I Passed!!

I passed my UK driver's test yesterday!! Whoo-hoo! I am so relieved because I really did not want to have to take it twice. The UK is notorious for having really difficult driving tests, and there is only a 43% pass rate. It is so hard that they even sell greeting cards congratulating you on passing. The test lasts about 50 minutes. First, you have a simple eye test, then they ask you two Show me/Tell me questions which pertain to vehicle safety and maintenance, then it is off to drive for 40 minutes! During the test, you are asked to perform two of these four maneuvers: parallel park, reverse into a side road, turn around in the road, or reverse into a parking space. I was praying that I would be asked to turn around in the road because that is the easiest maneuver for me, and thankfully that was one of the ones I had to do! I also had to reverse into a side road, which is the one that I am the worst at, and I got a point taken off for it because I was too far away from the curb.

I'm glad I passed because my US license is good here for 12 months and after that I have to get a full UK license, otherwise I would be considered a provisional driver and I would have to drive around with L (learner) plates on my car and I would always have to be accompanied by a driver over 21 who has had their UK license for at least 3 years. My 12 months is up October 6, so if I had not passed yesterday I don't know what I would have done!

This is a huge weight off my shoulders. I have been so nervous for the past month or so thinking about this dang test!! I hired a driving instructor for a few refresher lessons and he became a major motivation for me to pass because he really got on my nerves to the point that we had to have it out with each other a few times. I'm so glad I never have to see him again!! I was so nervous at the beginning of the test, but the examiner was really nice and I was able to relax some. I started to worry about 15 minutes into the test though because I kept seeing him mark things on my test sheet and I just knew that I had messed up somewhere! Turns out I did quite well--I only had 4 minor errors and 0 serious errors and you can get up to 15 minors or just 1 serious before you fail. Above is a picture of my grading sheet and my pass certificate (you can click on them if you want to see a larger picture)! I get my license in the mail in 3 weeks.

I had been working on getting my license since June. First, I had to take the written test which I studied for for a month and I passed that back in July. As soon as I passed I booked my practical test, and I had wanted to take it earlier but the slots book up really quickly, so September 30th was the earliest date I could get. So this dang test has been consuming my thoughts all summer long and now it's over!! Time to move on to the next adventure.

Study Guides for Theory Test: £20.00
Theory Test Fee: £30.00

Driving Lessons: £175.00

Practical Test Fee: £56.50

Passing the practical test on the first try and never having to see my instructor again and not having to stress about this test anymore: PRICELESS!!!!