Pass your driving test by learning to overcome your nerves

How to Overcome Driving Test Nerves

Mark Glasby

Passing your test

There is no doubt about it that being nervous can cause a well qualified teenage driver to fail their divers test. If these new drivers want to finally get on the road, they will need to learn how to overcome driving test nerves.

As the mind starts to get anxious, the body begins to experience elevated levels of stress that make it difficult for the brain to perform normal mental processes and physical tasks.

If this happens while you are trying to take a diving test, it will definitely affect your ability to perform. With inexperienced drivers, this could lead to some problems. However, if a young driver is educated on how to recognize the stress and control it, they should have no problem passing on test day.

Laying the smack down on driving test nerves

Standing there waiting to drive a car with some stranger who will be judging your every move can be stressful, to say the least. Seems like in the moments before you get in the car to start your driving test you have already imagined the car crashing every possible way that a car can crash, you have hit every cone while parallel parking and everyone you know was watching the whole thing happen.

In reality, driving tests are very low pressure and is not that big a deal. Also, car safety is on a whole new level than ever before. The instructor does this every day, and has dealt with all kinds of nervous people, so there's really not much to be worried about.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Fear of failure? Well, the good news is that it is completely normal to get worried and a little stressed out. So, if it is normal to get stressed out, how do you stop it from affecting your driving performance during the test?

Practice is the best way. Be comfortable with the car you're taking the test with. Being familiar and having that little bit of muscle memory already built in will take a lot of the edge off. If possible, try not to choose a large vehicle. Small sports cars would be perfect, or any smaller, easy to handle vehicle.

It is also important to be well rested and good to go on test day. There are many different ways to relax, and many people find different ways of calming themselves.

Be well prepared, take some deep breaths and don't worry. Everyone gets driving text nerves, and you will be able to pass just like the millions of people before you.