DRIVERS LICENSE TEST - tips anyone?

[24lover]

hey everyone,
i have the worst driving instructor and i would instantly drop him but the thing is, i've already prepaid for another 3 lessons  !
does anyone have general tips on how to pass the test? mine's in 2 weeks and i don't plan on waiting another 2 months for another re-test lol.

i'm unsure about where to look (mirrors/out the window) with reverse parking and three point turns :s

[hard]

just don't hit anything and you'll pass.

[Toothpaste]

When changing lanes indicate for at least 3 seconds, check the mirror on the side you're changing into and do a quick headcheck before moving off. Turn off the indicator when the whole car is inside the lane you're changing into, not before.

Reverse parking; before reversing, turn your head and look out the back window. Indicators on and check rear-view mirror.

Before braking, check rear-view. This is to be safe if there's a car following close behind.

When driving on a straight road, you may want to check all mirrors just so you get brownie points with the tester dude.

Just constantly check mirrors.

[costargh]

hey everyone,
i have the worst driving instructor and i would instantly drop him but the thing is, i've already prepaid for another 3 lessons  !
does anyone have general tips on how to pass the test? mine's in 2 weeks and i don't plan on waiting another 2 months for another re-test lol.

i'm unsure about where to look (mirrors/out the window) with reverse parking and three point turns :s

I was gonnna be lazy and let someone else take this one but meh I'll give it ago.

Reverse Parking
1. Pull up next to the car with your left indicator, about half a meter away (no more than 1 metre)
2. Put car into reverse
3. Check side mirror for cars coming from behind and also MUST look over your shoulder through the middle of the back window to check for cars/pedestrians etc.
4. Reverse in a straight line backwards until your seat is in line with the back passengers door.
4. Turn wheel ONE whole turn to the left and reverse (while looking the the passengers side mirror) until your car is at about 2 o clock. (ie. 66 degrees)
5. Turn wheel ONE whole turn to the right. You should now be reversing in a straight line towards the curb. Look in the passengers side mirror and reverse until your back tyre gets close to where the bitumen meet the concrete-ey bit.
6. Turn wheel ONE whole turn to the right and reverse until your car is parallel to the gutter.
7 (optional step)- if you realise you're not going to make it into the car spot DONT PANIC! You are allowed to have one chance to correct yourself. So DONT keep reversing until you smash into the gutter. Just put it into drive, go forward a bit and get urself a better angle before you reverse back.
8. Put car into drive.
9. QUICKLY turn your wheel one turn to the left while you slowly creep forward towards the car infront of you.
10. Make sure you're parked a good 1.5-2 metres away from the car in front and that your car is parallel to the gutter.
11. Put car into park. Pull handbrake up. (The tester will open door I believe and check how far you have parked away from the gutter)
12. They will instruct you to pull out when safe.
13. Put car into Reverse and put handbrake down.
14. Look thru the back window to make sure no pedestrians are walking behind your car (which would mean you could hit them and smash their kneecaps)
15. Reverse a little to give yourself some room.
16. Turn right indicator on, check your side mirror and when safe slowly take off into the road.

3 point turn
For this you must not use a driveway which is silly. I've NEVER done a VICroads-esqe 3 point turn in day to day driving. Driveways FTW.

Anyway,
1. Left indicator on pull up as close as you can to the gutter. Choose a nice spot, like two opposite big gutter bits.
2. Right indicator on, look in side mirror AND IN FRONT OF YOU before you turn wheel all the way to the right and drive towards the gutter. Get as close as you can, however if you feel you already have plenty of room dont go stupid and smash into the gutter when trying to get close lol.
3. Car in reverse, look left and right (to make sure cars arent coming) and perhaps thru back window to make sure no one is walking behind the car.
4. Turn wheel all the way to left as you reverse until you have enough room.
5. Put car into drive and drive off.


General tips
-Whilst driving, continually observe what's going on around you. One of the main changes in the new test is that they make you change lanes often. Like "change to left lane" and as soon as you are in it they make you change to the right lane. If you know where the cars are behind you and to the side of you it will help you feel more confident when they are asking you to change lanes.
- Mirror. indicator, headcheck- use this method if you don't already know it.
- If it's unsafe to change lanes, dont change. You will fail if you nearly cause an accident.
-In school zones do not exceed 40 or you fail. Same goes for road work zones, stick to the speed limit. (stay below the limit by a little at all times to avoid the accidental creeping up of speed which leads to so many fails as my instructor used to tell me
- When turning into roads you must always have the CLOSEST lane to you and the lane next to it free when you turn. So a total of 2 lanes free. On two lane roads this means you must have both lanes free before you turn onto it. On a three lane road, only the two closest to you. (Im fairly sure this is correct but if anyone disagrees feel free to say so) ( If you dont understand this, I can explain it further)
-Make sure you know what all sorts of instructions mean.

[GerrySly]

-Whilst driving, continually observe what's going on around you. One of the main changes in the new test is that they make you change lanes often. Like "change to left lane" and as soon as you are in it they make you change to the right lane. If you know where the cars are behind you and to the side of you it will help you feel more confident when they are asking you to change lanes.

Wow really? I was only asked to "move to the left lane when safe" if I was about to turn from that lane. My instructor gave me the instruction mirror blinker headcheck before lane changing.

With the 3 point turn you can go up a driveway so use that to your advantage, that was one of the recent changes. The reverse parking allows up to 7 metres behind a car and they cannot give you less room than that so you can't park in between two cars ever. So use that to your advantage as well making sure you are completely straight before moving forward, you have 4 moves to make a reverse park before you lose a point and if you mount the curb you fail.

I did the test about a month ago so it's all fresh in my mind if you want some more tips, just let me know

[costargh]

Yeh with the lane changes I was in my left lane and was told to move to my right lane and then about 5 seconds later i was told to get back to my left lane and then turn left into this street about 5 seconds after that.


Yeh I've heard you can use a driveway for 3 point turn but meh, I felt more vicroadish doing it the other way lol

[happypuff]

My driving instructor has told me they don't mind if you religiously check every mirror/window possible before moving during a low speed manouvre.

I have test in a month whee will fail

[GerrySly]

My driving instructor has told me they don't mind if you religiously check every mirror/window possible before moving during a low speed manouvre.

Yeah my instructor said that if they are really anal, the last head check or mirror check needs to be the correct one, cause I was just going to head check both ways every time so I didn't forget but she said that might happen lol

[24lover]

with the 40speed limit in school zones - does this still apply when it's not during school hours?
cause my teacher was like "you can do 50 but during a test the tester tried to fail one of my other students because she did 50" -shit instuctor!

[costargh]

u only have to do 40 during the prescribed time. 2.30 till 4 or something i think. it will say on the signs leadin up to the school i think

[wallah11]

Do you have to have your instructor with you when you go for your license? I really don't like mine would prefer either mum  or dad.  The vic roads website is kinda vague about all this

[costargh]

You dont need your instructur. However you must ensure that you provide a test vehichle which satisfies all the requirements for the test. (eg. all lights work, your horn works, etc)

[kuya17]

Just remember, older pedestrians are worth more points...

[beezy4eva]

You're allowed to do a three point turn using a driveway in the test. As long as you don't cross 'property boundaries' (which is normally the edge of the footpath or nature strip in front of the property).

Get to know the area around where you'll be taking your test. Most instructors will take you on the actual courses that you will do on your test, so take the opportunity to check speed limits, turning mark thingys, road work areas, ect.

And make sure you know where the controls for everything is in the car. At the start the instructor will ask you to point out the demisters, handbrake, lights, indicators and windscreen wipers (might've been other things, can't remember).

Costarghs method for reverse parking is a good one, but it may not work in all cars, depending on size. If your using your or your instructors car for the test, you may want to practice and find your own 'markers' on it to use as guides in each step of the parking.

If your in a manual: Don't ride the clutch and keep your foot on the footrest when your not stopping or changing gears so they know your not doing it. Use your brakes moreso to slow and stop the car, rather than the gears. And if your in a hilly area, make sure you can do a handbrake start, as you lose points if you roll back at all.

[24lover]

beezy - sorry what's a "demister"? unfortunately I've never heard that term before...

two quick questions before my test tomorrow (eekkkk!):
1. when coming back to vicroads to finish the test and you have to park - this is still part of the test? cause the instructor only made me do it the other day and I haven't had enough practice...

2. with lane changes, i've heard a few different methods - indicate, head mirror, side mirror, headcheck or is it head mirror, side mirror, indicate, headcheck? i believe the first is correct.

Thanks everyone lol