Not a happy bunny at all, I failed my class 1 today.
Not on anything big, like reversing, or Coupling, or judging corners, none of the stuff you would expect, but on roundabouts.
One roundabout I stayed in the left lane to go right, another I indicated right when going straight on, and a third I didn’t indicate off.
I’m so peed off with myself, they were all stupid mistakes, that shouldn’t have been made. I should have a class 1 license now, if i wasn’t such an idiot.
Chin up mate. It happens. I failed my class 1 first time as well. A whole 30 seconds out the test centre!
You’ll get it next time. As Peter said it sounds like nerves got the better of you.
Look at it this way,some people believe the best drivers fail their test first time!
No, No, No Sir… You didnt fail…You have just paid for the experience of doing a class 1 test…You have paid for the pre test driving,All you have lost is £155, Thats it…Just think of it as £155 to get the experience of doing a test…The next time you will pizz it because it isnt new any more…You have been through it before so its easier…Its just a couple of days at work…Or one day ( depending where you live) Was it wag and drag of a bendy ?
You didn’t fail anything, you had deferred succes, it took me three times to pass due to nerves,a give way junction with the paint markings worn away was one that got me, I did not realise I had gone over a give way.
Next time you will pass as had the test experience, which is not pleasant.
Beating heart, sweaty hands and a dry mouth, plus nausea .
Hi Guys, thanks for the moral support, that’s really cool of you. Although I still feel stupid.
I’ve elected to have another 2 days training and my test on the 3rd day, so spent another £900. But hopefully I can get things nto in stone in my head, but maybe going off concrete.
It was bendy (lol, love that ), as I wanted to learn in hopefully what I would actually be driving. It was also a manual as well, 4 over 4.
As long as I can get booked in before 13th of Feb, as I’ve got a Month of solid work then, so would have to wait until after if not, which wouldn’t be good.
mrjmegson:
Have you got any tips for having fun with it? I find I am nervous through my lessons as well though.
Jay
Its down to a mindset
I simply said to myself that either I am capable or I am not so I might just as well enjoy it then sort the result issue at the end
Jay - I think Rog sums the concept up very elegantly above - make it as simplistic a process for you to go with as possible.
The test will happen and there will be a result at the end.
You can clearly influence some of what happens, but not everything - even the best, most skilled driver with years of experience could re-take the test and fail because of a situation caused by somebody/thing else. But he would have confidence going in, knowing that he has his ‘learned skills’ and also experience to hopefully overcome those situations - exactly as he does every day when he goes out to work.
In addition I believe that most people feel more comfortable entering a test situation when they are well prepared - and actually believe that themselves.
Maybe it was just a tad too early on this first test to have gained that real, inner confidence where you can walk in, stick your chest out, take a deep breath and even though nervous (like everyone should be!) do ‘a job’ and pass.
It is a great response you have taken by booking that extra bit of tuition - I would be very surprised if that did not end up with you feeling far more ‘mentally’ resilient heading into the test. And no matter what, you will be a better, more developed driver afterwards.
Finally, and please indulge me in a last thought - and it comes from the way you started this post.
Do not dwell on what could have been and beat yourself up. If a situation comes up in the test where you think you might have made a mistake or could have dealt with something differently - do NOT dwell on it. Just carry on and quickly promise you won’t let that happen again. The number of times I have heard the story that, ‘I thought I did X,Y or Z wrong and got flustered/angry/upset and at THAT point actually made the major error that failed me.’ Rather than just accepting a small glitch and carrying on without thinking ‘I’ve failed already, so what’s the point?’
Please accept my genuine best wishes going into your next test.
I hope to be doing the same shortly (so the shoe will be on the other foot ) - but experience in other fields has hopefully stood me in better stead for the upcoming ‘challenge’.
Thanks for your really great reply, you and everyone else are totally right in what you are saying.
I really am hoping that the extra tuition makes the difference. I definitely didn’t feel I was ready when I went in, as I think 16h of tuition to drive these huge things is pretty crazy. Although saying that, it was really starting to come together by the end. It’s a shame I didn’t have the extra in the first place.
Fingers crossed, and the best of luck to you too Jon.
Another tip is try to engage the examiner into conversation,when I took my class 1 it was early morning and he asked me what I had planned for the rest of the day just as we were setting off,I told him I was off to play golf and by sheer coincidence he was a big golf fan so we pretty much chatted none stop all the way round about golf even to the point where he admitted near the end that he nearly forgot I was on test,friendly chit chat may allow you a few mistakes to go unnoticed because he will see that your comfortable driving the vehicle so much so you can hold a conversation with the examiner who is probably bored out of his tree sitting in near silence all day.
When I did my class 1, I had the pressure of two examiners in my cab. The chief examiner decided that my driving test would be a good time to do his yearly assessment of my examiner to make sure he was marking right, so he was unofficially marking me too to make sure their scores tallied. He did ask my permission first though.
Luckily, my examiner was a chatty bloke who really put me at my ease, and the chief kept his head down so I was hardly aware of him most of the time. Except that is at roundabouts. Then, while anxiously waiting and trying to find that safe gap to enter, I could see two heads watching me like a hawk each time. Somehow, I managed to keep my nerve and passed with no minors. The chatty examiner certainly helped matters.
Try and view it as a ‘challenge’. If you say to yourself mentally " I passed class 2 so I know I am a professional LGV driver-lets try and see how ACCURATE I am at driving the bendys and see if I can actually IMPRESS the examiner. This way if you don’t feel your drive was as good as it could have been,you probably will still have passed anyway. Its all about belief in yourself mate. As the OP says,you are paying for test experience-if you pass it,its a bonus!!
Good luck next time,im sure you will pass(got my class 1 test soon too!!)
The pass rate isn’t much more than 50%, and of those who pass many will be on their second (or more) attempt, so I suspect you are probably in the majority. That makes you perfectly normal.
Now you have experience behind you your mind will not be so phased by the next test, so you will settle into it more easily I expect. What’s the worst that can happen? You fail again and it costs you another wad of cash - annoying, yes, but it is far from the end of the world.
And remember this…you are already much further advanced than the great majority of drivers out there who have never even been in a truck, let alone a bendy one. It is a tricky business that most people are too scared to even contemplate, but you are only one step short of being a fully qualified professional Class 1 driver.
Chin up, relax and go again. You know you’re capable, you just need a bit of luck on your side next time.
As for the examiners, I’d suggest you concentrate on your driving and not trying to buddy up to them. If they want to talk then they will, but bear in mind that they know you’re terrified and concentrating like you have never done before, so perhaps their silence is out of courtesy to you.
I remember my Class 1 examiner - Bill was his name. Most of the test was carried out in silence, but when we got to a long straight stretch of wide A road he suddenly asked “So tell me, are you always this talkative?”. Obviously he had waited until it was safe to engage in conversation, and it was such a lovely opener that I burst out laughing and we had a quick chat before returning to concentrate for the next roundabout. So some of them are human…
) - but experience in other fields has hopefully stood me in better stead for the upcoming ‘challenge’.