What follow below are some tips for reducing your stress levels on your driving test.
Before the test.
1. Make sure you are ready.
This means you can drive without prompting from your instructor and that you feel you will be able to cope on your own. This is the most important tip.
A driving test date can be changed 3 working days before the test up to 6 times.
2. Know what to expect on the day.
Check out GOV.UK The car practical driving test.
3. Have a realistic mock test with your instructor.
The patient friendly driving instructor can be very different from a formal examiner.
4. Don’t tell everyone.
The less people that know, the less the pressure on you.
5. Make sure you have your licence and theory test pass letter ready before the test.
No last minute panics looking for your documents.
6. Make sure you are physically fit.
Being ill, rundown, tired or hung over from the night before are not good for ordinary driving, could be illegal. And not were you want to be for a driving test.
7. Make sure you are mentally fit.
Closely tied in with your physical fitness, you need to make sure you are in the right frame of mind.
8. Get a good nights sleep.
To be rested in body and mind will give you a better chance.
Once again remember a driving test date can be changed 3 working days before the test. This can be done a total of up to 6 times. To take a test that you are not ready for is a waste of time, money and effort. Make sure you are there to pass.
On the day of the test.
1. Be up in good time and washed and brushed ready.
Be rested and in comfortable clothes with your driving shoes.
2. Be fed and watered in good time.
If it is good enough for horses it is good enough for you. It is important to be properly hydrated, so take a small bottle of water with you.
3. Make sure you have your licence and theory test pass letter with you.
Have this ready the night before and keep in a safe place.
At the test centre.
1. Make sure you are there in good time.
Rushing is not good for your stress levels.
2. Chew gum.
It is well documented that this is an effective way of reducing stress. Watch the athletes before a race.
3. Shake off stress.
Loosening up helps. As with chewing gum look at athletes before a competition. People shake after a stressful experience. You too can shake off stress just like an athlete.
4. Breath deeply.
In through your nose and down to your stomach, hold, then breath out through your mouth longer than you breathed in empting your stomach.
On your test.
1. Do your normal drive.
You have been trained to drive safely. Do what you have been trained to do.
2. Safe not perfect.
Remember that nobody is perfect, but you can be safe.
3. Don’t get annoyed.
Forgive yourself if it is not perfect. Lots of people will tell you they made a mistake on test, thought they had failed, drove normally after that and went on to pass.
4. Think about what you should be doing.
Always go with the positive. Use the system MSPSL. If you do not know what MSPSL is you are not ready.
5. Use your own coping strategies.
These are personal to you and could be anything.
Externally focused on the examiner.
You might imagine them naked or sat on the toilet. You could see them in your minds eye wearing a nappy with a big dummy in their mouth.
Internally focusing on yourself.
You could pretend you have already passed and you are taking your dad home. Possibly you could imagine you are the one examining the examiner.
The list is endless, you choose what is best or works for you.
At the end of the day the biggest tip is to make sure you are ready to pass. This means you can drive safely with a little bit of confidence without any prompting from your instructor.
