So you have failed your driving test...again, what to do next

Hearing the words, "I am sorry to say that you did not pass your test this time" can be heartbreaking. Hearing these words multiple time can be catastrophic. If you have failed your practical driving test more than three times, chances are you feel discouraged, ashamed and may even be on the brink of giving up all together. Don't! Studies have shown that only a small percentage of learners pass their tests first time. So you are not alone and failing it doesn't mean that you are stupid. Passing the test has nothing to do with intelligence. Furthermore failing the test could be useful if put into perspective. Here is how

1) When you have failed your test again, if you feel like screaming then scream. If you feel like crying then cry. Do what you feel like, just get the emotions out of your system. Then with a clear head, get that goal of getting your licence back in focus and start again. Don't get stuck in the 'poor me' syndrome, it can be paralysing and self defeating.

2) Look at what caused you to fail and see if it's the same thing you failed on previously or a new thing. If it's the same thing then you know exactly where you need more practise. This means that you can centre your next driving lessons on that specific thing(s). If it's something new, see it as an opportunity to brush up on your overall driving skills. It is much better to make mistakes while you are still a learner than to do so on your own. Consider this; most accidents , including fatal ones, are caused by first time drivers in the first two years of getting their licences. Why? The reason for this is that first time drivers are still learning. The main difference is when still learning on your own and bound to make some mistakes, you haven't got a back up instructor next to you. So don't see your failure as a negative thing instead see it as a blessing allowing you to brush off any jitters and errors before you take on the road on your own. See it as a chance to avoid adding to the accident prone first-time licence holder statistic.

Which one would you rather; pass your test and end up in a horrid crash or fail it and get a chance to be a better driver? Remember you will have the rest of your life to drive so what if it takes you a few times to get there? It might take you seven times to pass but once you do, you will drive as much as you like and for as long as you wish. Point being, it's not the end of the world so don't act like it is. Keep your wits about you and keep trying.

3) Passing a test is not a full measure of your driving skills. It does give a parameter of where your overall level lay but it isn't the be all and end all. Many factors can contribute to whether you pass on the day or not. Some of these factors are beyond your control for example, an aspect of luck is definitely needed on the day. Luck may not be on your side on the day. There is also a small matter of who is your examiner on the day. You could have someone who makes you edgy or stressed, someone unfriendly doesn't help when you are under pressure already. You could also have someone who needs to have someone fail that day! Sounds odd but the examiners do have a system that monitor how high/low their individual and collective pass rates are. Get someone who has had too many passes and chances are you could be failed on something that someone else might have overlooked. You could also be taken to the most difficult route for the time of your test just to maximise the chances of you making a mistake or two.

Although this is rare, it still does exist so cut yourself some slack. These are not idle excuses but things that can, and have, caused people to fail. Someone has to fail and it could just be you on the day. Keep trying though cause next time it might just be your day. You will never know unless you try, right?

4) See it as an important task that requires time and practise, something that everyone learns on their own time. Remember when you were a baby learning to walk? Do you (or anyone who was there) remember how many times you fell before you could stand up on your own two feet and walk? Chances are no one remembers how long it took you to walk nor do they care. Same thing here, it doesn't matter how many times it takes you to get your full licence just that you do at the time when it's right for you. That time will come, spring doesn't last forever, and just like seasons your turn will come. Don't give up. Don't worry that other people around you are judging you by the number of times you fail your test, they are not. If they are, it shouldn't matter anyways cause once you get the licence it will all be irrelevant.

5) Put the financial side into perspective too. Yes, it is expensive to keep taking tests and keep taking lessons each time you fail but you are getting better with each practise. Make sure you are taking advantage of these chances to really brush off your driving skills. This is a great skill to have and it's a skill for life so don't just focus on money but what you are getting in return. A licence could bring in better work prospects or even better life-style and freedom, things that you can't put value on.

6) Remember 'failing' is nothing more than finding out how not to do something. It's through 'failing' that major discoveries have been made. Think, Marie Curie who discovered 'radioactivity' by chance, admittedly you may not want to hear about Marie Curie's discoveries (or anyone else's) following failing your test. It's not the discoveries that is the point here but rather the positive outlook that can come out of 'failing'. It is a shame in our society that we had such negative connotations associated with the word 'fail'. In many cases the emotional weight of considering yourself a 'failure' yet again does more harm than good. Furthermore this assumption and it's mental and emotional associations is untrue. Don't see yourself as a 'failure' but rather an experimenter, a scientist of sort, if you will. See the next test as another chance to experiment with your driving skills and discover where (if at all) you may need extra practise.

7) Finally, remember there are worse things that could happen than failing a driving test. Unlike other things, at least with a driving test, you always have another chance. Look up, it's okay, the sky is still up there. Good luck and enjoy your test.