Riet
Tomcat Pilot
Okay, so we have been seeing a lot of threads recently, most of them being "[suburb] RTA Ps test..."
Rather than having these threads over and over again we should get one topic that people can look at first, and it will cover most of their questions.
First things first.
-Your car must be road worthy. The day before your test check your brake lights and indicators and also tires.
-Make sure your logbook is completed.
-Don't attempt to bribe your instructor
-Listen to your examiners instructions carefully. It is an automatic fail to refuse a reasonable order.
-Don't drive one handed, even if you can or it is more comfortable. If you don't know the correct way to hold the wheel for a test get out of this thread, do some more hours and read the rta website.
Now as for the test. Here are the major tips I can think of. As other people add more I will edit this post so people don't have to scroll through the whole thing.
Be more careful than your normally would with everything. That doesn't mean hesitant. It means leave slightly bigger gaps and make sure to be smooth in acceleration and braking.
- Keep your checking your speed. Exceeding the speed limit is an automatic fail. Driving 5 km/h under the speed limit is good practise in case there is a paralax error on the instructors behalf. Also if there is a downward slope you will have some breathing space before you have to brake, whereas if you were on the limit you would go over it straight away.
- You must stop before the line at a stop sign. Even if there was someone in front of you, you must still stop again.
- Head-checks should be performed before any manoeuvre and every now and then while just continuing straight. Every time you check your speedo have a quick glance in your rear-view and side mirrors too.
- Depending on the time of day, beware of school zones.
- Maintain a safe distance behind the car infront. When you are taking the test this should probably be more than you would usually leave. There is no hurry though, so don't hesitate to back off a bit from the car infront. Also when stopping behind someone, leave atleast a car length gap.
- Don't forget your indicators! Remember to indicate left when exiting a roundabout. You should indicate 5 seconds before any manoeuvre
- When parking you must leave a meter gap infront of you if you are doing a reverse park. You must also be within 500mm of the kerb. This is quite a lot, so just take your time and do it right the first time. You are allowed upto 4 movements before you are penalised.
- Remember that when you are reversing the front of your car will swing into the lane a bit, so do a head check before reversing.
- When doing a three-point-turn you must check behind you before starting. You are allowed up to a five-point turn but if it is a wide street you may lose marks for needing more than 3.
- Do not run yellow lights unless it is dangerous to stop.
- Do not take tight spaces when turning at an intersection. If a car coming toward you has to slow down you should have waited.
- When doing a hillstart you are supposed to use your handbrake, even in an automatic and regardless of whether or not you need it.
Rather than having these threads over and over again we should get one topic that people can look at first, and it will cover most of their questions.
First things first.
-Your car must be road worthy. The day before your test check your brake lights and indicators and also tires.
-Make sure your logbook is completed.
-Don't attempt to bribe your instructor
-Listen to your examiners instructions carefully. It is an automatic fail to refuse a reasonable order.
-Don't drive one handed, even if you can or it is more comfortable. If you don't know the correct way to hold the wheel for a test get out of this thread, do some more hours and read the rta website.
Now as for the test. Here are the major tips I can think of. As other people add more I will edit this post so people don't have to scroll through the whole thing.
Be more careful than your normally would with everything. That doesn't mean hesitant. It means leave slightly bigger gaps and make sure to be smooth in acceleration and braking.
- Keep your checking your speed. Exceeding the speed limit is an automatic fail. Driving 5 km/h under the speed limit is good practise in case there is a paralax error on the instructors behalf. Also if there is a downward slope you will have some breathing space before you have to brake, whereas if you were on the limit you would go over it straight away.
- You must stop before the line at a stop sign. Even if there was someone in front of you, you must still stop again.
- Head-checks should be performed before any manoeuvre and every now and then while just continuing straight. Every time you check your speedo have a quick glance in your rear-view and side mirrors too.
- Depending on the time of day, beware of school zones.
- Maintain a safe distance behind the car infront. When you are taking the test this should probably be more than you would usually leave. There is no hurry though, so don't hesitate to back off a bit from the car infront. Also when stopping behind someone, leave atleast a car length gap.
- Don't forget your indicators! Remember to indicate left when exiting a roundabout. You should indicate 5 seconds before any manoeuvre
- When parking you must leave a meter gap infront of you if you are doing a reverse park. You must also be within 500mm of the kerb. This is quite a lot, so just take your time and do it right the first time. You are allowed upto 4 movements before you are penalised.
- Remember that when you are reversing the front of your car will swing into the lane a bit, so do a head check before reversing.
- When doing a three-point-turn you must check behind you before starting. You are allowed up to a five-point turn but if it is a wide street you may lose marks for needing more than 3.
- Do not run yellow lights unless it is dangerous to stop.
- Do not take tight spaces when turning at an intersection. If a car coming toward you has to slow down you should have waited.
- When doing a hillstart you are supposed to use your handbrake, even in an automatic and regardless of whether or not you need it.
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