I know I can do it – now I just have to get on with it.
The final day of practise was even more useful than I had anticipated. The morning session started with another gear change exercise. After that we decided to grab a quick coffee before starting a mock test.
Alan took me around one of the test routes to get an idea of where the examiners will try and catch me out. Normal driving was fine, though I got caught out once or twice with some situations which I hadn’t encountered before. One of these was stationary traffic after a right turn, which I could have seen before driving through the green light and around the bend. Though I saw it, it was too late, which meant I was sat on the pedestrian crossing. Remember: Constant forward planning.
Another one of the situations was coming up to a red light. Only after having stopped did Alan point out that the truck parked on the other side of the road meant that a truck coming the other way would not have made it through. In this case I should have sat back a bit further from the red light.
Then Alan took me through some nasty bends on the route. With the first one I had selected the correct gear, gone out wide enough, but forgot the golden rule. Sit back a bit! This meant that a bit of off-roading was required to pull the truck round.
The second tight bend went fine (though this one really was tight).
After a quick debrief and a cracking cheese and bacon burger it was time for another test scenario.
This went much better. I had changed from taking tight bends in fifth gear to taking them in fourth gear. Though this makes it a bit slower, I feel more in control. Alan also said that it’s best to go round in the gear the individual feels comfortable in.
All I have to do is copy that last drive and the test should go fine. I know I can do it, now it’s just a case of doing so. Wish me luck.