6 Reasons Why Not Passing Your Driving Test First Time Isn’t The End Of The World
There’s a lot of pressure on young drivers to pass the daunting practical test first time. It’s something I didn’t achieve, in my case it was third time lucky. But there’s nothing wrong with not passing first time. It’s not the end of the world at all. In fact, it has its positives.
Many driving lessons may be completed, but that still doesn’t mean you are fully prepared for all situations. During the test itself, you could experience a range of new things not attempted before. While you might not pass that time round, you’ll know what to do in those situations in the future, whether it’s in the next test or on the road as a fully-fledged driver.
2. Pick up small details
While doing more than one driving test isn’t the plan for anyone, it can help young drivers pick up and perfect small details that will make them safer when they do hit the roads for the first time. Whether it’s functions of the car or road etiquette, there’s always room for improvement.
Driving lessons and driving tests are very different things, clearly. While racking up the hours with a driving instructor is important, it’s difficult to really know just what to expect from the test itself and is obviously impossible to predict how it will go. Having to do the test again isn’t necessarily a bad thing and will mean you are better prepared.
4. Fewer nerves
The dreaded driving test is a nerve-racking thing. I remember being so, so anxious before my first attempt, but actually it wasn’t as bad as I thought (despite not passing it). I went into my next tests with much more confidence and fewer nerves, I knew what to expect and had learned what not to do. I felt much calmer and that really helped with my driving.
5. Safer in the long run
Practice makes perfect, is the famous phrase. Not passing your driving test first time doesn’t make you a bad driver. Not at all. And anyone who thinks so is ridiculous. In fact, some feel like it helps them in the long run and makes them a better, safer driver, as they have gone through more situations, gained more experience with instructors and examiners and had more time to know what to do and not what to do.
6. You’ll be even more determined
Failing a driving test is disappointing, but it will mean you are even more fired up and determined to pass next time round. People can go into the tests with too much confidence but after getting knocked down, you get up stronger than ever. It certainly made me concentrate and focus even more than I was before. But don’t forget, once you do pass, there are a few things you need to ‘unlearn‘!
What other thoughts do you have on this? Let us know in the comments!
Comments
Nerves? I passed first time, no nerves. If you enjoy driving, what’s there to be nervous about? Also (in UK) if your instructor is as good as mine was, he/she will take you on the test route for your lessons so that you’re fully prepared for any eventuality on the test. First lesson I had, he took me on the test route. A year later I passed.
Plus, pass first time and it doesn’t eat into your pocket - keeping your car/motorsport hopes alive.
When you’re young and being judged. When you know all your friends are going to take the piss if you fail. When, if you fail, you have to pay for another test and to hire the car for another day and your still studying earning £3.70 an hour washing dishes. When you understand that passing means you can go visit that girl you’ve been texting and maybe get laid. When you realize today could be the last day when you have to take a 2 hour bus across country to get to school. When you just want to pass so much that you feel like part of you will die if you fail. Life is hard at 17!
A lot of people fail purely on nerves. They’re ready but at the age of 17 when a rather large old man with glasses perched on the end of his nose sits down next to you and starts judging you it all goes to pot. It happened to me and it happens to most people I talk to about it. It’s totally fine. Everyone knows the real learning starts after you pass anyway. It’s how you cope while you’re alone that matters not how you cope under tremendous social pressure and teenage angst.
In the Netherlands it’s quite normal to fail the first test (more like an orientation anyways) and second test. Depends a bit where you live. Where I took my tests the streets were very narrow, the traffic was chaotic and the cyclists were utter assholes, as where the examiners so it took me 3 friggin’ times to pass. Went on to drive round Brussels, Amsterdam, Antwerp etc afther that mutiple times and been accident free for 6 years now (only some minor damage when someone cut me off but I don’t consider that my fault because there was no way to avoid the idiot without causing a major accident). Am I perfect? No I still make small mistakes and misjudge my speed sometimes, but I’ve learned to always leave a margin for error and to never go beyond my capabilities. Being responsible and capable to adapt to new situations is what it’s all about in the end imho and the drivers test only checks if you can drive a set course so ye go on and fail it, in the end you’ll get that paper and start learning real life driving.
I passed first time with 1 minor and it took me just under 3 months to learn, all of this is true though, if you have done it more then once you know whats going to come up and therefore your more prepared.
I’m still glad I passed my test the first time round. Once it was done, the examiner actually complimented my safe driving manners, which surprised me. I guess learning to drive at the age of 14 in a 80s Mazda 626 manual without power assisted anything was a good start :D
I just failed the written part of my driving test in the UK which is very embarassing because I’m the only car guy in my class and most of my friends passed first time with the written dispite being terrible drivers in reality…
My first driving test was easy to pass. Just drove around the block and they gave me my license. Of course, I was 20 at the time if that means anything…
Got my driver’s license on second attempt today! 💪
In the Netherlands everyone has to take two practical tests. The first one is really just as preparation for the real test, and you can’t pass or fail it. It’s just there to prepare you for the real test, so you know what to expect.