FROM THE MOMENT I WOKE UP, I WAS READY… TO FAIL
From the moment I woke up, I knew it was not going to be a calm day. My stomach was tight, my nerves were working overtime, and my brain had apparently decided that today was the perfect moment to stop cooperating with me. I felt more like I was about to take an exam to become a brain surgeon than a category C driving test. The stress was so intense that for a moment I genuinely started wondering why I had ever signed up for all of this and why I had voluntarily put myself through such a day.
On top of that, I knew I was not facing one short exam and a quick “pass” or “fail”. A few years ago, the theory and practical parts took place on the same day, so first you had to get through the first stage before you could even think about the manoeuvring yard and driving through the city. That meant there were several opportunities to mess something up — a very comforting thought for someone who had barely been able to keep her stress under control since the morning.
Nobody treated the category C test as something you could just show up for and somehow get through. I knew that plenty of people failed and that even being well prepared did not guarantee success. So instead of going there thinking, “today I’m claiming my victory,” I went in more with the attitude: “Alright, let’s see at which stage they eliminate me today.”
And yet this was supposed to be the final step towards something I genuinely cared about. After the course, the first unsuccessful driving lessons, the following hours behind the wheel and all the work I had put into it, all that was left was to pass the exam. The only problem was that from the very morning I was mentally prepared, above all, for the fact that I would not pass it that day…
DOUBLE DOSE OF STRESS
There were ten of us taking the exam that day. After the theory part, only three people were left: me, a friend from my course and another man I had never met before. I should have felt relieved because the first stage was already behind me, but of course my brain immediately started calculating the probability of disaster. Since only three out of ten people were left, I was convinced there was no chance that all three of us would also pass the practical part.
The other man went onto the manoeuvring yard first — he passed. Then it was my friend’s turn — he passed as well. And that was when my logic reached a completely new level. Two people before me had already made it through, so I was almost certain that someone would have to restore the natural balance of the universe sooner or later. And of course, I was convinced that someone would be me.
FIRST TASK, FIRST CRISIS
The first task was reversing through a curve. I had two attempts, so theoretically there was no reason to panic yet. Except that right at the beginning I decided to make life a little harder for myself. I got ready to move off and… forgot to release the handbrake. I didn’t even manage to drive a single metre before the examiner walked over to me and calmly said: That was your first attempt. I remember thinking: Great. I’ve barely started the exam, I haven’t even moved from the spot, and I’ve already lost one of my attempts. Judging by the examiner’s expression, I had the feeling he had started wondering what that blonde woman was actually doing behind the wheel of a truck.
On the second attempt, I remembered the handbrake. The problem was completely different - my leg was shaking so badly from stress that at times I felt as if it had stopped listening to me altogether. I had never seen my own leg behave so independently before. I knew how to do the curve and had practised it many times during the course, but during the exam everything suddenly seemed more difficult simply because I knew I had no room left for another mistake. I had to shut out the stress, focus on what I had learned and just do my job. This time I completed the curve correctly and could move on to the next task. Except that the manoeuvring yard had not said its last word yet…
ONE ATTEMPT, ONE SUCCESS AND ONE HILL TOO MANY
After all the drama with the reverse curve, the next task was angled front parking. And this time, for a change, everything went exactly as it should. One attempt, no corrections, no extra surprises and no extra dose of panic. Passed. After the earlier battle with the handbrake and my shaking leg, I really needed a moment of normality. For a second, I even started thinking that maybe the worst was already behind me and that the manoeuvring yard would finally let me finish the exam in peace. As it quickly turned out, the yard had a slightly different opinion.
The next task was the hill start. My leg was still not fully cooperating with me, so I decided to buy myself a little time and approached the hill at practically a snail’s pace. Honestly, I don’t think I could have gone any slower. I suspect the examiner once again had plenty of thoughts of his own and was probably wondering whether I was trying to drag this task out until the evening. Eventually, I stopped the truck, pulled myself together and started smoothly uphill. Technically, everything went well, so I was just beginning to feel relieved when the examiner came over and said: But I haven’t told you to start yet.Brilliant. The whole manoeuvre was done correctly, but once again something had gone wrong - this time I simply wanted to get it over with too quickly. On the next attempt, the stress came back twice as strong and this time I actually messed something up. That left me with one final chance. This time, I was watching not only my legs, the clutch and the truck, but also making sure I didn’t accidentally act before the examiner gave the instruction. And finally, I did it! The hill start was passed, and I could move on with the feeling that I had probably just left the most stressful part of the manoeuvring yard behind me.
THE CITY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE END FOR ME
After passing the manoeuvring yard, only the city was left. In theory, the hardest part was already behind me, but one thing was still stuck in my head - statistics. In a group of ten people, usually only one, at most two, would pass, so three successful exams in one day already seemed almost unbelievable to me. That man passed. My friend from the course passed too. And I was supposed to be the third. The longer I thought about it, the less I believed that all three of us could really make it.
Meanwhile, as soon as I drove the truck out onto the road, something completely opposite to what I expected happened. The stress slowly started to fade. I stopped analysing every single move and simply started driving. Intersections, mirrors, changing gears, watching the traffic - everything started falling back into place. On the manoeuvring yard, stress had made my own leg seem to have a life of its own, but in the city I could finally show what I had actually learned during the course.
By the time we were heading back to the test centre, I was much calmer. Since the examiner had not told me to stop and switch places, I knew I probably had not made a mistake that would end the exam. I was still waiting for the most important thing, though - the official confirmation. Only after I had parked the truck did the examiner look at me and say: I was actually afraid to drive with you, but you’re really doing very well. And then I knew. I had passed!
THE RESULT SPOKE FOR ITSELF
Only later did my friend from the course tell me that before it was my turn to drive through the city, the examiner had said to him: What is this woman doing here? I’m afraid to take her out on the road. Well… thanks for that huge vote of confidence. Looking back at how my manoeuvring yard went, though, I can’t exactly say his concerns were completely unfounded. The handbrake, the shaking leg, the trouble on the hill - it definitely wasn’t my most brilliant performance.
That made it even more surprising when I found out that I had actually done the best of the three of us during the city drive. On the manoeuvring yard, I had clearly been the weakest, but later the roles completely reversed. And I think that was the biggest surprise of the day for me - I had gone into the exam that morning practically prepared to fail, and it ended not only with a pass, but also with the news that I had done really well in the most important part.
A few hours earlier, I had been wondering why I had put myself through so much stress in the first place, and now I was leaving the test centre having passed my category C exam and feeling incredibly proud. One of my small dreams had just come true. But I had no intention of stopping at category C. Next in line was C+E — and that was going to be a completely different story.
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