!
I parked it perfectly the first time but pulled forward just to make sure I was in the lines because I knew my result depended on it. After this, he told me to turn my engine off and asked if I wanted my instructor to listen to come over. I could see her peeping round the corner so we beckoned her over as I looked away and held my breath. It was decision time.
'Well Megan, I'm very pleased to tell you that you've passed!'
I let out the biggest sigh of relief and then I wanted to cry. It was such a mixture of emotions; happiness, pride, disbelief. I ACTUALLY DID IT!!!
I thought that my graduation day was the proudest day of my life, but the feeling of passing my driving test was like no other. The reaction from my family and friends was one of pride, shock and excitement; my Mum cried, Dad let on that he knew about it but he probably didn't, my Grandma was in disbelief, Buster didn't really know what was going on and my friends were shocked that I'd managed to keep it a secret for so long! Dad booked a little family meal to celebrate in the evening and I was so grateful for all the lovely messages and cards I received.
However, there's one person who I know would have been the proudest and that's my Grandad. To be honest, he thought I'd passed my test after my first lesson so the belief was always there. I know he was with me the whole time, guiding and helping me to make the right decisions. I just wish he could have been here to give me the biggest hug when I came home.
So I guess that marks the end of my Driving Diaries!
The anxious girl completed her mission; she passed her driving test (even if it did take a little longer than expected). I can honestly say that learning to drive is one of the best decisions I have ever made and if you're putting it off because you're anxious or scared, take a deep breath and get that first lesson booked. If I can do it then so can you!
If anyone has any questions about my experience learning to drive or wants to talk about all things driving; theory tests, practical tests or lessons, then let's have a chat in the comments!
Lots of Love,
Meg x
No comments
Post a Comment