I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 21. It took me not one, not two, but three tries to pass my behind-the-wheel test. I passed eventually, but it kind of gave me this vibe that I’m not a naturally good driver; staying calm and paying attention to things ahead (what lane should I be in, what street do I need to turn, etc) were difficult at first.
When I told my friends/family I was training to be a bus driver, it raised a few eyebrows. I’m usually the guy who sits in the passenger seat so I don’t have to stress about driving, and now I’m essentially going to be doing it as a job. Of course when I first started driving in training I was nervous as hell.
When they told us about our drive final (to get a commercial driver’s license w/passenger endorsement, required to operate a bus) they were mentioning all the things that cause you to instantly fail the test. The thing that concerned most people was hitting curbs. Now, in training, everybody would hit a curb while making a right turn from time to time- but during practice it was less pressure because the instructors generally took it as a learning experience (and typically having you drive around the block to try it again, so you know how to turn around the corner correctly). They also mentioned that you only get two tries at the drive test- while the DMV says you get three, this place works to a higher standard on a lot of the rules, and will let people go if they fail the drive final twice.
Being a nervous person, I thought I would be an absolute wreck when it was my turn. However, a few things worked in my favor- One, I ended up going a day before I planned to go, so I had one less day to worry about it coming up. Two, I went off to a very good start in the initial testing (vehicle inspection, brake test, skills course) and didn’t make a single error. This made me feel pretty good when I drove the bus out on the drive course. I made pretty wide turns, being careful to avoid curbs, and stopped at every railroad track I could not remember were exempt. This definitely worked out well for me, because I passed the final and got my new license.
What made me particularly proud is that I felt like I got through something that I was not particularly good/well suited at doing, and made a great deal of progress in being a calmer and more observant driver. Has anyone else made this kind of improvement in a test? Maybe not even a written test, but something like mine- where you have to demonstrate ability to operate something, or something physical.