Here are my tips to help you do well on the day...
1. REMEMBER THAT OUR JOB IS TO DEVELOP DRIVER SKILL
This one will seem really obvious to those reading this who are simply interested in reading blogs about driving and who aren't Driving Instructors, but we often forget that our intended "end product" is a driver who has the skills to deal with different road and traffic conditions as they go about their daily lives.
Therefore, when you're planning the lesson that you will give in front of the examiner, think about the day to day skills these drivers need like "effective observation", "anticipation" or "safe use of speed" rather than "pedestrian crossings", "roundabouts" or "traffic lights" - most learner drivers SHOULD have learnt a lot about these subjects as they've gone through life anyway, from the early days of Peppa Pig telling them how the cross a road, to being walked to school by their parents, to looking out of the window as they are passengers in cars. In a discussion about how these features on the road all work, most people would be able to tell you most of it without having passed a driving test.
2. PLAN THE ROUTE, BUT DON'T OVER PLAN THE ROUTE
If your lesson is skill based, rather than subject based, then all you really need is a block local to the test centre (just because that's where you meet your examiner) where you can discuss the skill you're working on and practice it. As long as there are opportunities for development of your pupil, then it doesn't matter exactly what is on the route or how busy the area is. It's good to have various hazards present on the route and it's good to mix left and right turns in equal measure. It's also good to have plenty of places to stop and chat with the pupil about things that have been going well (or not so well) and it's also good to always be reasonably close to the test centre so you can get back in good time to be debriefed by your examiner.
Over the years I've seen many people fall into the trap of planning the route to death and worrying more about that than they do about pupil development. As examples, I know instructors who have had problems "teaching" pedestrian crossings because "nobody wanted to cross the road" and others that have driven for miles and miles on dual carriageways without leaving or rejoining the carriageway and with nowhere to pull over and chat about how the lesson was going. These are examples of instructors "offering their pupils the chance to gain experience" rather than "offering their pupils the chance to develop those good driving skills that will last long term"
3. INVOLVE YOUR PUPIL IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT DRIVING
This will be another one that will make those who aren't doing the job day in, day out raise an eyebrow, but it's a regular mistake that Driving Instructors make!
The trouble is that WE were all taught to drive using a very instructor lead, experience based approach where our Driving Instructors basically thew us in at the deep end and applied loads of direct instruction and intervention with the dual controls. Being as we were taught that way, that's what we all think Driving Instructors should do these days too! Applying this approach on a standards check is likely to result in low scores in almost all competencies (unless the pupil has asked you to do it that way).
Research shows that an approach in which the pupil feels as though they have an active part to play in the learning process is more effective. It CAN take longer to get people to the standard needed to pass a driving test, but the longer term results are clear - we are better drivers if we're are taught this way!
Dozens of coaching courses that have been developed since the change from "check test" to "standards check" can also confuse people - we're not there to talk the pupil through life's rough patches like a therapist would and it IS okay to lead the discussion... just involve the pupil in it and allow them to have some input!
4. LISTEN
This is one of those "if I had a quid for every time" moments and it's something that affects a huge number of driving lessons. It's very common to chat with other instructors who have stories such as "she's on her 3rd go at this now and she keeps failing for the bay park exercise. I've told her that she can do it okay but she's just not very confident" In other words, this pupil is repeatedly feeling as though she's fluking the bay park with her instructor and has tried to speak up, but they haven't listened to her and have just constantly reassured her that her fears are unfounded... and now she's on her 3rd test!
The basic problem is that we have certain EXPECTATIONS of our learners and make ASSUMPTIONS about them. As a result, if we ask a question to which we expect the pupil to know the answer, then we are in danger of failing to not really listen and not really pick up on them giving us an incorrect answer. In the example above where the young lady isn't happy with her parking but has gone for test anyway, the Instructor might be assuming that she is just a bit nervous about taking the test. This failure to actually listen affects us all, from PDI's through to experienced ADI's, Advanced Driver "Observers" and Driving Instructor Trainers - we all assume things about our clients; we all like the sound of our own voice too much and we all ignore our ears!
The answer is to try to listen actively. Keep your mind open and recognise that is it possible that the pupil knows more about the subject than you do (which is of particular importance if you're asking them about what THEY think about something). It's also worth remembering that some answers aren't verbal... you can tell a lot about where somebody's looking for example by looking at their eye movement or how they're feeling by looking at their body language.
5. REMAIN NON-JUDGEMENTAL
Car crashes involve normal people who are generally trying their best to get from A to B without drama and we, as Driving Instructors, should take every opportunity to educate our pupils by talking to them in that spirit. We know that drivers are more likely to do things like speeding for example when faced with pressures of life (perhaps work schedules or a family emergency) and therefore we are all at risk of driving dangerously if we find ourselves in a situation in which our "buttons are pressed" - this isn't an excuse for the behaviour, just a summary so that we understand it.
If you point out and dismiss bad driving you see on the road as being the actions of "idiots" then you're creating a belief that there are two types of driver on the roads - "ourselves and everyone we know" (who are great drivers) and "all the other idiots" (who cause all the crashes). The result is that your pupil's attitude is likely to meander away from taking personal responsibility for their own safety and towards one in which their actions are always perfect and the blame for any problems lies with the "other idiot" - try to keep any discussion about other road users open minded and focused on the reasons why that driver might be behaving like that... or don't mention it at all!
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