10 Points to Passing Your Road Test

It can be one of the most nerve-wracking events of your life. Just imagine, you've spent hundreds of $$, its taken weeks of your time, you've driven(literally) your family crazy and now it all boils down to this - the next hour will see you pass or fail your road test. Talk about pressure! But it doesn't have to be like this - like most things in life if you fail to plan..you plan to fail.

So, with the benefit of proper planning, there are things that you can keep in mind that will make your driving test go more smoothly.

10 Points To Success

1. Check Turn Indicators, Brake Lights and Headlights! These will be tested before you even leave the parking lot for your road test - you dont want to fail before you even hit the road!

2. Make sure you have any paperwork that must be turned in, and take your learner's permit with you.

3. Travel to the testing location with a licensed driver. If, for any reason you get say, rescheduled - how will you get home?

4. Get to the testing location on time. This is a biggie! Most license bureaus are quite crowded and there are sometimes long waits beyond your appointed time. Of course, it can work the other way too - an unexpected slot can come up and you could have the chance to get the whole thing over and done without the nerves building up sitting around waiting!

5. Do I even need to say the next one - turn your cell phone off - or better still leave it at home!! The middle of your road test is not a good time to receive a phone call - many students have been failed for answering a call at an 'inappropriate time'.

6. Try to relax with your examiner. Be friendly, but let him do most of the talking. Remember, he does not know you, and he is about to go into traffic not knowing if you can drive safely or not. He may be as nervous as you are!

7. Listen to your examiner carefully. He will not ask you to do any maneuvers you haven't already become familiar with in your driving manual. Hopefully you'll have studied it and practiced a great deal. If you are unsure what it is he wants you to do, ask for clarification. He would rather you understand his request than have you do something wrong, or dangerous.

8. Keep your eyes on the road as much as possible when you are driving. Do the same with your rear-view mirrors. Your examiner needs to know that you are aware of the traffic around you.

9.Check your speedometer often but briefly - never, ever break the speed limit - this is almost always an instant fail!

10. Work on your weak spots. For example if you have trouble parking then practice parallel parking every chance you get until it becomes second nature to you. Remember the rules for three- or four-way stops. Go to a location where you can practice these, but remember to watch out for other drivers - you may have more driving skills than they do!

Finally, and most important

Stay calm and trust the examiner. If you have practiced your driving sufficiently and you know the rules well, you'll have no trouble passing the driving portion of your test.