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Ontario G license test
Klorgnum
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm taking my G2 exit test (the one that gets you a G license) in just over 48 hours. I'm confident that I can do everything on it correctly, with the exception of parallel parking. If I do everything else well, but screw up the parallel park, am I likely to fail the test?
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Klorgnum on
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Remember to do all the little things that are pointless - like touching your rear-view mirror to say you're adjusting it despite it having been adjusted for you to drive to your test.
Also do your best to avoid all those bad habits you've learned in the past year of driving. Full stops, yielding the right of way no matter what, no speeding, gearing down when approaching a stop instead of gliding (standard).
Good luck. If you've been driving with good habits for a year the G test shouldn't be hard. And missing one thing (such as parallel parking) should not result in a failure.
My advice: Show your confidence. The more comfortable you make the tester, the more likely they are to pass you.
That doesn't mean one-hand the wheel and cruise around like you don't care, but feel free to chat and keep your body language confident.
It's an easy test if you can drive.
Yeah, this.
My tester had a British accent, I was born in England. Talked about where she was from, etc.
At one point I had to get my car from about 50km/h to 80km/h because the speed limit changed, and the engine made a bit of noise so I joked about how my poor little car was struggling.
They may ask you to stop trying to chat with them - because I'm pretty sure they aren't supposed to talk much so you can't claim they distracted you after the fact, but most will be willing to make small talk with you.
Also, this may seem obvious, but clean out the inside of your car before you go. They obviously won't fail you for having a dirty car, but make them feel more comfortable and they'll appreciate it.
This test is based on points. There are a certain amount of points you can "miss" before you fail. I don't remember exactly, but I believe it is 24. It might be less.
You lose points on a number of things, including small items like not glancing back and forth as you drive through an intersection--any intersection. Also, checking your blind spot every time you turn and change lanes. Even if you're turning right on a green, check your blind spot.
It might pay to go over the handbook once before your test, just so you can remember those little things. If you completely fuck up your parallel park (if they ask you to do one, it varies), you might pass and you might fail, depending on how many points you lose in other areas.
There are also certain things that will outright fail you.
More anectodal advice:
I actually failed my G test twice.
The first time: Everything was going swimmingly. The instructor was very chatty, kept saying how well I was doing, etc. It was raining. I am notoriously bad with directions/sense of where-the-fuck-I-am in the city. We were coming back to the licensing office, but I didn't know, since I was more focused on my driving than the actual geographical location I was in. Suddenly, the instructor yells "IT'S RIGHT HERE! TURN LEFT!" and I brake and turn left. Well, turns out I turned through the left turning lane. Automatic fail. I complained to the supervisor about how I was shocked into turning at the last second like that, how she was too busy chatting to give me proper directions, but it boils down to this: it is your word against hers. She said I went through the lane and I was given ample time to turn properly.
The second time the instructor was extremely rude. I think it may have been my "fault," because I went in after waiting in my car for 45 minutes and the girl behind the counter got pissy. You know how they send you out to wait in your car for the instructor? Yeah, I waited 45 minutes, all the while watching people show up and leave for their test and even get back. I went in and said, "Hey, I just wanted to make sure you guys haven't forgotten about me out there." "Uh, go back to your car." "Okay, thank you." So, I think they sent out their grade A douchebag this time. He failed me because he said I braked on the highway right before getting onto the off-ramp. I braked because there was a transport truck in front of me driving below the speed limit and he told me to get into that lane to exit. I explained this to him, and he said, "Okay then, you failed because you made an unsafe lane change into the passing lane when I asked you to make a safe one." He said it was unsafe because there was a car in that same lane who had to slow down when I switched over. I remembered that car, it was 300 meters back or more.
The third time, I got a woman who was super friendly. Before we started, I asked her about changing lanes on the highway. Since they say, "when it is safe to do so," I asked if I simply feel it is unsafe, will I lose points? She said, "I can't tell you when it is safe, but I won't ask you to change lanes if it is very busy." There was no one on the road that day and she said, "Just get off here, it's too busy." At the end, she told me I lost only 6 points, while the average is 14. "Third times a charm I guess," was my response.
So, your mileage may vary.
Kitchener, on Ottawa street. It's kind of a busy region, at least at 3PM, but it's not that bad.
In Ontario:
G1 (Beginner's): Written test that allows you to drive only with a qualified driver in the passenger seat. There are a bunch of restrictions to everything, so it basically boils down to kids simply driving with their parents. You can write this on your 16th birthday.
G2: Driving test, not on the highway. You can drive alone, but you must have a 0% BAC. There are other restrictions. You can take this 12 months after you pass your G1, or 8 months if you take an approved driver's ed course.
G: Full, graduated liscence. Road test as well as highway. I think you need to wait a year after you take your G2, and it must be done before 4 years after. These dates might be off.
Yeah, lots of tests.
Congrats! I was going to say, the only thing I messed up in the parallel parking was which way you turn your wheel before you stop completely. IE, if parked facing uphill with a curb on your right, turn wheel to the left so that if the car rolls back it stops against the curb rather than rolling down the hill. Downhill is obviously the opposite, mirror that for parking on the other side of the road. I totally forget what they want you to do if there isn't a curb.
It's not so bad. The G1 is trivial to obtain. It's been a -long- time since I wrote it, but I seem to remember it was pretty basic. Half of it was recognizing different signs. The biggest problem with it is waiting 8-12 months before you can get your G2. G2 is almost as good as a full license. Apart from the 0% blood-alcohol content, if you're a teenager there are restrictions about how many other people under 20 you can drive around. I think you also have to make sure that everyone in the car is wearing a seatbelt too. Not a whole lot of restrictions on that.
Keep in mind that this is only for Ontario. I don't know if any of the other provinces use a graduated licensing system like ours. And if you have a license from another province/country, you can usually get a G right away.
I haven't a clue if it makes our roads safer or not. Does anyone know if any studies have been done?