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SELECT DRIVING SCHOOL
Mission BC
Tips for passing the British Columbia driving test
- Go prepared. This is the most important advice you can get, and worth more than all the other tips put together. The more competent you are, the better you'll feel going out on your driving test.
- Tell as few people as possible that you are going for the test. Why pile on extra pressure?
- Make sure to take the same ID that you took in when you did your learners test. Also, be sure you know your security keyword � your mother's maiden name. Ensure that payment of fees will not be a problem (and if you have an ICBC debt outstanding, such as an unpaid seat belt fine or "no L-sign" ticket, this has to be paid before the test can be done). Also, the vehicle must not have mechanical defects. (Does the parking brake work? Brake lights and signal lights? Headlights? Is there a crack in the windshield at eye level? Are the tires okay?) You don't need to be sent home before the test even starts.
- Before going in for the test, drive around in the area first. Don't go in cold. Also, if you drive first, the seat and mirrors will already be correctly adjusted when the test starts.
- When you arranged your appointment, you were told to show up fifteen minutes early. If you have an 8:30 road test appointment, keep in mind that the office doors don't usually open until... 8:30! Depending on where your ICBC office is located, you could end up waiting outside in the rain for fifteen minutes for nothing.
- When you enter the office, look up for overhead signs telling you where the road test counter is. Don't end up standing in the lineup for people who need to change their address or renew a licence.
- As the test begins, the examiner will advise you that you'll be expected to go straight ahead at any intersection unless you are told to turn left or right. But look for regulatory traffic signs or road markings that tell you to turn left or right, or say "Do Not Enter." The examiner will not remind you to turn if the sign or marking says that you must.
- You will be assured by the examiner at the beginning that you will not be tricked, and, contrary to what your friends may have told you, this assurance is the truth. But what does happen is that sometimes people being tested don't listen carefully enough to directions... or, they thought they were going to be told something, and it was different from what they anticipated... and then a misunderstanding followed. The point, simply, is to listen attentively.
- Drive normally. Don't drive faster or slower, or try to put on a show. For any task or maneuver there is always an optimal speed, neither too fast nor too slow, which allows you to get all the details right. Even in the different forms of parking, a speed slightly too fast makes the maneuver seem hurried and disorienting. You're the boss of the car, not the other way around.
- About parking... in the Class 7 test you only do one parallel park - whether it's good or bad, when it's done you move on. A good park is one in which you are observant of what is around the car, and you remain in control. How nice the park looks when you're finished is secondary - it could be directly next to the curb but you still failed the maneuver by not observing safely. (But... failing the maneuver doesn't mean failing the whole test, unless there was a dangerous action involved.) Remember also that when you arrive back at the licensing office you must back your car into a parking stall, so be sure to practise this, as it's just as important as the parallel park. And remember, too, that if the examiner does the complete test, you have to do two hill parks, one uphill and one downhill, which means that hill parking is twice as important in the test as parallel parking.
- You've probably heard that shoulder checking is extremely important in the test (as is correct speed). If you're not completely clear on where, when and why you need to shoulder check, it could mean trouble in the test. Though not a substitute for proper instruction, help is available here.
- If you're aware that you've made a mistake (even turning opposite to the way instructed) recover your composure and focus on the job of driving safely. The best way to actually do that is to keep planning your next moves, so you won't make further errors that wipe out your confidence.
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