(You know we’re kidding, right?)

Because a driving test is kind of hard. It’s not a urine test. You actually have to perform many complex maneuvers under scrutiny, with other vehicles whirling around you. Lots of people fail these tests. Even people that have been driving for years (in other jurisdictions).

But there are tried and true ways of substantially increasing your chances. Let’s review them…

One great way of increasing your chances is to pick a test facility with a high “pass” rate. You know we’re still joking around, right? Because while various test facilities across a province can vary widely on what percentage of people they pass or fail, when you look behind the numbers, you’ll see that lenient and/or easy examiners are not the main factors at play, if there are at all.

But having said that, these rates are nonetheless hard to completely put out of one’s mind. You need to look at them, the way you need to look at that BMW 335i wedged underneath the guardrail on your way home from work.

In Ontario, a list of “Road Test Failure Rate ‘Norms’ by Location” was unearthed by the press, via a freedom of information request, as a result of that province privatizing the operation of its DriveTest examination centres.

 

“At that time (2003) the province was happy with the pass-fail rates, and wanted to make sure the new contractor would stick to them,” notes Paul Dalglish, managing director of Serco DEC, the entity that now operates Ontario’s 55 examination centres. 

To make sure they stick to them, Serco monitors test examiners so their respective locations don’t deviate above or below a certain threshold from these accepted and historical “norms.” 

The results are on the map below, and you can see that Brampton is “tops at failing” — 52 percent people testing there for their G2 licenses leave empty handed. The “worst fail-er” or “best pass-er” location is Kenora — only 7 percent leave without their G2 license.

Locations with high failure rates typically have more congested streets, faster highways, and a greater percentage of immigrant clients.

Faith Morphy owns and operates several Young Driver’s of Canada franchises in Southwestern Ontario. In her experience, the immigration “factor” is more about expectations, than capabilities or language issues. “Sometimes immigrants underestimate the standards in Ontario. Some have been driving for a while, and only want one lesson before their test. What we see in their driving cannot be fixed in one lesson.”

Serco’s Dalglish points out that low failure rates in rural and/or northern communities usually comes down to the experience teenagers there have with other motorized stuff, like ATVs, snowmobiles, boats, etc. “So you can go up there if you want, to take your test, but if you don’t have the same (motorized) experience…"

But test routes are going to vary — some will just be more difficult than others. Morphy says one of the test facilities in her area uses an 80 km/hr road for highway evaluation, while another uses the 401 (100 km/hr) with a tricky merge section. 

Test routes aren’t published. And in some locations driving schools are actually prohibited from training in the test route area. But you should be familiar with the roads around the test centre. 

“What I say to students, is take your family’s car, and drive around the test centre in a six-minute radius,” says Morphy. “The driving portion of your 20-minute test is about 12 minutes — six minutes out and six minutes back. They can’t go any further.”

But she is adamant that students don’t get too familiar with the roads, noting that people let their guard down when things get too familiar (most collisions occur within five kilometres of our homes), and tend to be more alert and adrenaline-charged when driving in unfamiliar places. Also, trying to master a test route is not the same thing as obtaining the necessary skills necessary to be a good, life-long driver, in all roadways and situations. 

“You want exposure to all sorts of driving situations, so the student becomes a thinking, decision-making driver,” says Morphy. She adds that even shaving a half a second off your decision making time, can make a big difference on the outcome of various tricky, on-road scenarios.

Dalgish adds that if a driving school proposes only to teach you how to pass the test, or how to negotiate the test route, chances are you will get short changed: “What you want is a school that will teach you how to drive.”

When you’re booking your 20-minute test, try for either mid-morning or mid-afternoon slots. Nothing before 9:30 a.m. or after 3 p.m. This avoids commuter, school bus, and peak pedestrian traffic.

I guess this is common sense, but for your test you might refrain from borrowing your brother's 1000-hp Nissan Skyline GT-R that he uses for drifting competitions. Rather grab your parent’s Camry or Accord. 

Nothing too big, because you'll have to parallel park the thing. But Morphy notes that big is okay if that is the vehicle you are familiar with and have been using for training. She also advises that the test vehicle should be in great working order. Halting acceleration or vibrating brakes are just going to make you look bad.

I would add to make sure the car is clean too. Don’t let the examiner sit on left-over pizza, french fries, or worse.

It’s also common sense, that good drivers stand a better chance of passing a driving test than a lousy driver. 

Morphy notes that over 85 percent of students taught by Young Driver’s of Canada go on to pass their driving tests. But regardless of which reputable school you choose, don’t forget the “practicing” part. Learning to drive is like mastering the guitar or making the basketball team — all require good doses of both theory and practice. 

“Parents and students really underestimate the amount of seat time they need,” says Morphy. “They tend to get their G1 and then sit on it. But they really need to get about 2,000 kilometres under their belts before they take their driving test.”

According to Morphy, the best scenario for a young driver to utilize their G1 time is get proper training immediately, then continue practicing what you learned for the next 6 months, then take a refresher course just prior to the test. 

Good luck.

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