Coping with Test Day Nerves.
It is so easy for your instructor to tell you that “everything will be all right”.
On its own this is no use to you what-so-ever if you are one of the people who are adversely affected by nerves. In the article below I will try to answer some of the questions that arise from this topic and give some advice on how to manage the problem.
Performance Related Stress is the term for the stress that pupils experience before and during a practical driving test. The result of the practical driving test is extremely important to you because of the personal and financial investments that you have made in learning to drive. Some pupils have the added pressure of a job offer depending upon the result as well.
There are things that you can do to help yourself through this time. Realising why you are feeling this way is a start. If you are reading this article before you have reached test standard then you are at an advantage because you have more time to come to terms with this.
You have the opportunity to understand the problem and make the most of the knowledge here to help you reduce or at least manage the problem. If on the other hand you have looked up this page because your test is imminent then rest assured, once you understand that the situation is manageable you will feel more in control.
What difference can the driving instructor make?
Your driving instructor is your greatest ally in the battle against test day nerves. Make no mistake about it, we know exactly what you are going through because we have not only seen it many times before, we have been there ourselves when sitting examinations and tests to qualify as driving instructors.
There are a number of factors in your favour when you attend your practical test appointment with your driving instructor:
1) Your instructor will not agree to you applying for your practical driving test unless they believe that you have an expectation of walking away with a driving licence. It is in no-one’s best interests to do so.
2) You will have had to pass your instructor’s pre-test requirements before they will consider putting you forward for a driving test. Areas differ but in all areas your instructor will insist that you can perform all of the standard manoeuvres on the first attempt and that any ring roads or fast dual-carriageways that you have in the area are familiar ground to you and that you can perform the necessary procedures on them in moderate comfort.
3) Your general road work has been good now for quite a while. Be honest with yourself, it was pretty good before you were even taken onto the busier roads.
4) Your instructor understands the stress that you are under and has been positively reinforcing your abilities during lessons.
5) You will have gained experience of driving in exactly the same traffic situations as you will be required to do with the examiner. It is not unusual for a pupil on test to recognise the roads that they are directed to. Your instructor knows what situations you might meet and has thoroughly prepared you for them.

What can I do for myself?
Sit back and look at this from a wider viewpoint. Part of the problem is that you are too close to it. You are turning it into something that it is not.
Passing your driving test is important to you, we all understand that.
BUT...it is not the be all and end all of your life. Everything would carry on exactly the same afterwards if you fail the test, you simply take another one and pass the next time!
Another thing that does not help is the fear of the unknown. Read the information about the practical driving test. The more familiar you are with the forthcoming test the better prepared for it you will be.
Remember that you will spend the hour before your test with your instructor and that they will work with you to fine tune your performance on the day. They know that your state of mind is as important as your general driving standards.
Your instructor has come to know you and knows how you will be on the day. They can take a pretty good guess even before you come out of the house. They have seen you in stressful situations before. Do you remember the first time that you arrived at a major roundabout looking for a suitable gap?
In the Driver Training Industry we usually expect that test nerves will reduce the effectiveness of our pupils by up to twenty percent. We balance this by aiming higher than the minimum acceptable standard before we put you in for a test. Everything possible has been taken into consideration without you having to do a thing.

How should I approach practical driving test day?
There are a few tips for the day of the practical driving test that may help you to cope physically. There is no point in making things harder than they have to be for yourself.
1) Make sure that you have had your full quota of rest. Even if sleep was not a possibility you should have been well rested the night before.
2) Do try and have light meals at your normal meal times on the day. Either a lack of food or a glut of it can create an upset stomach type of feeling that just makes things so much worse.

Psychologically, the steps that you can take are common sense:
1) Do not allow yourself to dwell on the test. Occupy yourself with something else to take up your time until it is time to leave. Worrying never helped anyone. If you cannot help but think about the test try to minimize these thoughts and comfort yourself with the knowledge that you have been professionally prepared and that unless your instructor was certain that you can walk away with a licence they would not have put you in for the test.
2) Leave the telephone off the hook and switch your mobile to silent. Well wishers are not welcome at this time simply because they work against you in regards to the point above. Talking about the test makes you think about it and you will naturally worry more than necessary. That is simply part of the human condition.
Some advice on how to cope on the pre-test hour
You will be aware that your practical driving test is near and for some that can create pressure. Your best ally on the run up to your test is your instructor. They will reassure you that you are up to the job and run you through a few things before you get to the test centre.
The easiest way to get through this period of time is to concentrate on the matter in hand and perform the best drive that you can. Maintain your accuracy and observation to the levels that you have been taught and you will feel more reassured when you do get to the test centre.

How to cope with the test itself!
You are on your own now but the examiners are not monsters. Really, they aren't. Your examiner is trained to be customer friendly and will realise that you are nervous, most people are when on driving tests.
The best way to cope with the test is to work one hundred percent on the procedures that you have been taught from the very beginning through to the very end. Right from the time that you are asked to start the engine through to when the examiner asks you to pull up outside the test centre again and switch off.
This might seem too obvious for words when you first read it but with the benefit of experience I can tell you that people have in the past relaxed part way through the test because they thought that they had done something wrong. This was not the case and they failed because of errors that they made after they stopped working one hundred percent.

I hope that these tips are useful to you and Good Luck with your test!

For more information visit www.newhorizonsdrivingschool.co.uk