Driving test nerves - any good solutions?

[Dan_Burrill]

I've just had my second attempt at my car test (having finally decided to join the 7 out of 10 of the population who're allowed to drive at the age of 31 and a bit), and failed due to 3 serious faults, all of which were caused by nerves. On my first test I only had 1 serious fault, but 17 minors, again nearly all related to nerves.

When driving with my instructor for the hour prior to my last test I was driving near-perfectly, and can regularly do so on lessons (I don't have access to a car or suitable accompanying driver for private practice at the moment).

So, other than the obvious (get a good night's sleep, get up early enough to have a decent breakfast, try to remain calm and focused on the task at hand), does anyone have any good recommendations for dealing with test nerves? (Preferably ones grounded in reality - I had somebody suggest Bach Flower Remedies, which are nothing more than water (even homeopaths look down on them as it's not water that's been given a good shake ).)

[ScoobyChris]

I don't think it's possible to overcome nerves completely but I think that being nervous shows you're taking it seriously and will help to keep you focussed. I try and deal with them with a good rest the night before and a lazy morning, avoiding anything doing or talking about anything related to the test.

What sort of faults are you hitting? Would more practice of those areas help? Could your instructor (or another instructor you don't know) run a simulated mock test to get you used to the pressure?

Good luck with your next test!

Chris

[ROG]

LGV trainees get the nerves as well

Cure - there ain't one

I cannot say "I know how you feel" because I never get test nerves for any sort of test/exam - I have a realistic, logical brain that says "If I know what to do, do it properly and if I don't know how to do it, it won't get done" - If the second case, then I will probably not go for it in the first place - maybe it's a confidence thing - Not much help am I

PS - I'm going to make millions if I can invent a cure for test nerves

[Lynne]

Hi Dan,

As Chris suggests, often driving with another instructor helps. An ADI friend and me regularly take each other's students out on mock tests if they keep failing due to nerves. It just gets you used to driving with someone else in the passenger seat.

Try commentary driving to yourself: 'Think out loud' if it helps you to stay focused. Often it's very quiet in the car as most examiners don't say much (and those that do will only do so if it doesn't distract you) the silence is unnerving for some people...simple 'talking out loud' to yourself will break the silence a bit.

If my students get to 3rd test I'm telling them I want to sit in the back to see what goes on. Is your ADI going out with you on test? If not, ask him/her to sit in. You may think it will make you feel more nervous having someone else in the car but a) he/she not a stranger and is only there observing and b) ALL OF MINE tell me afterwards they were so busy they forgot I was there!

It would be interesting to know what your faults are and if they are spread across or bunched up and the same erros showing through: they are obviously the ones that need working on.

Do you know when you've committed these faults? Are you thinking about them as soon as you've commited them? If so, you are not concentrating on what may happen next..you MUST forget them and concentrate on what's happening. Invariably some faults are not as bad as you think (I'm always told my mock tests are worse than the real thing!) I've sat in the back of lots of tests and often examiners are kinder than ADIs!! So....forget any errors you *think* you've made...stay focused on what is/may happen as it may not be as bad as you think.

Personally when I have ever gone to test 3 times (and my L test was one of them) I was so cross with myself the nerves had gone (2nd test is always the worst one with me). By the 3rd time I've distanced myself from it, given myself a good talking to and told myself to 'just get on and do it'.

So there is most of the pep talk I give to my students..good luck and let us know how you get on.

Lynne

PS keep test date quiet and try not to let too many people know...if takes the pressure off you too...

[verty]

I know this thread is two weeks old but I'm replying here because this thread has a good title, so searchers will find it. I'll frame it as a reply though.

I recently passed my LGV training test and in my experience the best thing you can do is to show the examiner that you take what you are doing seriously. I'll tell you about what happened to me on my test.

I went through a roundabout a little fast and didn't get properly in the correct lane. It was sloppy and I was very disappointed. I knew the examiner had marked me down for that. Shortly after that I came to another roundabout and was determined not to mess up, to show the examiner that I wouldn't make the same mistake. I concentrated so hard on checking the mirrors, indicating, selecting the correct lane that I missed the exit!

I had made that mistake because I was angry at what happened before, it meant I hadn't looked at the sign showing where the exits were because I was fretting. I knew I was turning left but it was an acute turn and I missed it.

I knew that a roundabout is not the place to go to pieces and I knew that if I did that, the examiner would look to fail me. So I took a deep breath and went round the roundabout, not thinking about the examiner but concentrating only the road and what I was doing. I only looked at him again when I had left the roundabout, but thankfully he seemed relaxed at that point.

Everyone makes mistakes but if you can handle yourself when the mistakes happen, the examiner will probably be on your side. For me it helped to ignore the examiner and focus only on what I was doing, at least when it really mattered.

As it happened, I was pleased with how I handled that and was consequently more relaxed, and the rest of the drive was better.

So my advice is that when you find yourself in a sticky situation, the best thing you can do is to get on with what you're doing, and forget about pleasing the examiner or anything like that. Just drive the car/truck and you'll probably be fine.

[7db]

Stop caring. The examiner isn't there to test you or rate you. He is there to pass you. You're just another job to him. Be another drive.

It can be amazingly disconcerting to have a critical assessor sit with you on a drive (Porker was recently with me on a drive where my standard fell apart).

It's a complete mind-job. Give not one sh!t about the person next to you and get on with a businesslike drive.

If it helps, then resort to the old trick of public speakers and imagine your examiner naked. Something which helped distract me enormously on my test as mine was a pretty blonde lady who put her head nearly in my lap in the first minute of the test.

[jasonh]

Hope it doesn't sound too patronising but nerves are never the sole cause of a mistake, so look at the errors you made and make sure you are practised in those areas.

[Why_Aye]

As a musician, I have in the past done research into stage fright - also known as performance anxiety. Like the book "Mind Driving", performance anxiety can apply to most things rather than simply the subject around which it was written - and so I can recommend reading this site as an excellent introduction about performance anxiety. Just re-word it into terms of driving and it makes excellent sense - particularly the first 'golden rule' about being well practiced. If you are not well practiced you are more likely to become nervous and therefore perform less well and therefore get more nervous - and so on. This is a typical downward spiral!

Anyhow, this website is far better than my drivel, so have a read if you wish.