This article about driving test nerves and confidence has been written by GPS Driving School and is based on Trevor’s (GPS Driving School Instructor) extensive experience in teaching students to learn to drive.
Student’s confidence levels are often directly linked to the level of driving test nerves they experience when being tested. Driving test nerves and confidence can also be affected where there exists a genuine fear of failure or lack of driving ability and competence caused by being under-prepared.
Understanding why you get nervous can really help you remain calm and reduce your nerves before and during your driving test. We at GPS Driving School understand the relationship between driving test nerves and confidence. With our specialist training, wean help you better manage stress and be ready to successfully take the practical Queensland driving test.
The reasons why people get nervous when taking their driving test are explained in more detail below.
Fear of failure
Driving Examiners welcome well prepared drivers who know what they are doing.
This is a normal fear for most people when faced with a pass or fail challenge. An unsuccessful result in driving tests happens for a significant proportion of students throughout the Brisbane testing centres. Experiencing fear of failure is a relatively common yet unhelpful thought, often leading to feelings of self-sabotage, stress and anxiety. This results in otherwise competent drivers making unnecessary errors and failing or seriously jeopardising their test result. Essentially people simply talk themselves down and therefore out of the game, long before they have even started! Remember, what you tell yourself counts!
Passing your driving test is not guaranteed until the completion of a successful driving test. This is where you demonstrate safe, smooth driving in accordance with the road rules.
If your instructor has recommended you take your test and your supervised practise is safe and incident free, believe in yourself and think positive about passing. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate all the valuable practise and learning you have put in. This will more than convince the Examiner that you know how to drive! Driving Examiners welcome well prepared drivers who know what they are doing. You can be assured; Driving Examiners do not want to fail students unnecessarily.
Lack of confidence
Students often display low levels of confidence in their ability to pass the test. Feeling of self-doubt often prevail when faced with the thought of ‘going it alone’. Driving independently and trusting your own judgement and decision making, without any help, sometimes takes a bit of getting used to.
Whether your driving test is at Rosalie, Sherwood, Greenslopes or Carseldine Queensland Transport Testing Centres, we are here to help.
Questioning yourself is an important step in preparing for a test, to check that you have covered all your bases! The first step is making sure you have prepared thoroughly by taking the necessary amount of driving lessons from an Accredited Master Driver Trainer. Secondly, that you have practised independently to accrue enough supervised hours on the road to learn the baseline skills and awareness to drive safely. Thirdly that you have experienced practise driving tests with your instructor and they are saying, ”you are ready to sit your test,” go for it!
On the other hand, students who choose to save money by not paying for driving lessons usually report feeling under prepared. They are definitely uncertain of the criteria for assessment and how their ‘test drive’ should differ from an ‘everyday drive’. As a result, unnecessary test errors and failures often occur.
GPS students enjoy an extremely high pass rate in their first driving test. You are also guaranteed the same professional advantage when preparing to sit your test with GPS Driving School. Whether your driving test is at Rosalie, Sherwood, Greenslopes or Carseldine Queensland Transport Testing Centres, we are here to help. To book your Brisbane driving lesson with GPS Driving Instructor Trevor please fill in the contact form or call 0430 284 285.
If you want to know more about driving test nerves and confidence see our page on Reasons Why People Get Nervous Part 2.
