Ready to get behind the wheel?

Almost ten years ago now, I got my own learners licence at 18 after putting it off.

Honestly, I hate any form of ‘exam’ so the thought of taking one by choice gave me HUGE anxiety. Also the fact that it costs $93.90 to even sit the test only heightened the pressure. I didn’t want to have to sit it more than once and fork out more $$$ than I had to. But there came a time where I realised that my adult life was going to be a whole lot easier if I knew how to drive and I had to overcome my fear of failure. 

In reality, high school is the perfect time to learn. Most teenagers live at home, with access to a fully licenced driver of 2+ years and a car to learn in. Once you move away from home, it becomes significantly harder to access these things that are essential! 

So if you are, or nearly are 16 years old - here are some tips and tricks to nailing that learner’s licence test (and have your Olivia Rodrigo moment).

Know what you’re in for.

I can’t confidently say that I knew what I was walking into when I went to sit my learners test and this didn’t help with the nerves!

When you sit a test to get your learner’s licence, you do so at your local AA. They sit you down at a computer where you have to answer 35 multi-choice questions. If you answer at least 32 correctly, you pass - simple as that and you get your learner’s licence. 

As this will become your first official form of ID, I feel it’s my duty to warn you that they take your photo on the spot before or after you sit the test. You may only have this licence for six months, but if you are concerned about looking good in it - come looking your best as there is no coming back later to get a better picture.

They will also get you to fill in some paperwork and take a quick eyesight screening check.

There are a number of other things you need to bring with you but I have included a checklist for you at the bottom!

If you do pass, (CONGRATS) they’ll give you a temporary learner licence to use until your photo learner licence arrives in the mail. If you don’t already have them, you can also buy a pair of yellow L plates. That need to be displayed in your car when you are driving.

Book ahead of time.

As it’s a busy time of year AND Covid lockdowns have thrown a major spanner in the works, the AA recommend booking your test ahead of time. They are increasingly busy on the weekends and although you may get lucky with a walk-in test slot, they don’t recommend it. Set a date that you can work towards, as this also keeps you accountable to learning the road code and not procrastinating!

Plus imagine hyping yourself up for the test only to find you can’t sit it on the day you’d prepared for. 
Find your local AA testing centre here, go in to the store in person and book in a test slot.

Read the resources.

When I was learning to drive almost a decade ago (YIKES!), the best resource was the physical book copy of the NZTA Official Road Code. There were some resources online but they were not nearly as good as they are today. So it was very much an old school study sesh to learn everything I needed to know.

Luckily, DRIVE is your new best friend. This website created by NZTA and the NZ Government has everything you need to know for sitting any level of your licence.

It’s a digital version of the book, taking you through every different topic you need to know. 

I recommend going through the entire thing at least twice to make sure you have taken all the information in. A lot of it is common sense but there is plenty of important information you will need to know without fail.

Use the free tests.

Make sure you are really ready and have learnt all the information by taking the free tests available to you. The AA provides 10 free quick road code quizzes to help people prepare for their learner licence test and one free AA Road Code Practice Test, which is just like the real thing. You can then go on to buy additional Road Code Practice Tests if you need but make sure to make the most of the freebies to get a feel for what the test is like. 

If you have done all these things and studied hard then well done because you are more than likely going to get your licence. I ended up getting 35 out of 35 in my test and walked out wishing that I’d only taken it sooner! Remember to prepare the best you possibly can by learning everything, taking all the free tests and making sure that you have everything else you need when you do go to sit it.

See you on the roads soon Billie-onaires!