Test reflections

Hi all. On a trucking forum I visit regularly a bloke was saying about how he failed his car C test due to as he saw it an over-zealous examiner.

It got me thinking back to my own test a year ago. My examiner was a bit of an areshole to be honest. (Norwich test centre for those that know). Passed first time but he did lecture me in the room after and even though I'd been pre-warned about this it did take me by surprise.

One point he said was around going round some standing water. This was in Acle where the road goes under the railway line - the road drops down under a bridge then comes up again. We'd had pretty bad weather in the week before including snow and rain.

My lane and some of the opposing lane was flooded to a depth I estimated to be about a foot deep (couldn't see what was under the surface in any case). I thought: do I ride through it go around? Bearing in mind I was on test.

In the end I thought I'd go around - I thought he'd fail me straight away if I rode through. This wasn't a puddle by the way , but a flooded road, with a warning sign before the bridge.

Traffic was coming the other way so I waiting for about a minute till they'd gone, done all the right checks etc and went around and pulled back onto my side no problems.

He gave me a minor for this as I'd held traffic my side for a minute waiting for a clear spot to go around. I did say " I thought you'd fail me if I rode through, the water was this deep" and indicated with my hand a foot from the top of the table we were sitting at, and he said "What, from the floor?"

Jesus christ I thought what a thicket and said no, the table... anyway I did pass and maybe should have stayed silent but there we are. I was polite etc and didn't go on about it too much as you just want to get out of there but it wasn't the test I was expecting let's put it that way.

Any thoughts on this?

In those sort of situations you just do what you think is best at the time using your own experience and from what you have learnt. I have to do regular advanced car re tests at work and it can be annoying, what one instructor will praise you for another may give you a bit of constructive advice.

I always just agree with them and give the impression I'm taking something amazing away from their advice and it's served me well. Sometimes bigging someone up does work and occasionally you can take something away from it.

The way I see it you negotiated a hazard well, you identified it and planned how to deal with it. Yes maybe you held someone up bit as the saying goes it's better to be 10 minutes late in this life than 10 early in the next one. Emergency services drive to make the best safe progress but for the rest of us it's about being safe and considering all other road users.

I'd say you did exactly the same as I'd have done in the same situation, it's ok if you can see through the standing water but most times you cant see through it so I'd say dont worry about the instructor giving you a minor