People say CDC students are very good at half-clutch due to its slope road and heavy traffic. You know what the fact is? Yes, we really are.
The failures will tell you what should not do while the winners will tell you what to do. This is huge difference. Throwing away all those skills and luck bullshit, the first thing you must understand is
1. what's the purpose of driving test?
Other tutorils may teach you from skills or mistakes or their failure experience what you should keep in mind. Before learning all these failure tips, you must know one essential thing that's the purpose of driving test. Doing things without purpose is like a walking zombie.
Driving test indeed is to test safety awareness, not how fast you can drive through narrow course or how perfect your parking position is. After all, the speed limit is 50km/h for CDC test.
2. what will be tested?
In circuit:
1) directional change 2) S course 3) slope 4) parallel parking 5) crank course 6) vertical parking
this is also the sequence in my practice test, while the sequence really doesn't matter as tester will guide you according to their preference or circuit condition. And this is the only change you get the priority to cut short or overtake. All learning cars will give way to you, so seize the time to drive awesomely.
Tips:
1. In CDC circuit, only 14, 15 and 16 is used for manual car directional change. No. 13 is for auto cars only. However, one of my team mates came across such a blurred tester who asked her to use 13 to do directional change for her manual car during the test and she drove in. After that, the tester found he made a mistake and let her reverse, then she became nervous and started to make mistakes. In the end, she got 44 points including driving too close when passing other vehicles although she declared she didn't. While it doesn't help at all for 44 points. Although given wrong instruction is a low probability event, it really happened. This proves the learner is not familiar with rules and didn't notice the sign. Giving a wrong instruction is tester's mistake, while following a wrong instruction is the learner's mistake. So if you came across such issue in your test, just question the tester "are you sure".
2. The last parallet parking lot beside slope test area has slight slope. Make sure your car won't hit the back kerb when you release the clutch and start to move out. You may use half clutch skill to move out if you happen to use this parking lot during the test. Always remember to check blind spot and set to gear 1. before moving out. During the test, I forgot to change the gear from reverse to 1 after checking blind spot. Then when I released the clutch, the car moved backward a bit. I suddenly realised I made a mistake and then quickly changed and checked the blind spot again. I threw a glance at my tester, he looked calm. After test, there was no points on this minor mistake. This fact proves by quickly correcting the mistake, the tester would not be critical. This is probably the reason why instructors always tell us don't be nervous during the test. Drivers will make mistakes for sure, but as long as it never affects the score, it will be ok.
3. There is tricky double lines when driving out of the circuit, make sure you don't drive cross it during your test. School instructors will emphasise that usually.
4. You must wait for the passenger's last foot crossed over the zebra line before you clutch or change the gear. This rule apples to all zebra lines. Otherwise, it will be immediate failure. One of my team mates came cross this incident.
On the road:
1) lane change 2) U-turn 3) proper speed
Circuit test is like basic MCQ in maths paper, you must get all correct in order to reserve more space for unexpected road test accident. Road test is like calculation questions, by knowing the formula doesn't guaranteed the correct result. Instructors always say you will never predict what happen outside the circuit, by "reacting" correctly is the key to pass the test. However, when you ask them how to react correctly, they will tell you based on experience. This is tricky. How much experience can a learner get by learning only 20-30 lessons.
Driving is easier than riding a bicycle, a taxi driver told me. You do not need to balance your body as you won't drop out of a car. Driving is easier than Maths as you do not need to park in the perfect position in order to get a higher score. A bit left or a bit right won't cause your mark to be deducted. It just get a higher change to mount the kerb when driving out.
Unfortunately, I got 4 points in vertical parking due to fail to confirm safety. This shows how strict the tester was. I was drown myself into happiness because this was my first time parking a perfect position in the middle. Instructors never request students to park in perfect position during lessons. As along as students know how to adjust and not to mount or strike kerb, they are satisfied. And the fact proves they are right, because perfection may cause over excitement and over excitement may cause me forget to confirm safety.
After circuit test, it will be the real road test. You'll have higher chance to pass at the first time if you have enough low points in the circuit.
Do not get failure points on proper speed. CDC test has speed limit which is 50km/h (this is a MCQ in theory test also). This seems only apply to CDC as my friends from other schools told me they never heard this rule. So for manual car, the max gear you'll use in test is gear 4. You will get failure point if you remain in gear 2 or 3 if there is a clear road in front.
Lane change is probably the most difficult part for new drivers. Instructors will tell you the most important thing is to make testers feel comfortable, do not change to fast or to slow. Then when you ask them how to achieve that, they will tell you practice more and experience. This answer is useless. Let me tell you in a mathematics way. When I tell those old drivers, driving is like maths. They say I'm totally wrong. They predict I'll fail if I think in that way. Unfortunately, the fact proves they are wrong. By using maths it will help you seek the trues behind the surface easily. Where there's reek, there's heat. You don't know the reason doesn't mean it doesn't exist. To explain profound theories or feeling in simple language is one's capability.
Tips:
1. How to make tester feel comfortable when changing lane.
Eg. If your driving speed is 100km/h, to change lane in 100m distance will make passengers feel comfortable. Back to practical driving test, if your car speed is 40km/h when testers request to change lane, try your best to take around 40m to change lane after checking blind spot. If you change lane within 20m while maintaining speed 40km/h, it will be sharp lane change and failure points 4 will be added to your paper. You may not feel the sharp change as you're so forced on the traffic condition, but your tester will consider it as improper land change. So as the longer distance taken. This really needs more practice for new drivers.
2. Adjust speed properly according to the gear and drive within the lane.
This sounds basic but must repeat. You will find you must slightly adjust the steering wheel in order to keep the car in lane. Meanwhile, you must make sure you're at the proper gear with proper speed. Eg. gear 4 for 40-50km/h, gear 3 for 30-40km/h, gear 2 for 20-30km/h, gear 1 for 20km/h and below. Sounds like mathematics right. By making all these proper, you must watch the back mirror every 20-30 seconds and keep proper distance with front car. And when testers gave you request, you must response accordingly while maintain all these figures above. Increase and reduce speed according to the traffic load. Try your best not to break at gear 3 and above. So react in advance and practice more.
3. Always keep left. This is the rule we new drivers can remember without a doubt, however, other old drivers will cause us to make mistake. There are a lot of road parking cars in ubi area. During my simulation test, one car behind me squeezed in left lane when I just passed the parking cars and signaled. My instructor said you would be marked failure to keep left although it was other people's mistake, because you reacted not as fast as that old driver.
4. Show your confidence to your tester. This is important, even you feel nervous in the test, you must pretend that you know all traffic rules and will react correctly. Do not ask stupid questions during the test. Whatever you're not clear with the rules or unexpected incidents, ask your instructors before the test. By learning with school instructors, they will share with you a lot of failure experience and test tips. These are all very useful information. For me a newbie without any driving experience, it really gets me a higher chance to pass at the first time when following school instructors.
5. Try your best to register noon session test. As it's well known, ubi area have heavy traffic during peak hour. Heavy loaded traffic will cause more unexpected incidents. During my simulation test, there was a taxi taking right turn over me when the green light just on while I was in the first place. My instructor told me tester would give me immediate failure due to my slow reaction although it was taxi driver's mistake. Attention all old drivers! Please keep distance if you see test cars with double L signboards driving on the road. Do not create trouble for them. You know how important that day is for them. Show your little humility and helping hand. You also experienced the driving test day. Why not keep calm and give them more patience if racing against time will not help you earn 1 million.
6. Take more simulation tests. This may not be applied to all. It's like maths test again, practice will make perfect. If you do enough mock tests, you will know all the possibilities or even predict what questions will be tested. Since I was not as skilful as old drivers, I must take enough simulation tests to meet all incidents so that I will react correctly and fast enough. Other people will tell you "be confident" or "don't be nervous", but how to do that you must have a clear picture. I took 7 simulation tests to be familiar with all 4 test roads many times in different time range. That's why I felt very confident when the real test came. Be familiar with road condition will also help you react fast. Try to make all mistakes during your simulation tests and leave the best situation for your practice test.
Although I spent more $$ on simulation test, it gave me a good result with less time and effort and I can show off I've passed at the first time. Schools will force the students to take compulsory 3 lessons and book another test in case of failure. And it may take quite some time to book another test as you have to queue. I had a strong will to pass at the first time before the practice test and I asked my instructors to train me that way. My white face instructor felt happy because he had self discipline students who's willing to improve his first time passing rate while my black face instructor said I must fail if I forced myself to do something. However, taking a test is not like buying lottery. Beside the luck, the one must lay a solid foundation. Like I said in the beginning, Driving test indeed is to test safety awareness. How to follow the rules and how to react correctly is much more important than driving skills. So take the encouragement to fill your good mode and take the pessimism as tester's criticism.
Do not imagine how lucky those people who can pass practical driving test first time. Opportunities are only for those people who are well prepared. Just they never let you know. Adjust your mood and be confident. Hope my experience and tips will help you pass your practice driving test at the first time.
Now I'm able to rent cars to travel. What a wonderful life.
PS. After meeting many other drivers from different countries, I found Singapore school is quite strict and classic. Especially the genius students like me who use mathematics way to pass the practical test, I'll adjust the proper speed and distance according to the traffic and make sure I'm in the right gear. My dad asked me why you change the gear so often (as old drivers do not follow school rules normally). I said to show my professionalism. Then he said, hmm you're really a good school student.
PS. Sometimes when I took uber, some drivers are really not as good as taxi drivers. Although some taxi drivers are rude to private drivers, they are friendly with passengers. Private car drivers usually criticize other drivers but never reflect on their own. That day, a sudden braking tumbled me down in a highway when I was sitting at rear seat without seat belt. Then the driver started to complain how badly the front car was. It was not his fault. The driver shouldn't suddenly break which nearly cause an accident blah blah. Please lah. Haven't you learned 2 second rule. How did you pass the theory test. If you're driving at 96 km/h, you must keep at least 73m with front car. If you do not know how to calculate then just simply keep 90m. In this case, you only keep 40m with the front car, how can you have enough time to react! School strict training is good thing, however, after they passed the test, it's another story... The moral of this story is to fasten your seat belt no matter which seat you're sitting in a car.
