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Sooo I took the learners permit test.

I failed. I got 12 out of 20 questions right. Partly because half of the questions made no sense. For example: "how many feet can a object being towed by a vehicle be in length before you must to put a red flag on it?"

Whaaat? I thought this test was to see how wide my knowledge of the core principles of driving were? You know, I was expecting to be asked questions about turn signals, traffic lights, and such.

Other questions that left me stumped where ones about child restraints and fines for DWI, plus lots of other really obscure questions. Pretty frustrating, as I had just studied up on the basic stuff that is applicable to beginner drivers.



Ah well, at least I can take it again, and I know what to expect this time.

_Tim?

P.S. Sorry for the rant, chaps!

Some_Call_Me_Tim? wrote:Sooo I took the learners permit test.

I failed. I got 12 out of 20 questions right. Partly because half of the questions made no sense. For example: "how many feet can a object being towed by a vehicle be in length before you must to put a red flag on it?"

Whaaat? I thought this test was to see how wide my knowledge of the core principles of driving were? You know, I was expecting to be asked questions about turn signals, traffic lights, and such.

Other questions that left me stumped where ones about child restraints and fines for DWI, plus lots of other really obscure questions. Pretty frustrating, as I had just studied up on the basic stuff that is applicable to beginner drivers.



Ah well, at least I can take it again, and I know what to expect this time.

_Tim?

P.S. Sorry for the rant, chaps!

Don't worry I failed my first time as well, in fact I still have to go a second time and pass it.

Ouch that sucks. And that does seem pretty odd, when I took my learners test uh.....12 years ago, I remember it was pretty basic. Im talking, red means stop, green means go, yellow means? Stuff like that

Don't worry I was removed out of the car afterwards. Apparently, i was so bad it made the girls in my car seem like gods of driving.

BTW Don't worry most of us failed. Except I failed worse than others. Though afterwards after what the teacher called me I felt like giving him a good blow to the face with my brass knuckles

Aren't you given any advice on what to study beforehand? Seems very strange to expect someone to learn and memorise every single aspect of driving down to the favourite colour of the second guy who worked on creating the third bolt to the left on the leather seats in the sports version of the most recent Land Rover.

KingCracker wrote:Ouch that sucks. And that does seem pretty odd, when I took my learners test uh.....12 years ago, I remember it was pretty basic. Im talking, red means stop, green means go, yellow means? Stuff like that

Yeah, that is what everyone around your age is saying, when the subject of the test is brought up. Just goes to show, the youth of today aren't stupid (we just act like it, LOL!).

Thanks for the words, guys!


_Tim?

i passed my 1st time..with a 70.

i have driven,but i dont like it and dont feel im ready for open roads,yet my dad keeps making me. because of this i am slowly forming driving-phobia.......for some reason i just cant remember all those rules,whats happening around me,and my dads instructions all at once. :/

Avatar 720 wrote:Aren't you given any advice on what to study beforehand? Seems very strange to expect someone to learn and memorise every single aspect of driving down to the favourite colour of the second guy who worked on creating the third bolt to the left on the leather seats in the sports version of the most recent Land Rover.

Nope, I wasn't given any prepping..I just sorta found myself shunted into a re-purposed court room, sat down in a rickety wooden chair that squeaked so loud whenever I moved that the State Trooper administering the tests glared at my every time I moved, and given the test+an ancient pencil.

Avatar 720 wrote:Aren't you given any advice on what to study beforehand? Seems very strange to expect someone to learn and memorise every single aspect of driving down to the favourite colour of the second guy who worked on creating the third bolt to the left on the leather seats in the sports version of the most recent Land Rover.

I'd say green... he seems like a green kind of guy.

My driving test had questions like "What color is a stop sign" and "Is it safe to drink and drive".

Seems that the questions are more obscure than the UK test. The theory when I did it some years ago was a set of 50 questions, most of which were straight forward if you're read the Highway Code, and that was followed by the "hazard perception test".

This is where you get shown a couple of videos filmed inside a driving car and you press a button when you see a hazard. You score depending in the number of hazards and how early you spot them. But get penalised for over using the button. A lot of people get unstuck over this part and fail. My parents tried a practice DVD and struggled, yet have both been driving safely for 30+ years.

Anyway I passed the theory and proper test first time, but I won't pretend it isn't tricky.

I'm told the hazard perception test is really quite subjective, and relies on everyone having pretty much the same opnion of what a 'hazard' is, that the DSA has.

Makes it sound pretty damn tricky and almost created in order to fail people.

I got full marks in my question section of the theory test, but only just passed the hazard section. Usually because I pressed the button too early because you see someone walk behind a van, so you press the button because you can be sure they are going to be a fricking idiot and walk out in front of you without looking, but apparently you have to wait until they are rolling over the roof having left a big red streak up your window before you press the button

But yeah - here in the UK you usually get more common sense and "I've read the highway code book so I can take a good stab at it/I know the answer" kind of questions. At least, that was how it was about (thinks) 7-8 years ago

If you're old like me, you didn't even have to a do a theory test.

Avatar 720 wrote:Makes it sound pretty damn tricky and almost created in order to fail people.

If you are learning to drive, get one of the DVD practice tests - they really let you get to grips with how to be crap at recognising hazards... erm... sorry, I mean in how to drive properly

You basically press whenever you see something that would make you change your driving (break, swerve, speed up to get bonus style points, etc)... from what I remember most clips have 1 hazard, and one or two of them have 2 hazards.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Flashman wrote:If you're old like me, you didn't even have to a do a theory test.

You just had to try not to run over the guy walking in front with the red flag

Anything to change your driving... I see other road users, I change my driving to instantly assume i'm the only sane person on the road, by pulling over, getting out, and waiting until all is clear.

Avatar 720 wrote:I'm told the hazard perception test is really quite subjective, and relies on everyone having pretty much the same opnion of what a 'hazard' is, that the DSA has.

Makes it sound pretty damn tricky and almost created in order to fail people.

Yeah, it's quite unrealistic in many ways, it's not fair to reality. For instance, when you drive in a built up area you are far more attentive, you are always ready to step on the brake. It's not like hazards suddenly appear out of the blue, you are always ready for someone to step out from behind a car or for a car to shoot out of a junction. You expect the unexpected then, unlike on wide open roads where if someone swerves across the carriageway into your path it's a very sudden and instant hazard.

Funny fact, I know several of the places that appear on the offical driving test clips because they are in villages about 10 miles away.

Some_Call_Me_Tim? wrote:Sooo I took the learners permit test.

I failed. I got 12 out of 20 questions right. Partly because half of the questions made no sense. For example: "how many feet can a object being towed by a vehicle be in length before you must to put a red flag on it?"

Whaaat? I thought this test was to see how wide my knowledge of the core principles of driving were? You know, I was expecting to be asked questions about turn signals, traffic lights, and such.

Other questions that left me stumped where ones about child restraints and fines for DWI, plus lots of other really obscure questions. Pretty frustrating, as I had just studied up on the basic stuff that is applicable to beginner drivers.

Failed my first time on the permit test...went back and retook it five minutes later...passed...

I got the same question, the one about the flag and the towing...sincerely did not understand that one...got no clue why I would need to know that...

I dunno whats up with all these obscure driver's questions, I figured getting your permit was a "just the basics" sort of deal anyway...

SilverMK2 wrote:I got full marks in my question section of the theory test, but only just passed the hazard section. Usually because I pressed the button too early because you see someone walk behind a van, so you press the button because you can be sure they are going to be a fricking idiot and walk out in front of you without looking, but apparently you have to wait until they are rolling over the roof having left a big red streak up your window before you press the button

Hahah Mate I had the exact same experience on my Hazzard perception, I'd notice the Hazard a mile off but that was too early for the system to handle

Flashman wrote:If you're old like me, you didn't even have to a do a theory test.

They introduced the theory test literally a couple of months before my 17th birthday (when you are allowed to take your driving test here in the UK), so I ended up being one of the first load of people through it. Of course, because it was new and shiny, it was an absolute doddle - I expect they have tightened it up somewhat. They introduced the hazard test some time later; I remember having to sit it when I was taking my HGV tests in the army and that was some 5 or 6 years after passing my driving test.

I was quite old when I got my license (30 I think?) so had to the the Theory and Hazard tests.

Theory was a breeze; a multiple choice test with the answers in a book you have before hand. Whats the point, I mean really?

The Hazard test though, man that was tricky and actually practiced this allot before hand. I'm used to the ridiculous levels of H&S on construction sites and so when asked to identify hazards when doing practice tests I was tapping away like I was playing Daley Thompsons Decathlon. I really had to try hard to hold back on the button pressing so as not to fail. Fortunately this worked and I passed, the actual driving test well thats another story (or three as it turned into......grumble......grumble).

Some_Call_Me_Tim? wrote:

Avatar 720 wrote:Aren't you given any advice on what to study beforehand? Seems very strange to expect someone to learn and memorise every single aspect of driving down to the favourite colour of the second guy who worked on creating the third bolt to the left on the leather seats in the sports version of the most recent Land Rover.

Nope, I wasn't given any prepping..I just sorta found myself shunted into a re-purposed court room, sat down in a rickety wooden chair that squeaked so loud whenever I moved that the State Trooper administering the tests glared at my every time I moved, and given the test+an ancient pencil.

My high school had an after-school Drivers-Ed program to give students a chance to practice driving with an instructor and it included class room teaching. In fact, I'm pretty sure most schools have them. Did you not attend?

Did you at least get a driver's ed book to read? Some states have them for free. As you said, now you're prepared for it.

I got a few off-the-wall questions, too. There were at least 2 signs on the test that I don't recall having ever seen.

Good luck for next time.

I have a licence for diggers up to 15 tonnes, dumpers up to 750kg

I can drive like a god, but I don't have a licence because I can't afford the REQUIRED driving lessons.

lord commissar klimino wrote:i passed my 1st time..with a 70.

i have driven,but i dont like it and dont feel im ready for open roads,yet my dad keeps making me. because of this i am slowly forming driving-phobia.......for some reason i just cant remember all those rules,whats happening around me,and my dads instructions all at once. :/

You passed your test? That makes me feel old, I would be working on my tests, but I use a motorbike already, it is much safer IMO.

me no like driving. (It is actually pretty dangerous to drive a car, bur a motorcycle you can jump off of)

And driving a Motorcycle offroads is soo-ooo rewarding. (Especially when you have miles of plains and almost no cars going down your road)

Some_Call_Me_Tim? wrote:

KingCracker wrote:Ouch that sucks. And that does seem pretty odd, when I took my learners test uh.....12 years ago, I remember it was pretty basic. Im talking, red means stop, green means go, yellow means? Stuff like that

Yeah, that is what everyone around your age is saying, when the subject of the test is brought up. Just goes to show, the youth of today aren't stupid (we just act like it, LOL!).

Thanks for the words, guys!


_Tim?

Its funny though, I notice a HUGE difference from when I was in school, to what my son brings home. He just finished Kindergarten and is about to go into 1st grade, and I swear he would bring home 1st grade home work....from Kindergarten. I seem to remember little more then learning the alphabet, writing my name, and eating cookies. He didnt even get a cookie time

I remember learning the alphabet, writing my name, fun projects, 'nap time' (Wat.) talking about blood poisoning with my 'nerd friends' and learning the numbers from 1 to 100

I don't remember anything that occured prior to the age of 10, save for a few scarce snippets of stuff.

That isnt normal. I have a bad memory, but even I remember stuff from around 3ish

my earliest memory was at age 2, I had heard that hitler was a bad guy, and my idea of 'bad' was to be put in time-out for demolishing a toaster. so I said to my mom when she put me in time out for demolishing a toaster: 'You're just like Hitler!'

In a 2 year old voice.

Godwinning arguments since the age of 2.