Passing your driving test is a major milestone in your life, and can be quite pivotal in your life choices for education, employment or whatever motivated you to learn to drive in the first place. Because of this, a lot of people become increasingly nervous and anxious on the days leading up to their driving test and more so on test day itself. Hopefully this article will provide some techniques on how to manage your nerves so they don’t get in the way of your drive on test day.
It’s important to recognise that nerves are a part of human nature and we all experience nerves in some form or other. These are not always a bad thing. Research has shown that athletes who experienced some nervousness actually displayed improved performance while participating in competitive sports. The challenge is to make sure the nerves we feel don’t consume us to the point where we can no longer function – in your case being able to drive correctly during your driving test. Nerves, if identified and managed correctly, can help keep you motivated and enthused.
Nervousness often comes from the fear of the unknown, and no-one likes surprises when driving as these could change the decisions we make in the car. You obviously cannot always predict what other road users are going to do, even if you read their body language on the road. However, you can give yourself a fighting chance by having lessons before your test at the same time of day as your test time to gain an understanding on the type of road users you are dealing with (school traffic, commuters etc). It’s also really useful if your lesson starts and finishes from near the test centre, so you know the road conditions and layout to expect.
Hopefully by the time you take your test, your instructor would have conducted a mock test with you. This is normally a very different drive to your normal lesson – all the decisions are on you, there is no general chat and all you have is your instructor giving you directions. Even though this is just a mock test, a lot of pupils get really nervous during this, so if you can cope with this, your test will be a breeze. This is a good opportunity for instructors to identify trends in your drive that are sometimes missed during lessons, e.g. observations and decisions around other road users etc.
Your instructor might also suggest a different instructor conducts a mock test for you to mimic real-life conditions. It’s your choice if you do this or not and don’t be afraid to suggest this to your instructor if it’s not offered. Whatever the result of your mock test is, use this as a learning exercise and don’t worry about the result. Use it to see how your nerves might affect you so that you can discuss some coping techniques for dealing with your nerves with your instructor.
On the day of your driving test, make sure you get up early enough so you’re not rushing round getting ready, eat well and don’t drink too much. Our body’s reaction to stress can increase our need to visit the toilet, so don’t add to that more than necessary. Also, wear clothes (especially footwear) that you are comfortable in. A lot of my pupils wear the same shoes for their test as they wore in their lessons, so that the feeling of the pedals is familiar.
If you need to, try and do something before your test that you know will help you calm down – this could be listening to music, reading, going for a walk, breathing techniques, etc. Your driving test is not something you can revise for, unlike your theory test, so try not to over-analyse what’s going to happen during your test. If needed, drink or eat something that you know helps calm nerves. Alternatively, consider an over-the-counter calming medication but read the precautions carefully as some medication makes people sleepy. A lot of my pupils treat the day of their driving test as a normal day and continue with their usual daily routine both before and after their test. You know yourself better than anyone else, so do whatever you need to get yourself in a calm place before your test.
If it’s not offered, ask for an hours’ lesson before your driving test. This will provide an opportunity to warm-up before your test, get rid of any nerves or doubts you might have and allow your instructor to address and last-minute panics or concerns. It’s also an opportunity to do last-minute practice on anything you’re not sure on. Your instructor will give as much help and guidance as they can. They want you to do well and pass your test, and they will do all they can to make this happen.
The important thing to remember is that the examiner also wants you to pass your test. Despite what others may tell you, there are no quotas on test passes in any given day, week or month etc. If you drive at test standard, you will pass your test. The test is marked negatively i.e. if you make a mistake, you get a fault. You are allowed to have 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults. Therefore, before your test even starts you’ve technically passed and your driving behaviour will either maintain that pass or result in a fail.
Listen to your examiner. Whenever they ask you to do your manoeuvre, the show me question or to pull away from the side of the road, they always finish with “whenever you’re ready” or “whenever it’s safe to do so”. Think about what you’re going to do before committing to it rather than rushing it, and just do it when you are ready and when it is safe.
Examiners will help as much as they can without giving too much away. If you can’t remember an instruction (forgetting which exit at a roundabout to take is common), don’t be afraid to ask for confirmation. All the examiner will do is repeat the instruction and they might even count the exits for you to help make the right decision. If you do make a genuine mistake and miss the exit, as long as what you do is safe and you don’t confuse other road users with incorrect signalling etc, don’t worry about it or assume you’ve failed. Focus on what’s ahead of you and the decision you need to make, rather than the last decision you made. The time for reflection will be when your test has finished and not while driving.
Remember that you are under test conditions until the moment the car is parked in the test centre car park and your examiner says, “that’s the end of the test, please turn off your engine”. Up until then, keep 100% focus on what you are doing and drive as well as you can. If you feel your nerves getting the better of you on test, you may try some deep breathing or positive imagery and positive self-talk to regain your composure. If you are really struggling, don’t be afraid to ask the examiner if you can pull over for a minute or two to relax. They would rather you do so that your test can continue safely.
