Are you a new driver?
I've not done this but done track and high speed driver training.
Just enjoy it. If you try too hard you probably won't get the benefit.
I’ve got my IAM test this week... any last minute hints and tips?
Are you a new driver?
I've not done this but done track and high speed driver training.
Just enjoy it. If you try too hard you probably won't get the benefit.
If your observer has assessed that you are ready to take the test then you are ready.
Between now and your test, drive at all times exactly as you've been shown, don't lapse even for a couple of moments.
On the test, relax and enjoy your time behind the wheel: you're not there to impress the examiner but just to demonstrate to yourself how you've improved since you started your course.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I might sound daft but try to enjoy it...I learnt more during the exam than I did from the course!
Had my test a few weeks ago, as others have said relax and drive as you have been advised by your observer.
Feedback at the end was very useful.
Good luck.
Get your cockpit drill nailed as its the first chance to make an impression,are you comontating?
Watch for him talking as he only shuts his door halfway
Did my IAM many years ago... 2 minors..
1. Didn't sound my horn in the approach to a bridge (which is wide and never a problem... But a blind crest none the less)
2. Went into a fast roundabout with no indicator on as there was no traffic about. Then... Some bugger appears just at the last minute! So... Indicate at all times.
Did my advanced IAM test many years ago. I loved every minute of it as I learned from a serving traffic cop whom I believe still volunteers with the group today.
I was so well trained, the person conducting my pre-test observation asked for his details and during my actual test, the examiner knew at the end that a cop must have taught me. Highly recommended and all the best with your test.
When I did my IAM test, that would have been an automatic fail.
The rationale is that as part of the approach to any "hazard" (as Drivecraft calls just about anything you can encounter) you should consider whether you need to indicate, and whether it would provide useful information to any other road user. If you always use your indicator, then it suggests that you are doing so automatically rather than making an informed decision about whether or not to indicate.
(I'm aware that there is a counter argument which says that you should always indicate, on the grounds that there might be somebody who you haven't seen, and who would benefit from your indication. But that's not the IAM way.)
It was a wide and fast roundabout so at the point I made the decision, nobody was there. The cars appear from the blind point at speed - so I guess I should have taken that into account - the fact that people CAN appear from the far side at speed (rather than my knee jerk comment of "always indicate").
I found the commentary speeded up my observation skills.
If things are happening too quickly to get the words out, then you need to prioritise what you are saying.
Commentating in 5-minutes chunks when no-one else was in the car worked for me.
I still do periodic commentary as a refresher when I'm driving alone - I do a lot of that.
Eventhough the "test" was many years ago and Hendon even further back, the number of times I think "***k me" I should have mentioned that, allied with the professional drivers regular route errors I notice, still surprises me.
GLWTT
B
Out of interest, do you find that commentating adds to the frustration when you see so many folk drive today with, for example, bad lane discipline or roundabout signalling?
Did my test a couple of weeks ago. Already had bike IAM and RoSPA, did the car as I found a code for a reduced 2nd category. Did learn lots, hardest bit for me was the brake, clutch separation as I normally drive an auto, but did the training in my wifes manual. The thing the examiner was keen on was the cockpit drills and mirrors, don't forget the nearside wing mirror when doing your checks. Always check before you signal. Enjoyed it, but it was a lot easier as I already knew Roadcraft and the highway code, as I had just redone my bike RoSPA three months before. Good luck, enjoy it.
Last edited by Brian; 24th June 2019 at 22:34.