Taking a driving test can be a nerve wracking experience for even the most competent student. It is a Driving Instructor’s job to make sure their students are well prepared by the time the big day rolls around. Here are a few tips on how to give your student the best chance of achieving a first time pass.
Timing
You may think that this is stating the obvious, but being on time is extremely important when it comes to your student’s driving test. Being on time does not mean arriving a few minutes before the scheduled start of the test; you should aim to get your student to the test centre at least thirty minutes beforehand. The test time my well be on a different day or at a different time to the student’s regular lesson with you – make sure you take bad weather, traffic and road closures into consideration when making the journey from the student’s house to the test centre. The additional anxiety of running late or arriving with only minutes to spare can start your student off on the wrong foot from the word go.
Documents
Taking your driving test is not simply a matter of turning up at the test centre and jumping into a car with the examiner. As with most things in life, there is paperwork to be filled out and documents to be presented. The last thing your student needs is to be scrabbling around looking for documents or filling in paperwork when they should be gathering their thoughts before the test starts. Be sure to complete all paperwork with your student in advance of the day and ensure that they have all the necessary documents with them on the morning if the test BEFORE you begin the journey to the test centre.
Mock Test
It is often said that fear of the unknown is worse than fear of that which is known. One way of combating your student’s worries about what their test might entail is to carry out one or more ‘mock exams’ prior to test day. This involves conducting lesson under test conditions and addressing your student with the same questions and instructions as they are likely to face from the examiner on the day of their test. It may also be the case that your student lives some distance from the test centre and thus your lessons do not often involve driving on roads in the immediate vicinity. If this is the case, make the effort to take your student to drive on the roads around the test centre in the weeks leading up-to their test.
The Small Stuff
It may sound silly but it is a good idea to make sure your student knows how to operate all of the controls in the car; not just those which are required to drive the vehicle. There is no accounting for the British weather and thus it is important to make sure your student knows how to operate the heating and fan controls in the event that the windscreen becomes steamed up prior to or during the exam.
Confidence
The final tip that can help your student pass their test is to make sure they are confident and remain positive throughout. Your student should not be afraid to ask the examiner to repeat themselves if necessary ad whatever happens, they should never assume they have failed their driving test before it is finished. There are very few learner drivers that pass their driving test without making even the slightest mistake; it is important to make sure your student continues trying their best right until the very end. A mistake that they consider to have been a major error may not be so in the mind of their examiner!
Do you have what it takes to become a Driving Instructor? If you are looking for job satisfaction, flexible working hours and the opportunity to be your own boss then a career as a Driving Instructor might just be for you. To find out more about how to make this career a change a reality, head over to
myfourwheels.co.uk today and take your first steps on the road to becoming a driving instructor!
