Licence Test
It is advisable to have a lesson some weeks prior to the test date. This gives you a chance to understand & put driving test criteria into practice.
VIC Roads has a set test route with set marking criteria. Each VIC Roads office has 10-15 potential test routes.
You need to be in VIC Roads office 10 minutes prior to test time. A tester will call your time and you approach the counter. They will check your learner’s permit, address and ask if you have any medical problems. If you believe you may have a medical issue, a medical form must be submitted to VIC Roads medical department one month before the test date. This saves embarrassment & hassles on the test day.
An eyesight test is done prior to the driving test. It could be useful visiting a VIC Roads office & checking eyesight chart before the test date.
The drive test happens in 2 parts. The first part is 10 minutes on back streets which includes checking how you stop and start the car, making turns, minor judgement decisions and how you can do a reverse park or 3 point turn. After 10 minutes driving, you are directed to pull over, the tester scores test sheet to see if you are competent to move to the next stage.
The second stage requires a higher level of decision making, often travelling on 80 Km/hour roads. The tester will test your skill at lane changing and picking safe gaps in moving traffic.
Failing a test on points is unusual but ‘Critical Errors’ like:
- Not signalling when required
- Stopping past a STOP line
- Stalling in the manual car
Above are a continual challenge and can lead to a FAIL.
Over the speed limit, and staying below the speed limit in school zones are regular ITs (Instant Termination).
A Caution Orange / Yellow light means STOP unless not safe to stop. If you cannot stop safely before the STOP line, keep going. As you approach a Green Light, think how long has it been Green, is it likely to change, so you are prepared to stop, if the light does change.
The tester is not out ‘to get you‘. Even if you are an experienced driver, the test environment can be a stressful occasion. Do not talk yourself into failing.
