D-Day.
Well, today was my test and it didn't get off to the best of starts to be honest. In the hour before, we were practising hill starts because I haven't done them for a while so I thought I'd better familiarise myself again! 4 attempts it took me and I even had the clutch burning at one point! It STANK!! We had a couple of parallel parks too, just to make sure I was ok on them and on the second attempt I got it. We had a little drive around for about 10 minutes, just to get me settled down before the actual test and then it was time to head for the test centre. One last turn in the road outside, then it was into the gates and I parked in the bay so I was ready for setting off.
I'd taken my stress drops with me and I still stand by the fact that they work because they calmed my nerves no end! I met my examiner and we headed outside, I read the number plate, answered the 2 questions and we got into the car.
I was still feeling a bit jittery as we headed out of the gates and onto the roads but I soon settled into it as we got to the traffic lights at the library. So it was down to the mini roundabout at the multi storey and I was asked to turn right onto John Street, where I encountered a minibus. I got past him and we headed to the stop junction at the bottom, which I remembered to use my handbrake on!
We took a left onto Harrington Road, then a right at the mini roundabout, then another right onto Ashfield Road. We carried on to the end, then took a left onto Westfield Drive, then a left to head towards the sports centre. At this point I was thinking emergency stop, but there were too many cars about so it wasn't possible. He got me to pull over on this road, then told me to set off again when I was ready. Now while I was sitting waiting for all the cars behind to move off around me, a fire engine came the other way with sirens and blue lights going so all the cars behind me stopped! I was sitting there thinking, "Oh god, do I sit where I am or do I go??" Anyway, I decided to sit there and let the cars get past once the fire engine had gone and I don't THINK I got a minor there...
We took a right at the roundabout, then took another right onto Poole Road where he told me to turn into a side road and we did a reverse round a corner. Luckily it was uphill so there was no chance of me rolling back!! All was fine there so it was back off up Poole Road, then back onto Moorclose Road. At the bottom I was told to turn left up into Harrington, but as I was emerging from the stop junction I clipped the kerb with my back wheel! D'oh!! I instantly thought, oh well, that's that failed then...
I kept on with it though and we headed onto Scaw Road. At the end, I was told to take a right heading towards Lillyhall. As I got to the junction my right side was clear, but there was a lorry approaching from the left. I weighed up the situation and decided that yeah, I could get out no problems so off I trotted. I did, get my speed up, but then I managed to hit 3rd instead of 5th which knocked me back down to 40MPH!
We took the next left onto the industrial estate, then left again to head down past the Westlands Hotel. We then took a right to head back into town, headed back along Harrington Road, down towards Matalan roundabout, took a right to the train station and headed back to the test centre.
The last manoeuvre to be done was the reversing into the bay which I nailed! I was dead chuffed with it, but already knew that I'd failed so wasn't at all surprised when he confirmed it. Yet when he got my instructor over to explain what had gone wrong, he didn't mention the kerb incident which I thought I'd failed on! In fact, I'd failed within the first 5 minutes when I didn't hold back for the bus on John Street and then when I pulled out on the lorry! Though he did agree that I got my speed up, but the 3rd gear...
To say that I'm gutted is a complete understatement. I'm absolutely DEVASTATED and to top it off, I then had to go to work, bleary eyed and everything. The worst thing is the fact that I only got 6 minors, so had I held back on both failing occasions and got minors for hesitation, I'd have still passed because I'd have been well under the 15 minors allowed!!
Still, as everyone has said, it's an experience under my belt and I'll know for next time, whenever that might be. I'm not giving up though so keep watching this space.
I'd taken my stress drops with me and I still stand by the fact that they work because they calmed my nerves no end! I met my examiner and we headed outside, I read the number plate, answered the 2 questions and we got into the car.
I was still feeling a bit jittery as we headed out of the gates and onto the roads but I soon settled into it as we got to the traffic lights at the library. So it was down to the mini roundabout at the multi storey and I was asked to turn right onto John Street, where I encountered a minibus. I got past him and we headed to the stop junction at the bottom, which I remembered to use my handbrake on!
We took a left onto Harrington Road, then a right at the mini roundabout, then another right onto Ashfield Road. We carried on to the end, then took a left onto Westfield Drive, then a left to head towards the sports centre. At this point I was thinking emergency stop, but there were too many cars about so it wasn't possible. He got me to pull over on this road, then told me to set off again when I was ready. Now while I was sitting waiting for all the cars behind to move off around me, a fire engine came the other way with sirens and blue lights going so all the cars behind me stopped! I was sitting there thinking, "Oh god, do I sit where I am or do I go??" Anyway, I decided to sit there and let the cars get past once the fire engine had gone and I don't THINK I got a minor there...
We took a right at the roundabout, then took another right onto Poole Road where he told me to turn into a side road and we did a reverse round a corner. Luckily it was uphill so there was no chance of me rolling back!! All was fine there so it was back off up Poole Road, then back onto Moorclose Road. At the bottom I was told to turn left up into Harrington, but as I was emerging from the stop junction I clipped the kerb with my back wheel! D'oh!! I instantly thought, oh well, that's that failed then...
I kept on with it though and we headed onto Scaw Road. At the end, I was told to take a right heading towards Lillyhall. As I got to the junction my right side was clear, but there was a lorry approaching from the left. I weighed up the situation and decided that yeah, I could get out no problems so off I trotted. I did, get my speed up, but then I managed to hit 3rd instead of 5th which knocked me back down to 40MPH!
We took the next left onto the industrial estate, then left again to head down past the Westlands Hotel. We then took a right to head back into town, headed back along Harrington Road, down towards Matalan roundabout, took a right to the train station and headed back to the test centre.The last manoeuvre to be done was the reversing into the bay which I nailed! I was dead chuffed with it, but already knew that I'd failed so wasn't at all surprised when he confirmed it. Yet when he got my instructor over to explain what had gone wrong, he didn't mention the kerb incident which I thought I'd failed on! In fact, I'd failed within the first 5 minutes when I didn't hold back for the bus on John Street and then when I pulled out on the lorry! Though he did agree that I got my speed up, but the 3rd gear...
To say that I'm gutted is a complete understatement. I'm absolutely DEVASTATED and to top it off, I then had to go to work, bleary eyed and everything.
The worst thing is the fact that I only got 6 minors, so had I held back on both failing occasions and got minors for hesitation, I'd have still passed because I'd have been well under the 15 minors allowed!! Still, as everyone has said, it's an experience under my belt and I'll know for next time, whenever that might be. I'm not giving up though so keep watching this space.
posted by Ailsa @ 7:55 pm
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