Passed my theory test.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:31 am

Woo.

Despite my prep being going to the pub and buying Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (good fun when you are in the thick of it but some annoying structural quirks to the gameplay e.g cut scenes you CAN'T BLOODY SKIP) the night before.

Wierd doing a test/exam after all this time. Must be, ooh, 5 years since i did one at least, even if this one was quite easy.

Just need to actually, you know, have some driving lessons now...

Eline · Post by **Eline** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:43 am

Congrats!
Do you have to have passed before you can start the lessons? And are they as insanely expensive as here? I pay 31 euros for 50 minutes.

I'm studying for my test now as well, they have very tricky questions so I do have to learn. And not everything is multiple choice.

Have had about 10 driving lessons now, and it's great fun!

Nobody told me that before. The tricky parts are learning to do 100 things at the same time, and noticing all the million roadsigns that they have put up.

I hope to pass half november, so I can drive a rental car in Sweden when I go there, but let's see...

Good luck with your lessons!

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:45 am

Nice one matey, you will be surprised at the number of people that fall at that first hurdle!

Shame driving lessons are so expensive now!

KingMob · Post by **KingMob** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:47 am

Yay for you.

I wonder if how driving instructors react if you tell them you've been playing GTA before coming for your lesson?

Post by **Best First** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:40 am

They won't care after i have popped a cap in their collective ass.

CJ foo'

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:10 am

congrats Besters!

can't quite get my head around these new fangled theory tests, never had them back in my day!

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:21 pm

Well done mate. Buggered my hazard perception first time round, but got it the second. Got to agree though, the multiple choice part is pretty easy.

Now comes the driving part, which is the bit I'm currently slogging through (two fails under my belt already!). And yes, driving lessons are v expensive, about £20 an hour, which is which I got meself a car even though I haven't passed yet. Oh, minor note on driving lessons, beware places like BSM, especially in London. The first instructor I had who was through them couldn't even speak english, which made it very hard for me to work out what he wanted me to do.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 1:53 pm

Hazard perception is a right ball ache - the instrictions are really unclear and you have no way of telling if you have got it right until they give you a pass or a fail at the end. got 57/75 or something, not great. On the practice DVD i had i was actually clicing too quikcly in some cases ffs.

am considering doing an intensive course as getting an instructor who can do the same times as me out here is also making my nuts hurt.

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 2:45 pm

well done mate - how I laugh, they make u play comuter games on your test now. wicked!

do u get a free i-pod for trying to join the fuel crisis?

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 3:59 pm

Nice one, Mr F.

I passed my theory twice. Once before they brought in the HP, once after.

I just passed the first time out, ******* aced the multiple choice the second. Can't remember my HP score.

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 4:13 pm

Best First wrote:Hazard perception is a right ball ache - the instrictions are really unclear and you have no way of telling if you have got it right until they give you a pass or a fail at the end. got 57/75 or something, not great. On the practice DVD i had i was actually clicing too quikcly in some cases ffs.

am considering doing an intensive course as getting an instructor who can do the same times as me out here is also making my nuts hurt.

Totally agree on the hazard perception. As for intensive courses, I gave it a go myself, and found it great for breaking the back of the learning, but it was too much in a small space of time for me to really feel at all confident in having developed lasting skills (and it was fail number one). If you have someone who you can practice with outside of lessons then that'd also be a massive help (something I was sorely lacking until last week).

Eline · Post by **Eline** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 6:44 am

angloconvoy wrote:If you have someone who you can practice with outside of lessons then that'd also be a massive help.

Can you do that?!

That's illegal here. I can only have lessons with a certified instructor. Who is charging a lot of money, of course.

I think an intensive course is good if you buy a car right after your lessons, so you can get lots of experience. If you don't drive for a year or so, you might lose all the skills again.
I have chosen for two lessons a week, to slowly develop the skills and let them sink in my brain. So far, it works quite well.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:49 am

Eline wrote:Can you do that?!

That's illegal here. I can only have lessons with a certified instructor. Who is charging a lot of money, of course.

To drive a car in the UK without a full license, you need to be accompanied by either:

a) a certified instructor
or
b) somebody over the age of 21, who has held a full (and clean) license for three years or more.

I think...

Oh, and have your provisional license, of course.

Unless you're off road, in which case you can pretty much do what you want. But don't quote me on that last bit...

Obfleur · Post by **Obfleur** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 9:06 am

The same rules applies in Sweden

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 9:59 am

Congrats Paul!

Incredibly I failed mine first time round - I was one question short of a pass.

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:07 am

Well done besty n_n I passed mine and got 'em right

I then went on to take the driving test EIGHT times. Being failed for such dreadful driving as 'not glancing in your rearview mirror when slowing down at red lights'.

I only passed the 8th time because I'd honestly had enough, didn't care and just drove. For some mind-boggling reason, despite my doing at least 4 drives which were technically superior before hand, I passed. As did everyone else that day.... ! {conspiracy theory}

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:09 am

Yeah, I took 5 times and passed on my worst drive. Go figure.

When I did the theory test, there was always one answer that was blatantly wrong, like

D: Sound your horn in annoyance.

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:10 am

hee hee yeah

"you've stopped at a pedestrian crossing to let some older people cross. Do you...

A. Sound your horn to encourage them to move faster
B. Rev your engine loudly
C. Wait patiently and allow them to cross
D. A llama."

Post by **Best First** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:13 am

apparently theer are good times to take it as there are quotas of people they have to pass (huh?), if you go in towardsthe end of a quota period you have mor echnace of passing as they tend to be a bit too harsh (or just fair) earlier on.

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:16 am

I heard exactly the same thing! That basically whether you pass or not depends how many people they need to pass that day.

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:16 am

Aye, but when is this end of quota time? That's what I need to know. Oh, and love the not lgancing in the mirror when slowing at a red light fail, otherwise known as the "the DVLA still wants more money from you" fail.

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:19 am

Oh there were times I really wanted to tell them what a bunch of swines they were, something like "You're basically just failing me for the sake of it aren't you? [composite word including 'f*ck'] heads."

Like a guy with a crushingly low self-esteem and an ego that frequently ends up in the gutter REALLY needs to be made to take his driving text 8 times. I was a nervous wreck.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:20 am

The mirror thing's tricky. You need to get into a rhythm to beat it.

Accelerate
Mirror

Brake
Mirror

Indicate
Mirror

Scratch my nose
Mirror

And so on. Just check all the mirrors for absolutely everything that you do. You don't even need to actually look in it - just make sure the instructor sees you doing it.

Hell, since I passed I reckon I've checked my rear view about four times...

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:21 am

Accelerate
Mirror

Brake
Mirror

Indicate
Mirror

Scratch my nose
Mirror

they'd have failed me for hesitating before manouvring

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:26 am

Ah, the old "wait before doing the maneouvre trick." You need to make it look like you're ensuring the area is safe.

"I'm not trying to compose myself whilst hyperventilate before reversing around this corner - I'm making sure there are no small children on bicycles coming from the other direction..."

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:30 am

And always make a show of checking your mirror - after all if you check it and they don't notice you, how PO'd would you be?

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:32 am

Metal Vendetta wrote:And always make a show of checking your mirror - after all if you check it and they don't notice you, how PO'd would you be?

they see eeeverything. How else could they pick up on the most minute details to fail you on?

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 10:41 am

I actualy have my driving lesson today, which is why I'm not in work today. Have my next driving test in about 2 weeks. Mind you, since getting my own car I think I'm getting better with the mirror thing, since the seats are so low I actually have to move my head in that thing to see them. Couldn't do my test in it though, its sorely lacking the power steering that helps the maneuvers so much.

Post by **Best First** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 12:08 pm

pictures don't wrk but this is still genius:

http://mudhole.spodnet.uk.com/fist/traffic.html

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:39 pm

I'm apprehensive (ie: scared shitless) about doing mine, but chance would be a fine thing seeing as the DVLA haven't even sent me my provisional yet. This is probably because I had to dislose the fact that I am slightly mentalist on the form, and they're 'processing' it to see if I need to see one of their doctors. And by processing I mean 'sat around laughing at'.

Either that, or they haven't got it. Either way, this seems like an awful lot of hassle and money for soemthing I don't really want to do.