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I just took my road test today, in Plymouth, MN. It was awful. I went and checked in, then they gave me a number of a lane where they wanted me to park and wait. My intructor came out and got into the car. He seemed nice. We had to idle chit chat, and then we were off. He said "If I say turn left, turn left, if I say turn right, turn right, and if I don't say anything, just keep going straight." So I pulled out. It was a one-way and you could only go right. Then there was a stop sign, he then instructed me to turn right. So I did. There was an "intersection" with a traffic light to go through, then a slight hill. At the top of the hill you could either go left, or right. This is where I messed up, i guess. Since I had taken a right prior, I was in the right lane. I was approaching to a place where I could no longer go straight, and my instructor wasn't saying a word. There were NO SIGNS AT ALL! So I didn't know whether to stop or yield or what have you. So I asked him, and he said that it was a yield. So I slowed down, and stopped to make sure no one was coming, and he said "Go left." So I turned my blinker on and put it into first gear (I was in a manual.) Before I could even move, he said "Wait, look what lane you're in. You're in the right lane, you can't make a left handed turn." But he had me turn nonetheless. I didn't think it was a big deal, because he didn't tell me a head of time that I was turning. I had finished my test, with a lot of useless driving and parking, and he said I failed because of being in the right lane and turning left. To which I said "Well, you didn't tell me ahead of time I was going left, so I didn't have ample time to change lanes." He didn't care, and proceeded to say that it was an "automatic fail" and that everything I did was great. I wasn't very happy. I told him to get out of my car. I will never go there again. It really throws you off, not having any street signs. It wasn't a fun experiance at all. I would rather ride a bike every where then go back there.
I was looking at this forum before I took my road test today, and to be honest, I thought I had no chance! But, I took my test and PASSED. When I was asking my friends and reading other forums, it seemed that everyone said it was the worst place to go. I had practiced every night this week, driving around town, and going to parking lots to practice my parallel/90 degree back in park(s). So, I went into the test feeling pretty confident, and I think that was reflected in my driving.
Some things for people to know...
1. At the window, they'll give you a list of items you have to know inside your car. In case your like me and like to know things ahead of time, this includes: car insurance, horn, seat adjustment, mirror adjustment, windshield wipers, parking brake, defrost controls, blinker controls, seat belt, and headlights!
2. If you're in lanes 1, 2, 3, or 4, you will be pulling out onto a ONE WAY... so make sure you go right.
3. Slow down when driving through the intersections.
4. Always pull into the closet lane (be looking ahead at the road lines and know what they mean)
5. There are stop lights at one intersection. They are just single poles with the regular three colors.
6. Always make your stops behind the stop sign/before the white line at a crosswalk
7. Make sure to be using your mirrors at least every 10 seconds (and when making lane changes and parking)
8. If you want to get an idea of what the course looks like, google map it! here are the coordinates (copy and paste in)
45° 0.364', -93° 27.887' - use the satellite viewing method
9. Arrive at least 30 minutes earlier than your scheduled time.
10. Be polite, friendly, and confident, but not too cocky!
So, for my test, all was going well until the entrance intersection. I was coming from a two way back onto the one way (in front of the building) and I arrived at the intersection about the same time as two other vehicles. There were no stop signs, just yield signs. So, because I thought I had arrived first, I started going-so did another lady. My instructor told me to stop and wait for her, then to proceed. By this point, I was sure I'd failed because not only did I put myself and others in a potentially hazardous situation, but I also turned into the middle lane of the 4 lane one way (instead of the closest lane). He told me to turn and pull over (I thought I was done for). While he was scoring, it seemed as if he was not going to pass me. But, when he finished, he said "i'm going to pass you," and circled pass.
Overall, the course isn't difficult if your attentive to signs, lights, road lines, and your examiner's instruction (a good examiner will give you enough time to execute the proper direction)!
My examiner was friendly, yet professional, but maybe i got lucky?
So, for anyone who is planning on going to Plymouth, don't lose confidence because of what other people say. Just relax, take a few deep breaths, and believe in yourself. YOU CAN DO IT!
But... if you made a few errors here and there and fail... don't beat yourself up about it. You'll just be more prepared for next time!
Hello everyone does anyone have any advice for the Stillwater Driving test because I'll be taking mine soon and I want to be prepared. if you guys have any advice for the test please give me the help. I'm freaking out.
Hello everyone does anyone have any advice for the Stillwater Driving test because I'll be taking mine soon and I want to be prepared. if you guys have any advice for the test please give me the help. I'm freaking out.
Practice. Pay attention. Follow the road signs. Listen to the directions the examiner gives you. Bring your required paperwork.
Recently took my test at Eagan failed. I made two mistakes, both were from the one way street tricks they give you. I was turning left from a two-way to a one-way street and went directly into the right lane (which seemed extremely hard to do correctly, as there were 4 lanes, meaning I'd have to merge from all the way to the left then to the rightmost lane). Another was turning left from a one way to a two-way, and the instructor delayed the turn by around 5 seconds, making me merge into the correct lane extremely late.
Another thing to note that they take curb parking (parking 6-8 inches from the curb) with deep consideration.
When the road test ended, the instructor took 30 seconds, at most, explaining to me what mistakes I had, showing me my mistakes on his clipboard. I had zero chances to ask questions, etc. He didn't even bother showing the number of points I gained, either. I looked at the scoring sheet and he knocked off a lot of other things that he didn't even point out to me.
I regret taking my first test here, because I've heard they don't really pass most first-timers.
Recently took my test at Eagan failed. I made two mistakes, both were from the one way street tricks they give you. I was turning left from a two-way to a one-way street and went directly into the right lane (which seemed extremely hard to do correctly, as there were 4 lanes, meaning I'd have to merge from all the way to the left then to the rightmost lane). Another was turning left from a one way to a two-way, and the instructor delayed the turn by around 5 seconds, making me merge into the correct lane extremely late.
Another thing to note that they take curb parking (parking 6-8 inches from the curb) with deep consideration.
When the road test ended, the instructor took 30 seconds, at most, explaining to me what mistakes I had, showing me my mistakes on his clipboard. I had zero chances to ask questions, etc. He didn't even bother showing the number of points I gained, either. I looked at the scoring sheet and he knocked off a lot of other things that he didn't even point out to me.
I regret taking my first test here, because I've heard they don't really pass most first-timers.
My first test was the same as yours. The same mistakes and feeling. Then plus 2 more tests , till I really got what I did wrong 3 times before...
I was thinking I was right and my feeling was hurt when I did not do get it for the 3 times. But after all that you will understand what was wrong and you will be fine.
I am 42 and it tooks me 4 times to get it with my driving with my permit with somebody in a car during 2 years. And 15 hours practicing with driving school teacher .My son was 17 and he did it during 15 min and he did not drive as much as I did. But he got his license right away with one try.
Recently took my test at Eagan failed. I made two mistakes, both were from the one way street tricks they give you. I was turning left from a two-way to a one-way street and went directly into the right lane (which seemed extremely hard to do correctly, as there were 4 lanes, meaning I'd have to merge from all the way to the left then to the rightmost lane). Another was turning left from a one way to a two-way, and the instructor delayed the turn by around 5 seconds, making me merge into the correct lane extremely late.
Another thing to note that they take curb parking (parking 6-8 inches from the curb) with deep consideration.
When the road test ended, the instructor took 30 seconds, at most, explaining to me what mistakes I had, showing me my mistakes on his clipboard. I had zero chances to ask questions, etc. He didn't even bother showing the number of points I gained, either. I looked at the scoring sheet and he knocked off a lot of other things that he didn't even point out to me.
I regret taking my first test here, because I've heard they don't really pass most first-timers.
Don't feel too bad. I failed at Eagan for the same reason. My driving instructor said the location is well-known for doing that with the one-ways.
I just passed my road test in Plymouth yesterday, on the first try. I thought I'd post a reply here in case it helps anyone in the future. I read a lot of the threads in this forum in the lead up to my test and there's some things that I think might be helpful, especially to adult drivers.
As I said, I went to Plymouth with a scheduled appointment (keep in mind all the information here is ONLY related to Plymouth, I have not been to any other road test so I don't know what's similar or different). Plymouth is a closed course, set back from the road.
I was about an hour early and it was pretty busy with a lot of road tests. I recommend getting there early regardless of whether you think it'll be a busy day or not. They will have you pull up to a drive through window, ask you (or whoever drove you) to test breaks and blinkers to ensure they are in working order (they have cameras on the perimeter to see the lights and blinkers), they will ask for your permit and proof of insurance and if you have taken the test before and failed, you need to bring along your previous evaluation (I believe it's called white papers?). I believe if you're 16 or possibly under 18 at all, you must have certification of some sort. You MUST have these things in order to proceed. They will fill out a form for you as well as hand you a checklist of the things you demonstrate inside the car for the tester and instruct you to go into one of the starting lanes (there are 8. Four in front and four to the right).
They ended up starting me about a half hour early. I had a very professional younger woman.
She told me a couple things about the course before starting. There is only ONE one-way street in front of the starting lanes (going to the right, there's a four way intersection and at the top of a hill there is a t intersection and you will go either left or right). All other roads are two way roads of varying types (double lines, white lines etc).
She asked me to demonstrate OR point to the following: how the seat moves forward and backward, parking (emergency) brake, horn, blinkers, headlights (high and low beams), defrosters/defoggers and fan controls, seatbelt (already be wearing it, just show you are), four way flashers/hazard lights, mirrors and how you move them, and wipers.
Then we were off. We took a right out of the starting lane onto the one-way, be careful of the parking lane that is directly in front of your first turn. Turn into the first available lane and continue. You will be asked to make a series of turns, presumably this varies depending on the tester. They are looking to make sure you change lanes properly (this is really tricky because the blocks are normal block length but there might be as many as three lanes you have to cross. You must SMOG (signal, mirrors, over the shoulder, go) relatively quickly and drive slowly. It will feel really unnatural! Do it anyway!), your turn radiuses are the appropriate size (i.e. you aren't turning wide into traffic or too narrow as to hit the curb) and your speed going into turns and out of turns (slow into, accelerate out of) and lastly that you turn into the appropriate lane! Always turn into the nearest appropriate lane to you (left into left, right into right).
Almost immediately you are asked to do a 90 degree back, by far the scariest part of the test in my opinion. There are several methods to completing a 90 degree back. LEARN ONE AND STICK TO IT. As an adult driver practicing with people who never had to learn this (relatively) recent addition to the test, I took instruction classes. I found this extremely helpful, I used Midway Driving School and I recommend them specifically for the parking lessons. I ended up doing a perfect 90 degree back despite losing track of the steps a bit.
Remember, in both of the parking exercises they aren't looking for you to follow a set of instructions or steps or to do it all in one movement, they're looking to see how you maneuver and control the car and your sense of space. If you have to adjust or troubleshoot your steps to get into the space, this is OKAY! DON'T PANIC. Even if internally I was cursing up a storm, outside I tried to maintain a calm and confident face and figured out what I was doing wrong to get it done. Think on your feet, work through the problem and be aware of those flags.
Directly after the 90 degree back, essentially a block later, you are asked to do a parallel parking maneuver so go slow! You want to pull up so you have appropriate space between you and the flags and to get in proper position beside the flags without having to back up.
They give you PLENTY of room to complete it. It is not a tight space like you're parking in Uptown. Pull up so the front flag is under the handle of your back door (get a HANDLE on parallel parking). Signal. Turn your wheel all the way to the right, back up slowly. Watch the flags in the front mirror and when they disappear STOP. Turn your wheel all the way to the LEFT and back in. You want to be straight in there. STOP. Pull forward slightly (you want to give yourself enough room so you can reverse a bit without hitting the flags when you pull out and ease past that left front pole). PUT IT IN PARK. The tester will open the door to judge your space from the "curb" (it's not an actual curb). When instructed, put it in reverse, signal, back up slightly so you have room to ease by that pole (don't forget that pole!), put it in drive and ease out of there. Remember to straighten your wheels when you need to. Watch your airbag, once it goes around twice, you're straight.
I was then asked to make a series of turns and at one point was asked to park downward on a hill (make sure you're not too far away from the curb). Signal, pull over, park, turn your wheels the appropriate direction.
There is an uncontrolled four way intersection with yield signs in front of the one-way. Yield appropriately and stop IF NECESSARY. It's the ONLY one-way so it's easy to spot, all traffic comes from the right of you if you're coming down the hill during your test they have the right of way. If it's busy, THERE WILL BE TRAFFIC AND PEOPLE WANDERING AROUND. Be aware.
Turn your head, check your mirrors and I believe I even leaned forward with my shoulders as well to show I was really paying attention. Slow when you're coming up to intersections, even if you do not have a stop sign. SLOW.
The test takes 5-10 min at the most. There were no illegal maneuvers asked and no sudden stops or any other trickery. It was, aside from the parking, mainly showing your control of the vehicle and observation skills.
The tester will ask you to pull over and park and will run you through some of their observations, things you can work on if you have them, things you did well on. They will either pass or fail you, sign your slip and if you passed, instruct you to go inside to apply for your license (the license is $26.25 I think and they do not take cards, come prepared with cash or a check book). That's it! You will get a copy of your evaluation either way so you can see their various markings if that interests you (fair or poor is how they are marked and circled, you may also just have check marks next to items like the parallel parking or 90 degree back). If you failed, you will need to keep that evaluation for your next attempt.
A couple of general tips:
1. Know the car you are driving! I chose the car in the family that had the less sensitive pedals because I didn't want to be jerking and assumed I would be nervous and possibly have a sensitive foot. I also liked the layout of where everything was in the car. The only two things that are the same in every car are the blinkers and the wipers. Everything else can be in a different spot! So know the car you are driving and study up as you are waiting for the tester. Make sure everything is set to your comfort before you start, that way you can just get started without adjusting anything while your tester is waiting.
If your car has a rear view/backup camera, like mine did, just ignore it completely. Don't use it! Pretend it's not there. They did not comment on it at all but just assume they don't want to see if you can watch a camera, they want to see you use your mirrors and look over your shoulder.
2. Be professional and serious. The tester is not there to chat with you or comfort you and will probably not talk to you at all except to instruct you. Show you are serious about the test by sitting up straight and keeping a calm and serious face on. Listen attentively! When the tester tells you to turn, SIGNAL. The course is NOT LONG ENOUGH for you to wait to turn on your blinker. Do it immediately. DON'T CHIT CHAT. They aren't interested, they're concentrating and so should you. Follow their instructions, they will NOT ask you to do illegal maneuvers.
3. SIGNAL WHEN YOU ARE DOING YOUR PARKING MANUEVERS! Super important. Don't forget.
4. Don't dress like a slob. Wear a good pair of jeans (or pants or a skirt or whatever!) and comfortable shoes. You don't have to dress like you're going for a job interview but don't dress like you're going to bed either. Dress in your nicest and most comfortable casual clothes. If business dress will make you feel more confident, wear that, but it's not necessary.
5. If you're an adult driver and can afford to do so, I recommend taking driving classes with a licensed instructor. The adults we know and drive with have been driving forever and often forget that our reaction times are not their own yet and they've forgotten how to learn and teach parking maneuvers you must pass. I found it very helpful.
6. I had heard a lot of terrible things about Plymouth but my experience overall was fast and professional. If they are more strict than others, I really didn't notice although I've only taken it the one time, it was very fast and mostly just easy turns. If you're very nervous, my advice is to practice and study and if you can afford it, take lessons. Remember, it will be over before you know it and if you pass you won't have to do it again. You may not be fully ready to drive on your own yet, you may be totally ready, but you'll have your license and the freedom to drive safely and independently with it.
I hope this is helpful for anyone who may come across this thread. Good luck to you all!
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