5 things to watch out for on your final driving test

Perhaps the most important advice I give my students is to put themselves in the mindset of a driving schoool student.

With every lesson, you gain experience and gradually become more confident. That confidence is important for safe driving, of course, but during your final test it can sometimes work against you.

The examiner is not looking for someone who can take a familiar bend without a blink of an eye, simply because they have driven through it countless times during their lessons. Quite the opposite. They want to see a careful driving schoool student who approaches every situation with carefuly, as though they were driving there for the very first time.

This is especially relevant to students taking a test as part of exchanging a driving licence from their home country for a Czech one. They usually already know how to drive, and may bring with them a habit of driving a little more assertively because they are experienced and know when they can get away with it. That does not align well with .

Giving way is not simply a matter of looking.

As I approach a place where I have to give way — to traffic coming from the right, for example — I slow down to a speed at which I can stop immediately if a vehicle approaches from the direction that has priority.

I look carefully, and only continue once I can see that nothing is coming.

Pay close attention to this. Many students have failed their test because they looked, but did not slow down at all. Turning your head does not, on its own, show that you were actually prepared to give way.

Not necessarily.

If you do not turn as directed by the examiner during your final test, that does not automatically mean the test is over.

If it happens, simply continue along the road you are on. Above all, do not try to swerve into the intended direction at the last second, make a sudden lane change or panic. That will only create more problems.

If you could not follow the instruction safely in time, keep going and the examiner will tell you where to go next.

Interestingly, when a student takes a wrong turn, they very often end up choosing a much harder route than the one the examiner had originally planned for them.

I give all my students similar advice: you do not need to stay right on the speed limit at all costs.

For example, if the limit in town is 50 km/h and there are no further restrictions, I recommend driving at around 40 km/h — provided, of course, that situation like traffic, weather or your health allows it.

This has three major advantages.

First, if you are concentrating on something else, such as passing an obstruction, you are less likely to press the accelerator a little too much and accidentally exceed the speed limit. You still have a margin.

Second, you have much more time to observe what is happening ahead, plan ahead and decide how to deal with a situation before you actually reach it.

And third, you have more time to react to anything unexpected.

So do not try to drive right at the speed limit throughout your test. Staying a little below it is usually a more comfortable and safer option.

A general rule for all drivers, not just students taking their test, is to plan well ahead. New drivers often make the mistake of focusing too much on the few metres directly in front of the car.

It is important to look much further ahead. What is coming up in 50 or 100 metres? Is there a pedestrian crossing? A junction? A parked car I will need to pass? Will I have to change lanes? Will I need to give way to someone?

If you spot these things early enough, you can plan how to handle the whole situation before you actually reach it.

And that makes the entire drive considerably easier.

That is easier said than done, of course, but stress is your biggest enemy during the test.

You are taking the test because you and your instructor have worked on everything you need to pass it successfully. Now it is your turn to put that into practice.

If you stay calm and drive the way you do in your regular lessons with your instructor, the final test need not feel any harder than a normal lesson.