Going for your licence

[hellahella]

Hey guys,

I just booked in my licence test for the 2nd of April, a few weeks after I turn 18. I just passed my hazards (stupid test) so I'm completely ready to go.

I was wondering if you guys had any tips/advice about the test because I am genuinely more scared about my licence test than any other SAC or exam I've done so far 

Thanks in advance!

[Shenz0r]

As with normal driving, concentrate. Don't forget your headchecks, keep 2-3 seconds behind the car in front of you, beware of pedestrians, cyclists, identify drivers likely to do stupid things, etc.

For the teat specifically:

1. Look at your side-view and rear-view mirrors every 5 seconds or so. Make it visible too, don't just move your eyes, overexaggerate your head movement.
2. 10 past 10 on the steering wheel!
3. Keep 5 km/h under the speed limit, be aware of when the limit suddenly changes
4. Don't shift too early (if you're driving manual), use the clutch as smoothly as possibe.
5. Keep your indicator on for 3 clicks before you merge, and only switch it off after you've fully merged
6. Get familiar with your test area, your instructor might take you on likely routes.

If you have an instructor, they can sit in the passenger seat and may sometimes give you hints on whether you're going too fast etc.

[lzxnl]

Hey guys,

I just booked in my licence test for the 2nd of April, a few weeks after I turn 18. I just passed my hazards (stupid test) so I'm completely ready to go.

I was wondering if you guys had any tips/advice about the test because I am genuinely more scared about my licence test than any other SAC or exam I've done so far 

Thanks in advance!

I passed my own license test two days ago when my dad said I should have failed, so maybe I'd be in a position to help xP

I agree with Shenz0r, drive below the speed limit but they penalise you for driving more than 10 km/hr too slow
Familiarity with the test area is crucial; due to unforeseen circumstances I had to take my test in a completely foreign area, leaving me with only two hours to familiarise myself with the surroundings, so that created lots of unnecessary stress for me.

There is a pre-drive test; know where the indicators, handbrake, demisters, hazard lights, headlights (high and low) are. I didn't know where the demister was for mine so that gave me unneeded pressure at the start.

If in doubt when changing lanes, don't move and just keep indicating. You'll insta-fail if you try and merge when unsafe. Patience is key.

The drive test can be an endurance test. My test went for 30 minutes and it was quite unnerving.

Make sure you don't cross any lines. Literally. Like the lanes. It's so easy to do that when under pressure. And don't panic. It's just a regular drive test. The examiner won't test you on anything other than 3 point turns, reverse parking, turning, merging lanes, stopping, roundabouts and kerbside parks (I think).

[keltingmeith]

and if you fail who cares; just book another test.

My wallet cares, tbh...

But yes, the take home message - don't just do things, do them obviously, so that the instructor knows you're doing them.

[MagicGecko]

Most of the tips have already been said, like exaggerating looking at mirrors etc.
So I'll just list out the mistakes my friends made which caused them to fail.

- Seat belt after starting engine. ( tbh I did mine after I started the engine, but my tester was nice and let it slide, not many testers care about this one, however some are tight asses and may penalise you for it, depending how they're feeling at the time.)

- when taking off, handbrake comes last. When parking, handbrake comes first.

- Vic Roads speed  signs are like 5 or 10kms, I can't remember, it's one of them, anyway the important thing is, do not exceed them, not even by 1km. Insta fail.

- Speeding in a school zone.

- Not turning off phone during test.

- Hitting into another car while trying to do a reverse park.

This one's not much of a tip tho, but anyway,I went with my friend to Vic Roads and about 15min after the test started she came back bawling her eyes out. I asked the tester what happened (I couldn't make sense of what she was saying) and he told me that a dog came onto the road so she swirved to the left a bit to avoid it, but ended up hitting the curb along with the dog who probably decided to run back, I don't know, but she started crying and couldn't continue the test so it was over.
Why did I tell you that?
Be ready for anything, especially if you're emotional.

(p.s the Dog survived, his back legs were broken tho and is still recovering but his alright!)

[hellahella]

Thanks guys!! Your tips are pretty much what I had in my head anyway so it's been helpful to calm my nerves.

This one's not much of a tip tho, but anyway,I went with my friend to Vic Roads and about 15min after the test started she came back bawling her eyes out. I asked the tester what happened (I couldn't make sense of what she was saying) and he told me that a dog came onto the road so she swirved to the left a bit to avoid it, but ended up hitting the curb along with the dog who probably decided to run back, I don't know, but she started crying and couldn't continue the test so it was over.
Why did I tell you that?
Be ready for anything, especially if you're emotional.

(p.s the Dog survived, his back legs were broken tho and is still recovering but his alright!)

Oh no your poor friend and that poor dog though