Driving Test Nerves by Agony Uncle
Dear Agony Uncle
I’ve had many driving lessons (40) in the run-up to my driving test which is very soon and I can’t help but feel nervous…very nervous.
My friends have told me the most horrific things that happen on driving tests and when I went to book my driver test I heard an examiner shout at a learner driver, repeatedly. I’m sure that unsettles the best prepared learner driver no matter how strong their nerves are. When I just think about an examiner shouting like that I start making mistakes even during driving lessons.
What should I do? I really want to pass my license first time because I have to get myself to varsity to spare my parents the current effort.
Dear Anonymous
Most of what you mention is about other people, not you.
It’s understandable that you’d want to try and get as most information about the driving test before you actually do the test but you’re doing yourself no favours by wracking your brain to know what the driving test will be like. Trudi has an expression “Tests are like death – you can’t experience it before you experience it.” I fully agree with her. No matter how much information you collect about the test it will never be like experiencing it first hand.
All that is really happening is that you’re collecting anxiety as you go along. That is what all the bad experiences of other people have gone through do for you. You can keep a check on reality by asking: “Is the examiner shouting at me, physically?”….”Is the examiner here, while I’m practicing my parking?”.
Bear in mind that only you can make you anxious, scared or confident for your driving test. You have to concern yourself with you, and only you, now, and also on the driving test. That is the only way that you will accomplish your goal. Only if you want to pass for your own sake will you get the courage, determination and motivation to ignore friends’ foreboding and the fact that you currently seem to have your parents’ interests placed above your own.
You have to deal with whatever you get, when you get it. You can’t do anything about it before or after the time and stressing about anything that is not within your power will just heighten your anxiousness. It’s as simple as making a decision that NOTHING will stand between you and your license…if that’s what you want, of course.
Stand up for yourself, Girl!
Best of success with your test,
Agony Uncle
Only saw this now… You’re up early, Dude : )
Can’t agree with you more Agony! I saw the results again on Friday’s test with a client.
“I don’t know why I was so nervous” my client said.
Not so easy for some, but with hindsight they all realise it’s not half as bad as they imagined and heard.
And yes, I hear an examiner shouting at a learner driver too, at Sandton. It was an examiner that does Code10 though. Seems that is just who she is as a person, given the experiences shared by onlookers while my Code8 test was in progress.
PS: Uncle, we got to shape you up to log in on your own account. It looks rather tacky if it seemed that I wrote your post – I did fix the database though : )
Oops. Is this better?
I even got me a Gravatar thingy. Not bad for a geriatric, hey?
Hey, Trudi, nice changes!
What happened with the mobile bits. I can’t get you on my phone anymore
@Agony Uncle,
Good Boy! Now start loving your own account, OK?
@Jane,
Yeah, I played around with some nifty scripts and got all technical to pretty up the theme a bit. Thank you kindly
Summing went wrong on the mobile side – I’ll fix it soonest that I can and have the time.
Mobile site now fixed
Let’s hope is stays fixed!
Have you ever thought about putting more videos to your weblog articles to keep the readers even more entertained? What i’m saying is I just went through the whole article of yours and it had been very fantastic but since I’m significantly more of a visual learner, I found videos to be far more helpful. well, let me know what you feel.
Funny you should mention that…
I’m actually developing a brand new blog with LOTS of video’s all over the place. These would include tutorial How To stuff plus advice and driving chit-chat.
Stay tuned