On which attempt did you pass your driving test ? What age were you ?

Axe_meister

1st time aged 23 in 1993

Flink_Poyd

Car 1st time at 17
Motorbike 1st time at 18/19

EricTheWeary

1st , I was 19 ( I was nearly 19 before I started lessons). 

I went to to school with Ian Painter who along with being an also ran pro footballer ( briefly for Stoke and Coventry ) had initially shot to fame* by passing his driving test on his 17th birthday. He's not the only one ever to do so but it's reasonably rare I should think (probably more so now you have a separate theory and practical test). 

* he appeared in The Sun 

MtB

Driving test - 1st go when I was 18 (in 1979). I didn't give a damn about passing that, as I had my motorbike test the next week. This was my second go at my motorcycle test!  FFS, NOBODY failed their bike test back then. Except ME.

Bizarrely I had the car test and the 2nd motorbike test at the same centre, and with the same tester - 1 week apart. The guy took the bribe and passed me on both. Yay!! 

TheBigDipper

17 for both car and motorcycle - first time.

Hertz32

19, 3 attempts and still not passed! 

thermionic

18, first time. I'd spent ages learning from my dad but got stuck in a rut, not learning anything but the basics. Went for a proper lesson and the instructor said "book your test now, a few more lessons and you'll pass!" Problem was, it was the end of the summer and I was off to university, so I re-arranged the test for the Christmas holidays. Came back from university after not having touched a car for three months, one quick lesson and test next morning. In the first five minutes I took a shallow junction too close and felt the tyres rub against the kerb and assumed I'd blown it. Maybe that relaxed me, or I did something well in recovering from it, but I passed!

My sister lives just round the corner from that junction now and I always think of that lucky day when I visit!

A couple of my friends passed a few weeks after after their 17th birthdays, having grown up driving bangers around their dad's fields from about the age of 12.

Bellycaster

Passed on 2nd attempt when I was 22. First attempt was same year and on my second attempt I swear I drove worse. The guy who passed me was an ex Policeman.

Telejester

My wife got hers 2nd go, hill start with crap clutch control, big judder and monster roll back......fail !!

Emp_Fab

18 first attempt for car, about six months later I passed my bike test on the first attempt too.  Institute of Advanced Drivers Gold Award two years ago, Advanced Tactical Pursuit course last year.




Only two of those are true.

speshul91

17 passed first time after 20 lessons. 

Bucket

First time. I was 20.

slacker

4th attempt 18 passed psv 1st time at 46

mike_l

First time at 17.
I was lined up to do my HGV (at 21) when the rules changed so you couldn't do that until 25. Annoyingly a mate did his at 21, he's about 5 months older than me.

guitars4you

3rd time - started 17 - can't recall if 17 or 18 when passed - I was gigging at 18, so certainly driving then

Recall a friend who started at 17 who failed his test on the 3 point turn - he somehow failed to turn around and set of in the same direction he started from

Nikko

Second attempt, 18.

Failed my first test for 'coasting'...apparently.

CabbageCat

Third time at 17 in 1994. Glad I passed that early, it wasn't long after that you didn't get minibuses on a normal license.

Failed the first one for drug running, second one for securities fraud.

stickyfiddle

Second go, aged 19. 

First one was very close, but failed on the penultimate junction. I suspect the examiner (correctly) clocked that I was fundamentally competent but shitscared and not quite ready so was looking for a reason to give a major. 

Second test was a breeze.

Vibetronic

5th time at 33! I still don't think the first fail when I was 17 was my fault. The other 3 fails definitely were though; just got too nervous in the tests after that first one and did stupid stuff, so left it about 15 years and got through straight away.

57Deluxe

1st - and I still drive with the same impeccable attention to detail. In fact I drove myself to my own test in my own car as my Dad failed to turn up for the appointment and I didn't want to miss it!