I passed my driving test!🚗🎉

Hey everyone❤️ I hope that you are all okay🤗 Its been a while since I have made a new blog post, I was sooo busy over the last month or so that I couldn't get around to making any new posts😔 I am working full time, had my assignment to do that I had to hand in on the 30th of April for the end of my Criminology and Forensic Psychology course, I was taking pre tests to prepare for my driving test and did my driving test.. twice🤫👀😂 Thankfully, I passed my driving test on the 27th of April🚗🎉 I also got my assignment finished and handed in 2 days early😁 Now that all of that is out of the way, I can post more content on my blog😁 Work has been crazyyyy busy lately with the vaccine roll out😩 But it keeps me busy so that's a plus, especially during these times when there is not a lot to do😂

In today's blog post, I thought that I would give you all some tips on the do's and don'ts in relation to the theory and driving test. I have been asked quite a bit about who I did my pretests with for my driving test. I did my pre-tests with Martyn Saunders, M2B School of Motoring. You can find his page on Facebook with all details on how to contact him. I can not recommend him enough😁 He was absolutely brilliant and he provides you with help on the road signs they ask in the test centre, the driving test questions they ask you, sequencing in relation to the questions asked from past students who have passed their driving test and he provides you with nothing but support, guidance and honest feedback in relation to your driving. If you are interested in doing your driving lessons or your pre tests, message him and he will give you further information on all you need to know😁

Lets start with Theory test tips since this is the first step of the driving process😁

Theory Test Tips:

- Get the theory test disc or the theory test app on the app store to practice your questions

- Do the questions over and over again. This is important because the more you do them, the more they will get stuck in your head and you will start to remember them with ease the more you see them

- Get a piece of paper or a little notepad and any questions you repeatedly find yourself forgetting note them down. This will help you to realise which questions you are finding more difficult than others and you will be able to keep going back on them.

- Any time you have some spare time from the time you have booked your theory test, practice your questions

- Do NOT leave practicing your questions until the day before your test😩😂 you want to be prepared for your test, not panicked because you are unsure as to whether you know the questions well enough

- Lastly, do not panic on the day of your test. The theory test is easy once you put in the work you will be fine😁 The worst case scenario is that you will have to do the test again, which is perfectly fine. If you do not pass, book the theory test again for as soon as possible and keep practicing the questions. One thing you shouldn't do is give up, you've got this🙏

Driving Lesson Tips:

A little note for when you book to do your driving lessons, I know that a lot of people get really panicked at the thought of having to drive as they have not drove a car before or they are a nervous driver. The driving instructor that you book in with is aware that all learners are different. Some learner drivers have a lot of experience, some are nervous while driving, anxious about driving in general, worried about specific things when it comes to driving or the learner driver has never drove a car before. Your instructor is there to guide you and build you up to a position where you will pass your driving test. They are there to help you with anything you need assistance with when it comes to your driving😁 you will get the hang of it in no time❤️

I would also advise to make sure that you do ALL of your driving lessons in full. What I mean by this is that some driving instructors take the easy way out and tend to sign off on lessons that the learner has not done. If your driving instructor try's to do this, mention to them that you do not feel comfortable signing off on the lesson until it is completed. I would advise you to then look into getting a new driving instructor. It is so important to ensure that you have an instructor who has your best interest at heart and wants you to do well and pass your test😁

If you are looking for tips on how to pass your driving test... message my sister Ceara because she passed first time and I passed on my 3rd time🤣 I mentioned earlier on in this post that I did my driving test twice. This was within the month of April. However, I did my first ever driving test in 2017 when I was 19. The driving instructor that I did all of my lessons with at the time was not very good and did not prepare me well for my driving test. When I failed, I was so disheartened that I didn't go back. This was a big mistake and I would strongly advise you not to do this if you fail your driving test. Book it again for as soon as possible and go again. I knew that I had to find a new instructor and that's when I messaged Martyn as I heard good reviews about him😁 I did my second driving test (1st with Martyn) on the 8th of April, this time I failed due to being anxious and overthinking everything and the 3rd time on the 27th of April (2nd test with Martyn) I passed🚗🎉 When I did my test in 2017, I did it in Naas (would not recommend) and both times I did my test this year I did it in Tallaght which I would recommend😁

Driving Test Tips:

- After you have completed all of your lessons, do some pre-tests also. Pre-tests are important because when you are doing your lessons your instructor is just teaching you what you should and shouldn't do but when you are doing your pre-test, they are advising you solely from a testers point of view. Pre-tests will also help to build your confidence and will help a little bit with your nerves for your real test

- Drive how you would normally drive! This one is a big one. When I did my first test in Naas and my second test in Tallaght, I was overthinking soooo much trying to drive exactly how I thought the tester wanted me to drive that I was forgetting to do minor things that I would always do on a normal day of driving on my own and I failed both times😂 The best thing to do is drive like no ones watching, which is easier said than done trustttt me I know😂 But it really does help a lot to think this way

- Learn your road signs, hand signals and driving test questions. Don't get too worked up over them as if you get any wrong, no matter how many you get wrong, its only one Grade 1 mark which doesn't account for anything towards your end result. Grade 1's are not faults that contribute to whether you fail our pass, testers give you Grade 1's to give you advice to improve on the areas.

The exact road signs used in your driving test (in Ireland) and the driving test questions they ask can be found in the link below:

http://www.erneschoolofmotoring.com/driving-test-cavan.html

- When you are doing your move off routine the best approach that I found was gear, mirrors, indicate, handbrake, look over your RIGHT SHOULDER and go. The right shoulder part is the MOST IMPORTANT PART! If you don't look over your right shoulder in your test EVERY time you move off after being parked up, when doing your maneuvers such as turn in the road, reverse around the corner and hill start or when you are moving off after doing a maneuver you will get an AUTOMATIC FAIL. I cant stress the importance of this enough. Don't forget this tip EVER😂

- Progression is key, I failed on this in my first test in Naas because I was driving too slow😂always stick to the speed limit, don't drive too slow or too fast

- Put your handbrake on when in traffic or at traffic lights for 5 seconds or longer. Keep your left hand on the handbrake to prepare to go when you need to and keep your right hand on the wheel

- Observation is VERY important. Make sure to check all your mirrors regularly when you are doing your test. Every time you indicate to change lanes or turn at traffic lights and corners, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS look for anyone on a bike. Observation is what I failed on in my second test in Tallaght. This is SO IMPORTANT. When you are looking in your mirrors and ESPECIALLY when you are looking for bikes, do it DRAMATICALLY. By this I mean turn your head right in the direction of the side mirror (depending on if you are turning left and right) so that the tester knows for a fact that you are looking. Martyn named the pretend guy on the bike Billy😂 He would always say 'Look for Billy so you don't run him over'😂 I kept forgetting to look for Billy because he was an imaginary person. On the day of my third test, which is the one I did in Tallaght and the day I passed, Martyn told me instead of looking for Billy when I change lanes or turn that I should look for Harli (my dog) to make sure I don't hit him😂 You best believe I looked every time I turned or changed lanes then🤣 that stuck with me and during my test I looked every time, I got not even one mark for observation the day I passed😁

- Practice your maneuvers to make sure that you are comfortable doing them

- Reacting to hazards is also very important. If you are approaching an obstruction in the road, people you think may cross out into the road, if a traffic light turns from green to amber on approach, you see roadworks etc don't panic, assess the situation and slow down in good time. This is reacting to hazards and is something the tester wants to see in situations where hazards arise

- When stopping behind a car or in traffic, always make sure that the two back tires of the car in front of you are visible at all times

- Be mindful of your positioning on the straight when driving. I had this issue doing my tests because I drive more towards the right for some strange reason😂

- Know where all of the inside controls are such as dipped lights, full headlights, front and rear demister, how to put on the wipers with and without water etc

- DONT OVERTHINK EVERYTHING😂 this is an important one, if you don't overthink everything and you drive like you normally would you will be fine😁

- Try your best, that is all you can do❤️

- If you do not pass first time, do not get disheartened. A lot of people don't pass their driving test first time. Book the test again for as soon as possible and try again. Don't be like me who spent 5 years with a learner license because I didn't want to do the test again😂 I passed 3rd time lucky😁 Never give up. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again❤️

Once you do your driving test and pass you NEVER have to do it again😁 My advice to anyone would be to get it out of the way with as soon as possible. I may not have went back to do my test straight away after I failed the first time like I should have, but I'm glad that I found it in me to go and do it this year😁 Now I am driving around freely🚗

I hope that this post is helpful to you😁 As always if you have any questions, you can message me anytime my social media accounts are linked to my blog❤️

Much Love Always,

Shannon💛