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ladyspriteWell, this is humiliating.
I have had my driver's license for 20 years, now. I have never been at-fault in an accident. I have never had any points on my license. I've never had a moving violation - not even a speeding ticket.
So how the hell is it that yesterday I managed to fail the written test for my learner's permit? (Needed in order to get my motorcycle license).
I practiced. I read up online for what to expect. I reviewed stuff. I was told it'd be a review of basic rules of the road. Instead, I wound up getting asked questions like 'What is the minimum suspension period for a Junior Operator with a learner's permit for a second offense on drag racing?" (Does anyone even drag race anymore? I thought that went out when Danny Zuko graduated high school), or 'What is the minimum fee to reinstate a driver's license after suspension for a drug offense?' Not a single question on, say, how to drive....
I feel like an idiot. I have never failed a test in my life. And while I know that the questions are supposedly chosen at random, the cynical part of me can't help but wonder about the fact that the facility where I took the test is located in a rather ethnically diverse, low-income area, and whether the preponderance of questions on drugs, fines, and license suspensions has something to do with the state's perception of demographics....
Now I have... let's see. A week and a half to find a time to take it again and pass before my class next weekend. Time to get memorizing....
I have had my driver's license for 20 years, now. I have never been at-fault in an accident. I have never had any points on my license. I've never had a moving violation - not even a speeding ticket.
So how the hell is it that yesterday I managed to fail the written test for my learner's permit? (Needed in order to get my motorcycle license).
I practiced. I read up online for what to expect. I reviewed stuff. I was told it'd be a review of basic rules of the road. Instead, I wound up getting asked questions like 'What is the minimum suspension period for a Junior Operator with a learner's permit for a second offense on drag racing?" (Does anyone even drag race anymore? I thought that went out when Danny Zuko graduated high school), or 'What is the minimum fee to reinstate a driver's license after suspension for a drug offense?' Not a single question on, say, how to drive....
I feel like an idiot. I have never failed a test in my life. And while I know that the questions are supposedly chosen at random, the cynical part of me can't help but wonder about the fact that the facility where I took the test is located in a rather ethnically diverse, low-income area, and whether the preponderance of questions on drugs, fines, and license suspensions has something to do with the state's perception of demographics....
Now I have... let's see. A week and a half to find a time to take it again and pass before my class next weekend. Time to get memorizing....
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no subject
Date: 2013-06-13 03:23 am (UTC)It's my belief that having most of the questions on the written test be about things other than rules of the road or how actually to operate a vehicle has a lot to do with what seems to me to be rampant scofflaw driving. It may be more that the drivers don't know that what they're doing is illegal.
A long time ago in a state far far away, I took the written test. It was 100 questions. There were multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and even a few essay questions. They all were about the rules of the road or how to handle various situations you might encounter while driving. There was one question about how you should position your wheels when parallel parked on a hill, so that if the emergency brake gave out the car wouldn't roll down the hill. This was in a town that was mostly flat as a pancake.
Now, THAT was a test which indicated whether or not you actually knew what you were doing behind the wheel of a car. Unfortunately, it couldn't guarantee that you'd act accordingly.
As for your failing the test, I'd say it sounds more like the test failed you!