Driving test route and lessons

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neha9
neha9 Posts: 6 Forumite
in Motoring
Hi All,

i am taking my driving lessons and in total have taken around 30 lessons with the current instructor and 8 lessons with my previous instructor. My concern is i have my test booked at garretts green and i m not familiar neither with the test centre or the test routes. My instructor doesn't want me to practice at the test routes as she thinks it is important to be able to drive on new roads and not just test routes. We already had so many lessons on 2 to 3 routes near my house but nothing at the test centre routes. the other day she took my mock test and i failed because it was a totally new road. She wants me to take more 15 lessons. I have asked her to take me to the test routes for the last few lessons but she refused.

I have my test booked on nov 3rd.

Any reviews would be helpfull.
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Comments

  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
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    I think your instructor is right, if you can only drive on roads that you are familiar with you're not ready to have a full licence.
  • neha9
    neha9 Posts: 6 Forumite
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    Yes, i agree practicing on new roads, but in the last 30 lessons we have just practiced with in 3 miles of my home. she should have atleast taken me once to the test centre or any test centre route. She said in the coming lessons she will just take me 1 round to the test centre.
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    When you pass your test, you will suddenly be driving not only on roads that you've not driven on before, but with nobody sitting next to you - except, maybe, a carfull of screaming mates with the music up load...

    If you're panicking just from the thought of driving on roads that you haven't specifically practised on, are you REALLY ready for that? Of course not.

    Familiarity with the roads of the test is the least important bit of being ready.
  • neilmcl
    neilmcl Posts: 19,460 Forumite
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    You need to show you can drive independently with the required level of competency and awareness . How are you going to prove your're capable of this if you can't drive down unfamiliar roads.
  • takman
    takman Posts: 3,876 Forumite
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    neha9 wrote: »
    Yes, i agree practicing on new roads, but in the last 30 lessons we have just practiced with in 3 miles of my home. she should have atleast taken me once to the test centre or any test centre route. She said in the coming lessons she will just take me 1 round to the test centre.

    Have you not done any driving outside of lessons?. If not this may be why you feel you are unable to drive on new roads.
  • neha9
    neha9 Posts: 6 Forumite
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    Yes i totally understand my instructors point of view. We have always praticed on the same roads in all the lessons and but when she took my mock test was on new route. The first 45mts of the test everything was ok and no majors including independent driving. She then extended the test to more 30mts of independent driving following the road signs. She failed the mock test for not following the road signs. The next 30 mts of independent driving was on big roundabouts and dual carriageway. She didn't show me any map.
  • neha9
    neha9 Posts: 6 Forumite
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    I have actually taken 50 lessons in total. 12 lessons when i was in london. Then i moved to birmingham in july. It is just that she has never taken me to any new roads. We have just been practicing local.
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    neha9 wrote: »
    She didn't show me any map.
    Why do you need a map?

    You're following the instructor's (or examiner's) directions and the road signs. No more, no less.

    You're dealing with the road conditions as they unfold in front of you - not as they were last time you went along that road.
  • neha9
    neha9 Posts: 6 Forumite
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    I would like to know if i should continue with the same instructor or change the instructor. My test is next month
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    neha9 wrote: »
    I would like to know if i should continue with the same instructor or change the instructor. My test is next month
    If you have an issue with that instructor, then you need to consider if that will be outweighed by the hassle-factor of changing instructor so near to your test.

    If you're panicking because you've never driven on the roads before, and haven't seen a map, then you aren't ready for your test. Your instructor is not an issue in that, although they may be a symptom. You cannot predict how ready somebody may or may not be from the number of lessons they've had.
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