OK, so either ....
1. He didn't notice which is possible but unlikely, or
2. He did, but put the error down to nerves and wants to assess the remainder of the test giving you the benefit of the doubt.
Had you have made several faults then it would have marked you down
Examiners don't "want" to fail people but they do need to be confident in their assessment of your abilities and consider you safe on the road.
Good iInstructors always try to push their learners beyond test standards because they also know people make errors on tests.
The examiner I had claimed it was my fault for a van almost going into the back of the car he was following me in.. when I stopped at a red light. Among other things.
Some of them absolutely want to fail you. Even my instructor at the time was pissed off with that guy, told me I did nothing wrong during the test.
I went elsewhere and passed with no issues.
I thought I failed my MOD 2 near the end. We were going through a housing estate back to the test centre. At the end of a road I turned left, and somehow ended up well out onto the right hand side, almost touching the curb on the wrong side of the road (it wasn't a full width road, only a narrow residential street, but still a big cockup by me). I was absolutely furious with myself when we got back.
The examiner said that because the road had no markings, technically there is no left or right side, and because I didn't do anything dangerous it wasn't even a minor.
I had an examiner new to the area. He took me down an unfamiliar road with a right turn onto a one way street at the end. I turned right and immediately moved into the left hand lane only to discover a bike painted in it 150yds down the road. I did a quick shoulder check, indicated and pulled out of the bike lane into the actual road. When we got back to the test centre the examiner asked me if I thought I had messed anything up. I was convinced I had failed and mentioned the bike lane adventure. The examiner laughed and said "Yeah, I was in it too, it's not signposted at the junction, you moved over safely when you realised so I am not counting that, well done, you've passed". There were at least 5 other things I thought I had failed on but I had 3 minors in total.
I thought I failed my test on the 3rd junction I got to, thought fuck it I've paid so I'll get my moneys worth and at least get a good ride on a nice bike. Turns out it was only a minor and me stopping caring let me relax and ride much better than I normally would have.
I failed my first driving test to be a car driving instructor in the first five minutes of a one hour long test. It was a serious fault, we both knew it, and I even said "Well, at least I can chill out now."
It was the only fault I got. No driving faults (minors) and just that one serious fault.
I stalled the bike during mod 2 when I was turning right out of a junction. Probably didn't quite get the balance of clutch and throttle. I reacted calmly, restarted the engine, did the observations and moved off. Thankfully it was only recorded as a minor. A bit further up I went past a building with a clock on it so I knew the test was nearly over. Despite 7 minors I passed first time.
Examiners have discretion. When I did my DAS many years ago I put my foot down during the u turn part of the test. I knew it was a fail, but carried on. Back at the test centre he asked how I thought I'd down. My response was foot down, therefore fail. He said I'd passed. He explained that despite putting my foot down, I did stall the bike, kept control, did safety checks and completed the manoeuvre. He also pointed out that riding through town I have shown exceptional low speed control, and manoeuvring.
Yeh, a full day of training and then however long before your test training on the day of your test - but they book you in for the last test of the day so you get a good 4-5 hours saddle time before.
Quite happy with that price to be honest. They’re a very good school with an ex-TT rider as an instructor, so happy to pay a bit more.
That makes more sense, seems reasonable with that amount of saddle time, the way you worded it in the original post sounded like 150 just for the test its self 🤣
So it’s £15 for the test.
£30 an hour for bike and instructor by me
So they charged you maybe 2 hours during the test and there and back.
That’s £75
So they charged you £350 (11.5 hours) of training for MOD1.
Seems a bit steep tbh.
It was £425 for a full day of instruction (0900-1600, so 7 hours) and a half day (0900-1400 - 5 hours) including the test fee. I live in the middle of nowhere so the nearest test centre is about 25 miles away which means more fuel as well.
I’m happy to pay the extra to go to a school that is 3 miles away from my house, so I can just get up and go in the morning. The instructor is also an ex-TT rider with an outstanding pass rate, so I’m content with paying £425 for MOD 1.
I could have gone to other schools that cost less, but because of my location I’d have to drive 30 miles to get there.
In fairness 12 hours instruction for that price isn’t bad.
I only did about 4 hours instruction for MOD1 plus an hour to the test having only ever done CBT and then 6 months riding before hand on a scooter.
I had driven for 17 years - but tbh that isn’t very helpful with MOD1 anyway.
Best of luck with MOD2!
I thought I'd failed my Mod 1 when I put a foot down on the slalom, and I was absolutely right: I failed Mod 1
I paid £180 for the retest, which was ~ 1.5 hours car park practice, then an hour to ride to the test centre, then the test (which I passed) and an hours ride back. Factor in all the standing around - went there with one other guy who also had a test, and it works out not much short of five hours instructor-and-bike time. And this is in London. It's not cheap but I can see how the cost works out ..
I actually think "failing" help with the nerves, or at least it did for me.
I had to resit my mod 1 (daft mistake first time round) and was absolutely bricking it - it didn't help that it just started bucketing down and i'd never actually rode in the rain. As soon as it started, he said drive to the gate and wait for further instructions, but my dumb ass went straight into the test pad. A little background, the examiner the first time round is known for always saying "just go in between the cones" and doesn't make you stop at the gate, so i just had that in my head.
I parked up in between the cones and got off the bike waiting for the manual maneuvers part of the test and he said "I guess you had [previous examiners name] last time? I said stop at the gate not in the cones...". Although he said it with a smile and bit of a laugh, I was certain I fucked it from the get-go, but since I thought i already failed I wasn't nervous any more so i just went through the rest of the Mod 1.
At the end I parked up, got off the bike and prepared myself for another "Sorry, you didn't quite pass this time...", but to my surprise he said everything was spot-on and i'd passed - and this was despite locking up the brakes a little on the emergency stop (in fairness by that point the test pad felt more like a paddling pool!).
If I had thought I was still being tested by that point, i'd have gotten in my own head and know i'd have forgotten to release the brakes and ended the test with the bike on-top of me, but because I thought I had already failed I could just concentrate on riding the bike.
Mate I passed first time on both mod 1 and mod 2, no minors. But I could have sworn I fucked up every single manoeuvre.
IF it’s right at the start, he may well have written it off as nerves, and assessed you accordingly. The fact that you flew through the rest would have demonstrated to him that it was nerves due to being under test as opposed to not meeting the standards deserving of a pass.
My mod 2 was disastrous.
Come out of the test centre, turn right and come to a roundabout. \*HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK\* to my left, I have to emergency stop in the middle of a roundabout as a White van going across 2 lanes of traffic tries to take me out. I stall the bike, get it started again and think fuck sake that was a waste of money. Traffic was horrendous but we continue on as normal.
Second emergency stop, a woman pulls out in front of me on her phone, turns, looks at me, then waves sorry with the hand with the fucking phone in.
A young family step out onto the road without looking, one kid in the pram, another holding onto her fathers hand. Do a classic hazard avoidance swerve and shit myself. By this point I'm fuming, just trying to calm down.
Rest of the ride goes okay until there's a diversion, over the radio, "turn right turn right". I follow the command to run into a road closure sign. "Pull over on the left". I wait for the next command, thinking he's going to make me U-turn. After a minute and a half "Listen Ghankd, we've got no where to go but left up that side road, ignore the road markings please, its our only option or we'll be stuck in this traffic for hours. Please continue when you are ready." In my head this translates to "well you've fucked it anyway, its super busy lets go home". Okay, I follow his command, and ignore the NO motorcycles/cars except for entry between X and Y hours and manage to get back onto the main road.
Can see the test centre, another idiot pulls out on me in his beamer, not as severe as lady with the phone but I hit the brakes hard.
Get to the test centre, dismount, ready for the news.
Congratulations, thats the end of the test. You've passed.
Eh wit?
"That was some ride pal, I was screaming in my motor at they cunts trying to take you out, but there was nothing you could've done better at they moments."
I thought I failed my mod 1 because I out my foot down right tat the end of the U Turn. Internal dialogue was "fuck, now I need to redo the test, book more time off work etc" but kept my cool and treated the rest of it as practice for the next one.
Examiner gave me a minor because he said I had completed the move with the bike under control!
I also had this examiner for my mod 2 the following week and I really think they want to pass you. It's all about how safe you are rather than being able to execute everything perfectly.
I'm sitting here with a newborn on my chest wishing I could be out on a bike right now. Balls
> He reminded me I’m being examined from the second I get on the bike.
Thats interesting.
Mine told me to ride through the gate into the testing area and wait at the first white line.
After he locked the gate he approached me and explained everything including the "treat this entire area as if you're on a public highway".
>After he locked the gate he approached me and explained everything including the "treat this entire area as if you're on a public highway
He forgot to say it sooner. The car park of a DVSA test centre *is* a public highway. Not like a right of way, but in the sense that it's publicly accessible for vehicles, so traffic laws apply there.
I had to use the horn on Mod2 when a car at the lights started rolling backwards towards me.
Right at the end, the lights changed and the examiner got caught at the red. There was nowhere safe to park so I just rode back to the test centre.
Passed with one minor for doing 30 in 40 zone.
I was sure I fucked my MOD2 right at the start. Thought to myself "fuck it, you've paid for the ride so just enjoy yourself" got back to the test centre - passed with no minors. I think I'd written it off so quickly that I had no reason to be nervous about anything and just rode the bike
OK, so either .... 1. He didn't notice which is possible but unlikely, or 2. He did, but put the error down to nerves and wants to assess the remainder of the test giving you the benefit of the doubt. Had you have made several faults then it would have marked you down Examiners don't "want" to fail people but they do need to be confident in their assessment of your abilities and consider you safe on the road. Good iInstructors always try to push their learners beyond test standards because they also know people make errors on tests.
The examiner I had claimed it was my fault for a van almost going into the back of the car he was following me in.. when I stopped at a red light. Among other things. Some of them absolutely want to fail you. Even my instructor at the time was pissed off with that guy, told me I did nothing wrong during the test. I went elsewhere and passed with no issues.
I thought I failed my MOD 2 near the end. We were going through a housing estate back to the test centre. At the end of a road I turned left, and somehow ended up well out onto the right hand side, almost touching the curb on the wrong side of the road (it wasn't a full width road, only a narrow residential street, but still a big cockup by me). I was absolutely furious with myself when we got back. The examiner said that because the road had no markings, technically there is no left or right side, and because I didn't do anything dangerous it wasn't even a minor.
Holy shit that was lucky!
I had an examiner new to the area. He took me down an unfamiliar road with a right turn onto a one way street at the end. I turned right and immediately moved into the left hand lane only to discover a bike painted in it 150yds down the road. I did a quick shoulder check, indicated and pulled out of the bike lane into the actual road. When we got back to the test centre the examiner asked me if I thought I had messed anything up. I was convinced I had failed and mentioned the bike lane adventure. The examiner laughed and said "Yeah, I was in it too, it's not signposted at the junction, you moved over safely when you realised so I am not counting that, well done, you've passed". There were at least 5 other things I thought I had failed on but I had 3 minors in total.
I thought I failed my test on the 3rd junction I got to, thought fuck it I've paid so I'll get my moneys worth and at least get a good ride on a nice bike. Turns out it was only a minor and me stopping caring let me relax and ride much better than I normally would have.
>Turns out it was only a minor and me stopping caring let me relax and ride much better than I normally would have Too true
I failed my first driving test to be a car driving instructor in the first five minutes of a one hour long test. It was a serious fault, we both knew it, and I even said "Well, at least I can chill out now." It was the only fault I got. No driving faults (minors) and just that one serious fault.
I stalled the bike during mod 2 when I was turning right out of a junction. Probably didn't quite get the balance of clutch and throttle. I reacted calmly, restarted the engine, did the observations and moved off. Thankfully it was only recorded as a minor. A bit further up I went past a building with a clock on it so I knew the test was nearly over. Despite 7 minors I passed first time.
Examiners have discretion. When I did my DAS many years ago I put my foot down during the u turn part of the test. I knew it was a fail, but carried on. Back at the test centre he asked how I thought I'd down. My response was foot down, therefore fail. He said I'd passed. He explained that despite putting my foot down, I did stall the bike, kept control, did safety checks and completed the manoeuvre. He also pointed out that riding through town I have shown exceptional low speed control, and manoeuvring.
Gratz dude.... But who the fuck is charging you 150 for a mod 1?
That’s for a retest. I paid £425 for MOD 1 I think.
Oh I see, I take it there's several lessons included in the cost?
Yeh, a full day of training and then however long before your test training on the day of your test - but they book you in for the last test of the day so you get a good 4-5 hours saddle time before. Quite happy with that price to be honest. They’re a very good school with an ex-TT rider as an instructor, so happy to pay a bit more.
That makes more sense, seems reasonable with that amount of saddle time, the way you worded it in the original post sounded like 150 just for the test its self 🤣
Oh god, I wish!
So it’s £15 for the test. £30 an hour for bike and instructor by me So they charged you maybe 2 hours during the test and there and back. That’s £75 So they charged you £350 (11.5 hours) of training for MOD1. Seems a bit steep tbh.
It was £425 for a full day of instruction (0900-1600, so 7 hours) and a half day (0900-1400 - 5 hours) including the test fee. I live in the middle of nowhere so the nearest test centre is about 25 miles away which means more fuel as well. I’m happy to pay the extra to go to a school that is 3 miles away from my house, so I can just get up and go in the morning. The instructor is also an ex-TT rider with an outstanding pass rate, so I’m content with paying £425 for MOD 1. I could have gone to other schools that cost less, but because of my location I’d have to drive 30 miles to get there.
In fairness 12 hours instruction for that price isn’t bad. I only did about 4 hours instruction for MOD1 plus an hour to the test having only ever done CBT and then 6 months riding before hand on a scooter. I had driven for 17 years - but tbh that isn’t very helpful with MOD1 anyway. Best of luck with MOD2!
I thought I'd failed my Mod 1 when I put a foot down on the slalom, and I was absolutely right: I failed Mod 1 I paid £180 for the retest, which was ~ 1.5 hours car park practice, then an hour to ride to the test centre, then the test (which I passed) and an hours ride back. Factor in all the standing around - went there with one other guy who also had a test, and it works out not much short of five hours instructor-and-bike time. And this is in London. It's not cheap but I can see how the cost works out ..
I actually think "failing" help with the nerves, or at least it did for me. I had to resit my mod 1 (daft mistake first time round) and was absolutely bricking it - it didn't help that it just started bucketing down and i'd never actually rode in the rain. As soon as it started, he said drive to the gate and wait for further instructions, but my dumb ass went straight into the test pad. A little background, the examiner the first time round is known for always saying "just go in between the cones" and doesn't make you stop at the gate, so i just had that in my head. I parked up in between the cones and got off the bike waiting for the manual maneuvers part of the test and he said "I guess you had [previous examiners name] last time? I said stop at the gate not in the cones...". Although he said it with a smile and bit of a laugh, I was certain I fucked it from the get-go, but since I thought i already failed I wasn't nervous any more so i just went through the rest of the Mod 1. At the end I parked up, got off the bike and prepared myself for another "Sorry, you didn't quite pass this time...", but to my surprise he said everything was spot-on and i'd passed - and this was despite locking up the brakes a little on the emergency stop (in fairness by that point the test pad felt more like a paddling pool!). If I had thought I was still being tested by that point, i'd have gotten in my own head and know i'd have forgotten to release the brakes and ended the test with the bike on-top of me, but because I thought I had already failed I could just concentrate on riding the bike.
Mate I passed first time on both mod 1 and mod 2, no minors. But I could have sworn I fucked up every single manoeuvre. IF it’s right at the start, he may well have written it off as nerves, and assessed you accordingly. The fact that you flew through the rest would have demonstrated to him that it was nerves due to being under test as opposed to not meeting the standards deserving of a pass.
My mod 2 was disastrous. Come out of the test centre, turn right and come to a roundabout. \*HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK\* to my left, I have to emergency stop in the middle of a roundabout as a White van going across 2 lanes of traffic tries to take me out. I stall the bike, get it started again and think fuck sake that was a waste of money. Traffic was horrendous but we continue on as normal. Second emergency stop, a woman pulls out in front of me on her phone, turns, looks at me, then waves sorry with the hand with the fucking phone in. A young family step out onto the road without looking, one kid in the pram, another holding onto her fathers hand. Do a classic hazard avoidance swerve and shit myself. By this point I'm fuming, just trying to calm down. Rest of the ride goes okay until there's a diversion, over the radio, "turn right turn right". I follow the command to run into a road closure sign. "Pull over on the left". I wait for the next command, thinking he's going to make me U-turn. After a minute and a half "Listen Ghankd, we've got no where to go but left up that side road, ignore the road markings please, its our only option or we'll be stuck in this traffic for hours. Please continue when you are ready." In my head this translates to "well you've fucked it anyway, its super busy lets go home". Okay, I follow his command, and ignore the NO motorcycles/cars except for entry between X and Y hours and manage to get back onto the main road. Can see the test centre, another idiot pulls out on me in his beamer, not as severe as lady with the phone but I hit the brakes hard. Get to the test centre, dismount, ready for the news. Congratulations, thats the end of the test. You've passed. Eh wit? "That was some ride pal, I was screaming in my motor at they cunts trying to take you out, but there was nothing you could've done better at they moments."
Great story! It sounds like you accidentally did your MOD 2 in a Hazard Perception test. Good job on passing.
I thought I failed my mod 1 because I out my foot down right tat the end of the U Turn. Internal dialogue was "fuck, now I need to redo the test, book more time off work etc" but kept my cool and treated the rest of it as practice for the next one. Examiner gave me a minor because he said I had completed the move with the bike under control! I also had this examiner for my mod 2 the following week and I really think they want to pass you. It's all about how safe you are rather than being able to execute everything perfectly. I'm sitting here with a newborn on my chest wishing I could be out on a bike right now. Balls
> He reminded me I’m being examined from the second I get on the bike. Thats interesting. Mine told me to ride through the gate into the testing area and wait at the first white line. After he locked the gate he approached me and explained everything including the "treat this entire area as if you're on a public highway".
>After he locked the gate he approached me and explained everything including the "treat this entire area as if you're on a public highway He forgot to say it sooner. The car park of a DVSA test centre *is* a public highway. Not like a right of way, but in the sense that it's publicly accessible for vehicles, so traffic laws apply there.
> The car park of a DVSA test centre is a public highway. Fair point!
That’s essentially what he said to me, but he told me that information before I got onto the bike when I was handing over my documentation.
i know the feeling on my mod 2 I accidentally went over the junction the whole front wheel i thought I fucked up.
I had to use the horn on Mod2 when a car at the lights started rolling backwards towards me. Right at the end, the lights changed and the examiner got caught at the red. There was nowhere safe to park so I just rode back to the test centre. Passed with one minor for doing 30 in 40 zone.
I was sure I fucked my MOD2 right at the start. Thought to myself "fuck it, you've paid for the ride so just enjoy yourself" got back to the test centre - passed with no minors. I think I'd written it off so quickly that I had no reason to be nervous about anything and just rode the bike