<p>So. My driving test is next thursday (i'm in CA, but that shouldn't really make much of a difference).</p>
<p>Any tips for me?</p>
<p>stop at the stop line of the stop sign before you proceed. turn right on red if its ok. if there is a pedestrian in the crosswalk, even if they are far away, dont go. drive with both hands on the wheel.</p>
<p>on my drivers test, i lost four points for accidentally not turning where she told me to (she said turn right up here, and i was thinking she meant a right turn way up by a light, but there was a little turn off before the light, haha), and then four points for looking over my shoulder too late when i was changing lanes, four points because i couldnt parallel park my moms SUV (it sucked because my car that i always practiced in got a flat tire the day before the test), four points when i was backing around a corner and looked in my mirror for some of the time instead of only out the back window, and my last four points that i lost was for not turning my wheels when i was parking on a hill. so dont make any of those mistakes, haha. good luck.</p>
<p>After parallel parking don't hit the car in front of you like my friend did. :P When coming out of a block, even with no stop sign, make sure to stop completely, don't just yield. I got points off for that. When backing up make sure you look back every second you're car is moving back. I looked forward a couple of seconds and got points off.
I made a lot of mistakes, but still passed, so its really not as hard as all my friends who failed the first time made it seem.</p>
<p>Shoulder check as much as possible.</p>
<p>wait...do we have to parallel park in CA? I'm not sure we have to, since it isn't on the DMV website thingy.</p>
<p>Well, I hope not anyway.</p>
<p>scan. like look down all th streets you pass to make sure no ones coming. they're such nazis and always dock points because people dont do that.</p>
<p>ALWAYS check over your shoulder. especially when going into the bike lane.</p>
<p>dont do a california roll at stop signs, lmao. i did that and got points docked. do the 3 second rule. its lame, but whatever.</p>
<p>and we dont parallel park. you just pull to the side of the road and back up in a straight line. when you're doing that, dont press the gas if you're in an automatic. that disgustingly slow crawl is what the dmv wants. </p>
<p>its an easy test though, so dont stress.</p>
<p>I'm in CA, too. I just took my driving test last week. </p>
<p>You don't have to parallel park. I had to pull up to a curb and back up straight for about 100 feet and later had to pull into a parking spot (at the DMV), but that's about as advanced as it got.</p>
<p>They'll ask you where all the controls on your car are (emergency brakes, signals, headlights, etc). If they ask you something you don't know, just pretend to know it and point to anything. They don't know your car, so they can't mark it off.</p>
<p>SCAN! You'll feel rediculous, but keep looking left and right. Check your mirrors every 3 seconds. </p>
<p>If they give you a direction you don't understand, ask for clarification.</p>
<p>Just be confident. I think they have a good deal of discretion, so if they think you seem like a confident driver, they're more likely to pass you and overlook your little mistakes. It's really not that bad.</p>
<p>Drive at or below the speed limit (but not too much... only a mph or so below). If it's raining, ask if you should slow down because if it. I did, and my testing person was impressed, haha. It was excruciating, driving that slow, but I passed with no points off.</p>
<p>I don't know if they make you back into a spot or not in CA -- they do in CT -- but practice it anyway. And make sure you do not go over either line when parking. Doing so automatically fails you in CT; it might be the same in CA.</p>
<p>Oh, and you have a written/computerized portion, right? Make sure you study for that... even though people say it's easy, it's REALLY embarrassing if you fail that part of it. And in CT, there are sometimes questions that aren't answered in the study guides, so you don't want to get something wrong that you could have gotten right.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>for our computerized test in washington, there was a lot of questions about speed limits in various places (like school zones, county roads, city roads, highways) and all the drinking laws.</p>
<p>that's weird that you guys have computerized/written tests. we only have those after the first part of drivers ed, and you only need 80/100 to pass. it's ridiculously easy (for example: "what do you do when you come to a red, octagon shaped sign on the road?").
the road test consists of a parking part and a driving part. you can get 6 points on the parking part and 25 i think on the driving one and still pass. for parking you have to back into a spot, parallel park, and then do a forward stop within one foot of a cone without hitting it. i got 5 points haha cuz i suck at parking.
the driving thing is just general driving, and i didn't get any points there :D yay me.</p>
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<p>Ack, I hate backing into spaces...that's annoying. Any other tips for CT? I just got my permit here so it won't be for a while, but it would be nice to keep in mind. </p>
<p>Oh, and puppylover6464, I'm guessing you're in MI, right? You're right about the written test...I got a 97 on that thing.</p>
<p>I'm in CA, too. I'm taking my written test this Thursday. </p>
<p>I'm sure you'll do fine. :] Good luck!</p>
<p>No parallel parking in CA. Follow the instructions to a T. Look over your shoulder. Don't run anyone over. Obey the signs. Look around you. Actually turn your head. Keep control of your vehicle. I passed the first time with -6 (-15 is passing). I got -1 for almost running over a guy on a bike, -1 for almost losing control of the car on a tight turn, and -4 for not looking enough..anyway good luck.</p>
<p>Check your blind spots, even if you don't have to. Check them a million times when changing lanes or whenever you should be. And don't make a California stop (teehee. Sorry for the name.)</p>
<p>When I took my driving test, it had snowed 4 inches the night before, and with my appointment at 8 am, none of the streets were plowed. Bad as that sounds, it was a major plus because I only had to drive 15 mph the whole time. In Ohio there is no parallel parking, but we do have to drive through this cone setup and then back through it. </p>
<p>Sorry, but I can't offer any tips on the driving part because my examiner didn't mark anything at all other than "pass". Just don't do anything that would scare the examiner and you should be fine.</p>
<p>haha yeah i'm in michigan. i got 100 on the written test. i almost wish i didn't because it makes me seem like a hardcore nerd when people ask me what i got :(</p>
<p>The only thing the guy said to me was that I didn't look both ways when going through a green light. Errr.... Alright.</p>
<p>Hey, I got 100% on the Michigan written test too!!! We can be friends now!</p>
<p>After I took my driving test the instructor seemed really ****ed and was talking about how I did all this random stuff wrong, but then he said I passed!!!! Most people who administer the driving test are grumpy so just keep that in mind.</p>
<p>shoulder check, and use the signals...</p>
<p>haha. anybody else get 100 on their state's written drivers test? we should start a facebook/myspace group or something ;)</p>