Driving - How To Fail Well

So yesterday, I took my first ever driving test, & unsurprisingly failed. I was expecting to, (and to be honest, me being let loose on the roads probably isn't a great idea just yet...!) but was insanely nervous before despite this! I can't really give much advice on the driving side (clearly), but here are some do's & don'ts for test etiquette, because if you're going to fail, you may as well do it well!
Do

• Wear a good outfit! Make sure you're comfortable but avoid anything that could be awkward like crop tops or bare legs... I unintentionally ended up looking pretty smart as I was wearing a vintage blouse, but maybe that gave a good first impression? Either way, as my friend Yaz says, make sure you have a 'power outfit' on, that you feel confident and comfortable in.
• Be polite! I definitely took this to the extreme - every time he asked me to take a turn, for some reason I said 'Thanks', as if he was doing me a favour by testing me! So although I'd limit that, being friendly and polite is definitely important; he asked me a few questions, so I asked some back, and managed to stop myself swearing when I realised I'd literally mounted the curb on my manouver (hence the fail...)!
• Have sunglasses close to hand. This sounds stupid, but as I set off it was beautifully sunny and there's no way I could've seen properly without them. Then grey clouds appeared and it started to rain, but (as always with the English weather) the sun came back out about 5 minutes later, so it's definitely worth be prepared for the weather to switch! (This also means knowing where the windscreen wiper switch is - probably the only control I've truly mastered...

Don't

• Get angry at other drivers! Someone told their examiner all the things the other drivers were doing wrong to make them look better, but instead just came across really cocky and arrogant, especially when they tried to correct drivers doing the right thing... You definitely need to get the balance between confident/nervous
• Have the radio on - not because it's a distraction, but because it just makes singing along so much more tempting! I made sure it was off before I started, because I knew if Sean Paul or Beyonce came on I wouldn't be able to stop myself from doing some beauuut impressions, and I don't think the examiner would've loved it!
• Cry! My instructor said loads of people awkwardly start crying in the debrief, whilst the examiner is still sitting there feeling like a really bad person when it's really not their fault... I was pretty prepared to not pass, so welling up was definitely not an issue - don't set your sights on passing, because if you don't you'll just feel horrific, and make everyone else feel really bad too!

The really good thing is that afterwards, everyone felt really sorry for me, so my mum bought me some new shoes, the girls all came round for a drink (or five) and my teachers understood when I was 'distracted' in my lessons (when I was really just daydreaming...). Convincing myself I was going to fail was possibly not a great plan, but I now feel way more confident for the next test, and I'm sure I'll pass one day... Until then, the streets of Norwich are safe!