Do you ever feel that some people could fall in a vat of vulture vomit and still come out smelling more fragrant than lemons and freshly-cut grass (or even freshly-cut lemongrass). Of course, there certainly some people for whom the converse applies.
I was at Inverness Test Centre this morning, chatting with another instructor while our pupils were out on test. The other instructor suggested that, ultimately, luck plays a large part in whether or not they pass their test. I disagree. Surely it is our job to train them to deal with different situations/junctions/manoeuvres so that luck wouldn't come into it. As long as the Mirror-Signal-Position-Speed-Gear-Look procedure is applied to changes of speed and direction, you drive at the appropriate speed, correct judgement is applied when meeting/crossing/emerging/overtaking, and manoeuvres are executed with control, accuracy and effective observation, you will pass your test. I'm not being anal about it, I know he was just creating conversation.
I suppose, when I think about it, luck could come into play, but only when the pupil is not good enough. For example, a pupil might get a fairly clear run, with few hazards, or he/she might struggle with a particular maneouvre, but not get it in the test.
A couple of years ago I had a pupil who was progressing well but was keen to take his test before he went on a four-month trip to India. With the rate he was progressing I couldn't see a problem, so I agreed to let him book his test. With two weeks to go, I was concerned that the pupil was not going to be ready, so I suggested he booked extra lessons. Even with these extra lessons, it was not going well but, by this time, it was too late to move his test. We crammed in more lessons but, in the hour lesson before his test he was, if anything, going backwards - he couldn't do any of the four manoeuvres correctly and his general driving was just messy. As far as he was concerned, it would be a learning experience and he would have to re-take his test when he returned from India, but I was concerned that the examiners would not appreciate me presenting this pupil for his test. Maybe he was one of those people I alluded to in the first sentence but, somehow, he passed (albeit with 9 minor faults).
He was probably the worst pupil I have had pass their test, but, perhaps on the day, he got lucky. Meanwhile, I have certainly had plenty of pupils, who I would let drive my grandchildren, but who failed their test.
Mark has just joined that list. If you read my last post, you will know that Mark was the pupil who, after my check test on Wednesday, the Senior Examiner said drove better than most qualified drivers and who was 'above test standard'. In his test this morning, he came up to Shore Street roundabout (a 3-lane, 5-exit roundabout) and the examiner asked him to take the 2nd exit. There are only two lanes on approach and he approached in the (correct) left lane. Unfortunately, he elected to take the central (2nd) lane on the roundabout. Usually, this roundabout is busy, which gives you time to see that the left lane is the correct choice, but, as Mark came up to it, it was quiet, which meant he didn't have to stop and, consequently, got into the wrong lane. I'm not making excuses. Mark knows he was wrong, and he knows the problems his decision may have caused.
Mark is, understandably, disappointed but, as Bret Harte once said, “The only sure thing about luck is that it will change.”
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