dan_alford

The practical here in TN was "making a block" and "parking". 5 mins tops.

And yes, passed first time.

lisa67

Welcome to the crazy world of US driving regulations. I remember the blind person question from my test in MI
Good Luck with the resit.

tonrob

I passed the joey test first time - my problem was with the stupid practical bit.

Firstly time I borrowed a work pool car and the first thing the trooper did was to ask me to put it in drive with the handbrake on - bloody thing crept forward. Car failed. Rebooked test and waited....

Second time I borrowed a friend's car. Apparently the tint in the windows was too dark, despite the fact that the thing has passed the MA annual inspection for god knows how many years! Car failed. Rebooked again but at a different centre...

Third time. Turned up at the allotted date and time, which was in the deserted basement of a small town hall outside a locked door with a tatty piece of paper sellotaped to it that said words to the effect of "wait here". Which I did. For an hour. Was about to give up and bugger off when the trooper finally arrived, and without apology. In the end my test took exactly five minutes, Mrs tonrob's nearer four. His final words to me were "If you can get me back to the parking lot without killing me then you've passed".

And so I obtianed the little piece of laminated card that I will need in order to get served in a bar until the day I'm 60...

anotherlimey

I don't know why you think the driving test is to make sure you are OK to drive, everyone knows it just gets you a license to make car buying easier.

ian1976

I think the barrier to being a licensed driver here is so low because being able to drive is essential in most of the USA for any decent standard of living. Also the fact is that you don't really need to be as skilled a driver here as you do in the UK, parking spots are much bigger, two way streets are always wide enough to be two way, sign-posting is better etc.

surly

When I took my driving test in Seattle, part of the test was to parallel park, something I never had to do in the UK.
I remember the tester telling me, "your not in a British car now, it's OK to crossover your hands here when making a turn".

You'd better be good at hill starts here in San Francisco.

chrisann

well my husband took the California one recently and passed the practical on the second try -- only problem is my turn next --- first time he failed as he didnt look behind when he went to turn right! as we said later dont think we've seen anyone over here look behind them when turning. My problem is getting used to the very large looking junctions - where there are 4 lanes of SUVs bearing down on you!!!!!!! bit different to the M25 where its usually stationary!!

FlatDog

thank you!

FlatDog

I've got the road test booked for this Thursday, i'll let you know how i get on..

Alix

Mate, make sure you have the insurance papers and registeration paper for the car you take for driving. Also, make sure the indicators and other parts of the car are working

FlatDog

My car isn't suitable for doing the test in, it has a foot pedal for the hand brake. No rental car company will let you do the test in their cars so I contacted a driving school and I'm using one of their cars so they should have all this covered. I'm meeting them 1hr before to drive around and get comfortable in it and know the area around the test station a bit. Thanks.

hobbes79

I passed the Texan theory without reading the book. One fellow did fail while I was there, though he did have to admit he couldn't read

Did the practical fine too. Actually took the test in a Hertz rental car. I was unclear if that was ok or not… when asked for insurance docs I just handed them everything Hertz gave me. The examiner took one glance at the stack of paperwork and said "that's fine, let's go".

I then exchanged that joke of a license for a Mass one without any additional tests

PS. Not sure why the foot pedal hand brake would be an issue I rented a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe this weekend just gone, and that had a foot pedal for the hand brake.

FlatDog

Massachusetts are fussy, and they are clear you can't take your test in a car without a central hand brake, so if you get in trouble the examiner can pull on it to stop you I guess.

hobbes79

I live and learn

English Muffin

I think Mass are definitely fussier than other states when it comes to driving tests. I kept reading on here how easy the tests over here were but mine wasn't!!

I passed the written test purely by luck (the fact that it was multiple choice) and found the practical much harder than I was expecting too. I did pass it but it wasn't easy!