What made me happy today?
- Thread starter big soft moose
- Start date
ps102
Active Member
I finally summoned enough courage to sign up for driving school. I'm due to take a theory exam sometime in May. Then, I'll do practical lessons to obtain the license. They say the practical part doesn't take much more than a month, so I should have it by July.
Whether I will actually make it and pass all the tests remain to be seen. If I do get my license, I really want to spend sometime in the summer driving to some nice places—within reason, of course! I am not trusting myself with long distances until I have built up some experience. But some good local places will do. Crete is full of those.
Whether I will actually make it and pass all the tests remain to be seen. If I do get my license, I really want to spend sometime in the summer driving to some nice places—within reason, of course! I am not trusting myself with long distances until I have built up some experience. But some good local places will do. Crete is full of those.
What the hell is a driving theory exam?
Good luck, ps102! 
It's an exam about the road rules, most likely. How to recognise stop signs, who has the right of way in various situations, stuff like that.
I had to take one here in Australia before I could take the practical lessons.
It's an exam about the road rules, most likely. How to recognise stop signs, who has the right of way in various situations, stuff like that.
I had to take one here in Australia before I could take the practical lessons.
ps102
Active Member
We have 800 questions. Out of those, 30 random ones will be chosen for my test. I get to make one mistake, so I basically have to learn the answer to all 800.
The exam is exactly what it sounds like—examining you on the theory of driving. It tests you on various topics from operating the vehicle, road signs, highway code, etc. Do you not have this in Rhode Island?
A theory of driving? Gas make go. Brake make stop. Check cleared. Me get license.
There is a written test that I don't think you can fail unless you've been recently concussed. It's probably been updated, but the RI driving manual was the shortest in the country when I got my license in 1994. 13 pages I think, including the covers. Creating a driving test that anyone could fail is the most un-American thing I can think of at the moment.
The first time I ever even heard of a theory test was in St Louis in 1996 when I needed a licence for a road trip. The same format was later adopted here, 40 questions, multiple choice and idiot proof. Like, you're approaching an elderly pedestrian on a zebra crossing; do you: a. speed up; b. honk your horn; c. open the doors to make sure you make contact; d. drive at an appropriate speed and stop before the crossing.
Obviously, I failed it first time, went outside to say ho hum and straight back in for the second of three, I think, permitted sittings. I passed it second time around, did the driving test and passed that and still have my Missouri licence, though now out of date.
ps102
Active Member
Culture shock!
To be fair, it may be 800 questions, but more than half of those are obvious. I opened the handbook for the first time today and guessed the answer to most I tried myself on.
Did they call it "theory," though? I can't think of anything theoretical about driving.
Is there something you can link to? I want to see if I can pass.
ps102
Active Member
I'm in Greece, but I know there is an English version of the test. Let me see if I can find something...
There: Driving licence (Adeia odigisis) to drive a car in Greece CATEGORY B
Obviously, the 800 questions are split into a million categories, so I guess you can pick whichever one you think you're most likely to pass.
Irish Theory Test: Online mock exam
About to take your theory test? Practice online for free.
theory-tester.com
I just sat our one, and passed. Yay!
Louanne Learning
Skipping along
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I've driven in Ireland. Not for the faint of heart.
Ain't that the truth. I've driven in Ireland, UK, USA, Canada, France, Belgium. Despite the absence of road markings and tendency for cyclists to appear from everywhere, the Belgians were the most courteous and even tempered of them all. I declined the opportunity to drive in Italy on the same bases, only opposite.
Louanne Learning
Skipping along
Active Member
Winner: 4th Contest March
Winner : February Poetry
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I should qualify this was in the west part of Ireland.
I'll be driving in Italy in September. Ain't afeared at all.
I drove across Austin, TX , not only during major road repair season, but during South by Southwest as well. I'm calling it a once in a lifetime experience because I sure as hell don't intend to repeat it.
What makes me happy today: I am NOT driving across Austin.
What makes me happy today: I am NOT driving across Austin.
If I pass, maybe I can set myself up as a ringer for a bunch of Greek kids who don't want to study! Rule #1, make the other guy brake. Rule #2, stop signs are negotiable. Rule #3, stick your arm out too far and it will go home with another car.
I'm trying to summon up the courage to sign up for driving school. Not because I'm afraid to drive, I got my US license when I was sixteen and I'm in my (gulp) mid-fifties now, but because it's so damn expensive. Around 2-3000 USD (about 300,000-400,000JPY) for a two-week intensive course.
But Iain, you already know how to drive, why take a class?
Well, two reasons (three?): One is that Japan drives on the "wrong" (i.e. left) side of the road, so there are some things I'd need to unlearn and recalibrate. I have lived here for 25 years now and ride my bicycle mostly in compliance with traffic laws, but 9kg of bike is different from however much a modern car weighs when it plows into someone or something. Reason 1.5 is that Japanese traffic laws are different from US laws in ways that I still don't understand. Like, police cars drive around with their flashy roof lights on all the time and no one pulls over. They have the flashy roof lights on to show people that they're out and about, and this makes the population feel more secure and protected.
Really.
But I honestly don't know how to know if you're being pulled over. Yeah, easy enough to look up, but that's just one example of how Things Are Done Differently Here (differently. I'm moving past "wrong" or "whacked).
But the second is the concept of amkudari. From Wikipedia:
When someone retires from the... uhhh, transport ministry? I'm honestly not sure which agency is responsible for driving tests. Anyway, a not insignificant number of them allegedly get jobs at driving schools. And if you go to a driving school, you get a certificate and documentation about your course, your grades, the number of paid practice hours, etc you took. And allegedly if you took the course with sufficient practice hours and don't screw up the test badly, you'll get your license. But allegedly if you didn't pay for a driving school, even the most minor mistake can allegedly cause you to fail your test.
Allegedly.
If the allegations were true, it would mean that public officials are ensuring that everyone has to shell out for driving courses because, on their retirement, they'll ensure their ability to get nice cozy jobs at driving schools.
Counterpoint: Who better to teach you how to pass the test than someone with decades of experience in administering the test? It's not corruption, it's expertise. And the inspectors may be worried that you haven't had sufficient expert instruction so that one minor mistake could be an indication of an even greater depth of ignorance and recklessness than the system is designed to plumb. However, if they know you've had a sufficient course of instruction from the section chief who retired last June, well, damn son, you're good to go.
Allegedly.
#4 If driving makes you nervous, have another beer.
