How to pass the NSW driving test
To pass your driving test in NSW you need to score 90% and have no fail item. The test involves a Testing Officer directing you through 25 zones and recording your performance on a score sheet. Low-risk driving is the key to passing your driving test.
The driving test has five performance indicators:
● Speed management
● Road positioning
● Decision making
● Responding to hazards
● Vehicle control
First, three of the above are where you will be assessed on low-risk driving, where one of the key skills is observation. For example, you should always be aware of shoulder checks also call blind spot checks.
Scanning is also very important, keeping your eyes moving and not looking at any single area for more than a few seconds. When driving around corners turn your head and ‘look through’ corners, showing that you are aware of where you are directing the vehicle. Always remember to slow down if you can’t see more than five seconds ahead of you.
When scanning look:
● In the distance;
● At the road surface;
● To the left and right ;
● In the mirrors and
● At the instrument and gauges.
During the test you will be asked to do several manoeuvres, including the following:
● A kerb side stop;
● A hill start;
● A three-point turn; and
● Parking (reverse parallel, 90 degrees, 45 degrees)
A Three Point Turn
During the three-point turn, you can use a maximum of 5 direction changes, but the Testing Officer will expect you to finish in 3 direction changes.
A Reverse Parallel Park
For the reverse parallel park, you can use 4 direction changes. Every time you change gears and move the vehicle it will count as one direction change. For Sydney driving tests you are only asked to do a parallel park.
How to complete a reverse parallel park
I have been asked this question many times and my answer is this: reverse parking is the easiest thing to learn! You just have to learn the following steps.
Here’s my four-step reverse parking:
Line up your car’s mirror with the car mirror that you are attempting to park behind
Bring the car to a 45-degree angle, by turning the steering wheel to the left while reversing slowly
Bring the car close to the kerb, by turning the steering wheel back to the centre position
Straighten up the car, by turning the steering wheel slowly to the right while reversing slowly
You have to do a few essential observation checks and signals during the above steps:
Signal and shoulder check to the left before you line up the vehicle
Perform 360-degree checks before you bring your car to the 45-degree angle
Keep your indicator on the left signal as you go close to the kerb
Remember to turn on the indicator again if it goes off so other cars know what you are doing!
For the driving test in NSW, you can do a reverse parallel park using a maximum of four directional changes. Every time you change gears and move the vehicle, it will be counted as a directional change.
How to do a three-point turn
If you are going for your driving test in NSW, you will be asked to do either a reverse park or a three-point turn. You need to know both, as it is up to the Testing Officer what they might ask. The ‘three-point turn’ is like making a ‘U-turn’ but with three directional changes:
1. Bring the car at a 90-degree angle to the kerb, by turning the steering wheel to the right
2. Reverse back, by turning the steering wheel to the left
3. Finish the turn by turning the steering wheel back to the right
With the three-point turn you also have to do a few essential checks and signals at each of those steps:
1. Signal for five seconds and shoulder check to the right before you take off from the kerb
2. Perform a shoulder check and signal left before coming back to the left
3. Signal right and perform a 360 check
For the driving test in NSW, you are allowed to do a maximum of five directional changes. If the Testing Office deems it possible to complete the turn in three directional changes you will be expected to achieve that.
Roundabout rules in NSW
In NSW you are required to signal in and out at the roundabout unless you travelling straight in a signal lane roundabout. For a multi-lane roundabout, you have to indicate left as you leave the roundabout.
If you turn right signal right and enter the roundabout, that means you are entering the roundabout
Just before you exit the roundabout signal left, which lets the other vehicles know you are leaving the roundabout
Buffering
Buffering is keeping as much space to the side of your vehicle as is practical in any situation. You should have at least one metre from another vehicle and also a metre from other parked cars on the left so they can open their doors.
Where it is impossible to keep a metre of space on either side you must slow down. Buffering is covered under Road positioning and is an essential part of the Low risk-driving principle of the NSW driving test.
Blind spots checks and how to do them
Blind spots or shoulder checks are an essential part of driving in Australia. They are so essential that you are only allowed to miss two for the NSW driving test, and more than that is a fail. I have been asked so many times why we need to do them, and my answer is simple ‘BLIND SPOTS’ if we just rely on our mirrors we could easily miss who is next to us in the next lane. You must turn your head and check blind spots before,
Changing lanes.
Leaving and returning to the kerb.
Merging and diverging.
Reversing.
Turning left.
Turning right.
Joining the traffic steam.
Leaving the inside lane of a multilane roundabout.
3 seconds gap, what is it and how to count
Speed management is an essential part of the low-risk driving principle. You must drive at a safe and legal speed to suit traffic. Weather and road conditions.
You must adjust your speed to maintain crash avoidance space to the front of the vehicle. The minimum safe distance needed is three seconds. This must be increased in poor conditions, or when you are being followed too closely by another vehicle.
How to count three seconds, when the rear of the vehicle in front of you passes a stationary object start a three-second count ‘one thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand and three’.
Responding To Hazards
Responding to hazards is an essential skill for low-risk driving. During the test, if you see a hazard you will need to respond by covering your break or easing off the accelerator.
Test Score
The driving test usually goes for 45 minutes. After the test, the Testing Officer will tell you your score and any mistakes you might have made. If you scored over 90 % and don’t make any failed items you will be issued with NSW driver’s license. Congratulations!
A guide to the driving test
A guide to the driving test is the most important tool you need to pass the driving test, please use the link provided to get your free resource,
Comments