Before you acquire your license to drive, it is most probable that the department or government agency that handles your country’s driver licensing would require you to undergo a field test to see whether you have the necessary skills to drive a car. Here are some of the basic skills that you need to improve on. This is usually done in a controlled environment within the office’s premises. And remember that they may have their own vehicle to use for testing purposes.
The most basic is to be able to drive the car itself and move it forward. It may also depend if you can drive manual or automatic transmission. You should know when to shift gears and at least prevent abrupt engine stops due to accidental release of the clutch while shifting. They may need you to reach a certain speed as well. You will be tested if you can shift well while speeding up and slowing down.
Along with being able to drive the car, you need to be able to steer properly. You may be asked to navigate left, right and U-turns. They would grade you depending on how well you maintain smooth turning (going in and out of the corner) and they may even test you on sharp corners. Take it slowly but make sure that you can go in and out of the corner smoothly without hitting the gutter.
You can also be tested on how well you use your brakes. You need not step on the brakes real hard. Just enough for the vehicle to stop slowly. They may instruct you to brake when they say stop to check if you’re alert.
Another important part of the test is how to park your vehicle. Of course, when you drive around you would have to park eventually. You can be tested on parking while facing the wall or parking with the back of the car facing the wall. You can also be asked to parallel park the car since this is challenging to more drivers than the first 2 ways to park the car.
The technique I do when I parallel park is to position your car exactly beside the car in front of the space where you want to park. Your side view mirrors should be exactly beside each other. Back up straight until your sideview mirror is parallel to the bumper of the other car. Slow down further while turning your wheels towards the car beside you. Continue backing up while your wheels are fully turned then when your front bumper is already parallel to the bumper of the other car, turn the steering wheel straight until your tail bumper is by the gutter. Then, slowly turn the wheel outside while backing up and you should be straight on that space. Adjust accordingly if your car is protruding or too much inside the space.
Along with these skills are basic driving reminders such as hand position on the steering wheel, proper posture, wearing of seat belt, use of lights when turning and even adjustment of rear and side view mirrors. Practice a lot before you get your license. 5 hours or so would help but if you can put more hours into your practice, you could be more prepared for that driving test. Good luck!
