Failed CA behind the wheel test

I took my behind the wheel exam earlier today confident that I was going to pass no problem since I've been riding dirty with no license for 9 years, which equated to plenty of driving practice in my book. NOPE, failed. Damn they are picky.

I failed because I did not check my right mirror or over my right shoulder as I merged with a bike lane when I made a right turn at an intersection. Son of a horse.

So I am throwing caution to the wind for those in the process of getting a license as well: STUDY for the behind the wheel test even if you've been driving for a long time!

And for gawd's sakes, check your blind spots EVERY TIME you use your directional

lights. Engrave this magic formula into your brain:

Turn signal --> rear-view mirror --> side mirror --> shoulder

And definitely drive SLOW. That's another thing I got docked for.... What can I say, the need for speed is hard to control.

EDIT:

Here's the study guide so you guys don't have to dig through the thread for it:



Alright guys, here is my quick study guide and pointers for when you take the behind the wheel test:

• First and foremost, they ask for your permit (the one you get after passing the written exam) and valid insurance and registration and for the vehicle you use so make sure you have that (there's a small chance they might ask for the registered owner too--though they didn't for me--so maybe keep that in mind).

• Make sure you take the test on a vehicle that you are familiar with. If you have your own car, great. If you don't then make sure you've at least driven whatever car you are going to use once, just so you get the feel of it and can familiarize yourself with the different controls.

• The examiner is going to check for the following main things before entering the car:
  • Working left/right directional lights (going to ask you to turn them on while parked)
  • Working brake light (going to ask you to turn it on while parked)
  • Working horn (going to ask you to honk it)

• There are a few other basic things they glance at your car for and just check off on their clipboard if it looks good such as:
  • Working driver window
  • Mirrors (both sides and rear-view)
  • Clean windshield
  • Acceptable tires

• The examiner is then going to ask you to demonstrate the left turn, right turn, and stop hand signals and say which one is which.

1. LEFT TURN: arm straight out to the left
2. RIGHT TURN: arm bent 90 degrees up
3. STOP: arm bent 90 degrees down

• The examiner will then ask you to point to the following controls in the car:
  • Back/front windshield defroster
  • Windshield wiper
  • Headlights
  • Emergency lights
  • Emergency/hand brake

• If everything is good up to this point, they will finally enter the car and it will be time to get down to business. Make sure your seat belt is on and MAKE SURE THE EXAMINER HAS HIS/HER SEAT BELT ON before you drive off. Some are assholes and try to fail you on the spot if you don't check for that.

• The driving portion will last about 10-20 min. The examiner will give you directions as you drive. Hard to predict exactly what they will have you do but the main things are:
  • Drive through busy streets
  • Drive through residential areas
  • Drive through parking lot (DMV's parking lot most likely)
  • Make various left/right turns (at stop lights, stop signs, yield signs, etc)
  • Change lanes

• They didn't test the following things (though it might depend on the examiner/DMV/state so better prepare anyway):
  • Freeway driving
  • Backing
  • Parking (you only park when you come back and your exam is over)

• I can't tell you where you'll drive or what exactly you'll be asked to do, but I can tell you about what mistakes you should avoid and which are considered "Critical Driving Errors" which automatically cause you to fail. Lets begin with the Critical Driving Errors, avoid these or it's automatic game over:
  • Needing the examiner to intervene - if he/she has to take over for whatever reason
  • Striking object/curb - hitting anything while driving, including the curb
  • Disobeying traffic signal - not stopping all the way, etc.
  • Disobeying safety vehicles - not pulling to the right and stopping for ambulances/firetrucks/cops
  • Dangerous maneuver - this is the one that got me and seems to basically mean failure to check your surroundings before performing a maneuver, such as a turn or lane change
  • Speed - if you drive close to 10 mph over the speed limit (I was driving 5 mph over and was docked)
  • Auxiliary equipment use - not using your wipers, hazard lights, etc. when necessary
  • Lane violation - not turning into the proper lane, not signaling, etc.

• Some other mistakes to avoid:
  • ALWAYS use your mirrors and look over your shoulder to check your blind spots anytime you use your directional light (whether it be for lane changing, turning, merging, pulling out from a curve). They are critical about you looking over your shoulder (and constantly scanning your surroundings in general). Follow this order when checking blind spots: check rear view mirror -> check side mirror -> check over shoulder
  • This next point goes along with the previous point but is the reason why I failed my test so I really want to reiterate it; make sure you check your blind spot when making a right turn where there is a bike lane to check for bicyclists. This also applies when there is a lane of parked cars just before you make a right turn--as illustrated below:

• • Make FULL stops at stop signs (count for three seconds). Also, make sure to stop BEHIND any street line marked (such as a crosswalk). If you are stopping before making a right turn at a busy intersection and need a clear view of oncoming traffic, stop behind the line first and then drive slowly up past the line to get a better view (make sure you yield to any pedestrians first though).
  • Make sure to signal well in advance of any turn or lane change you make and also for an adequate amount of time.
  • Obey the speed limit! Seems pretty straightforward, I know, but some have a tendency to keep a heavy foot on the gas (*cough* me *cough*). Don't go over but also do not drive like molasses either because they will dock you for driving too slow. Obeying the speed limit is especially critical around residential areas and schools.
  • Do not tailgate cars, keep a safe distance behind the car in front of you.
    • While driving, stay at least a full car length behind the car in front of you, or about 2-3 seconds behind.
    • When stopping, make sure to stop far enough behind to be able to see the bottom of the back tires of the car in front of you.
    • When driving or stopping behind a big vehicle such as a semi truck, increase your distance.
    • When it rains (or there is poor visibility), also increase your distance from the car in front of you.
  • Do not stop or accelerate abruptly. You want to gradually step on the brake to smoothly come to a stop and gradually step on the gas to smoothly start going again. There shouldn't be any jerking forward or backward when stopping or accelerating.
  • Be familiar with road signs and how to follow them (yield signs, left turn yield on green, lane merging, one way, etc). Also be familiar with what to do when certain road elements are present, for example if there is a train track know where to stop, if there is a construction zone know to slow down, if there is a school bus with flashing lights know to stop (this one happened to me during my exam).
  • When making a turn, make sure you turn into an appropriate lane. Here are some diagrams that illustrate the correct lanes to turn into:

• Finally, I found a great link from the DMV which lists the top 10 reasons why drive tests are failed with great video explanations. Highly encourage you guys to check it out:

• Last but not least, here is my failed test evaluation sheet so you guys can check out how they grade (sorry it's a little scrunched up... was stuffed in my pocket for a while). Quick points to make:
  • You get 3 chances at the behind the wheel test, if you fail all 3 times then you have to apply for a DL, pay the fee, and take the written test again
  • If you get one Critical Driving Error on your exam you fail
  • You are allowed 15 scoring errors, anymore than that and you fail

That's about all I have for you guys. Hope this helps!

P.S. Taking the behind the wheel exam again this Friday, will update on how it goes.


UPDATE:
Took my retest yesterday and passed. Finally can call myself a licensed driver, pretty stoked.

Anyway, the test was pretty much the same as the first time I took it with one major exception: I was asked to back up this time around, whereas in the first test I wasn't.

So for backing up, make sure to turn your head and look back--don't just use your rear-view mirror:



Also, she had me pull over along the curve, so make sure you put your directional lights if you are asked to do the same because I didn't and got marked with an error for it. Only got two errors total for the whole test (you're allowed 15), 9 years of illegal driving helped with that, hehe I'll upload my new evaluation sheet.

How to interpret the evaluation sheet:

• There are 7 categories (Parking Lot Driving, FWY or HWY, Intersections, Turns, Business/Urban/And Residential/Rural, Lane Change, Backing). In each category, there are columns with either a bold number or letter at the top.
  • Intersections: Numbers 1-8 represent number of intersections
  • Turns (LEFT/RIGHT): Numbers 1-4 represent number of turns
  • Lane Change: L means Left and R means Right
  • Backing: E means Entering, B means Backing, and X means Exiting
  • Business/Urban and Residential/Rural: B means Business and R means Residential
  • Parking Lot Driving: Numbers 1-2 means number of times you drive through a parking lot
  • FWY or HWY: Number 1 means one time you drive in the freeway (they don't test for this category, hence they put a line through it in the evaluation sheet)
• Each circled bold number or letter at the top of each column by the examiner represents each graded procedure (e.g. in the Intersections category numbers 1-8 were circled so that means that I was graded for 8 intersections, in Lane Change L and R were circled so I was graded for a left and right lane change, etc)
• A driving error is shown as a dash through one of the 0 characters in the column under a circled number or letter within the appropriate explanatory row
• At the end of the examination they tally all the dashed 0 and put the number of errors in the top, right-hand corner

And that just about concludes this update and my process journey. Good luck to you all!!

You've been driving for 9 years and you still failed the driving test..I never drove before in my life so I should fail about 6 times..

You should be checking your blind spots. Really. Common cause of accidents.

Dude it could happen. I got a freaking bigot and passed. But ye since you have been driving for a long time, you are more likely to make stupid mistakes. The test was fairly easy for me, but I kinda knew what they were going to look for. Looking over your shoulder was a pain in the ass for me because I wasn't used to it. Good luck next time.

Nah, you can pass on the first try as long as you study and practice the main things they look for. YouTube and the Google are very useful for this.

Of course I check my blind spots when necessary, that goes hand in hand with being a safe driver. But seriously, if you don't see any bicyclists riding towards the corner where you are about to make a right turn, chances are they won't magically appear seconds later warranting a blind spot check before you turn. It's like driving down an empty street, how often do you check your blind spot before changing lanes to really make sure there is no car there?

damn, i am definitely going to freaking fail it then i don't drive and the last time i attempted to i almost crashed into another car. How does the whole permit thing work?

9 years huh? I've been driving for two...

Now you got me worried.

Thanks for sharing your story. If at first you don't succeed, try again.

yeah i guess we all do it sometimes

Not all DMVs are as strict. There's one really close to my home and all of my friends, that also live nearby, always avoid it. They go to one that is like 10 miles away because the people that test you there are a lot more lenient.