The driving test, like any other exam or assessment, can be stressful. Many hours of practice and considerable expense has gone into preparing for this test, it’s a big day and we want to get the best results from it. It’s easy to put ourselves under unnecessary pressure as we obviously don’t want to come away with anything other than a pass.
Over the years, I’ve given my drivers lots of advice on how to manage the natural nerves that will be there on test day. First of all it’s completely pointless me advising anybody to simply “stay calm”. Adrenalin will be rushing around the body and we need to manage this to our best advantage. It’s best to think “I’m excited” rather than “I’m nervous”.
Of course, your driveJohnson’s instructor will have given you a good idea of the test process and how the examiner work. Try not to worry too much about things like, “Which manoeuvre will I be asked to do? Where will they take me? Which test route will we take? Which complex junctions will I be asked to do?”
Try to remember that you’ve done the hours of preparation work and it’s rather like going to a cash point – you’ve put the money in the bank and now it’s time to put your card in and withdraw your savings.
When the nerves kick in, start by taking 3-4 long, slow breaths and exhale for as long as it took you to inhale. Shallow breathing and hyperventilating only help to make nerves worse, so slow it down.
If you get the leg wobbles, try to slow your body movements down by around 50%, particularly the left side which will be operating the clutch pedal and the gears. A nice, smooth drive will help to settle you.
Try not to see the test process as a huge 40-minute long task, instead, take each small piece of work as the examiner gives it to you. For example, when the examiner asks you to “move off when you’re ready”, think about everything you know about moving off from the road side or a parked position safely.
When they say, “take the next road on the left”, don’t worry about what is around the corner because we’re not there yet and you’ll deal with that when you are! Instead, think about everything you know about making a left turn safely and under full control.
“At the end of the road, turn right.” Again, don’t worry about what’s to come, concentrate on your safe right-hand turn at the T-junction.
If you can keep this process going for the 40 minutes, before you know it, you’ll be back at the test centre and the test will be complete.
Lastly, try to remember that the examiner is not looking for or expecting absolute perfection. Examiners are used to assessing very young drivers, often 17-year-olds, and they realise you’ve only been driving for a couple of hours a week with an instructor helping you. They are looking for a basic level of safety and competence, not 20 years of experience. They know that you will be nervous and they’ll take this into account when assessing minor errors. They will also look at how you recover from any minor mistakes that you might make so it’s important to relax and not fall apart when something slips away or goes wrong.
Your instructor should give you the opportunity to do some mock tests. Feel free to ask your instructor if you feel you’re ready to have a go at one. Remember, you’ve put the hard work in and now it’s time to show the examiner what you’ve been practising.
