Your teen is looking forward to reaching one important milestone this year: getting his driver’s license. But what if things don’t go as planned and your teen fails the written part of the driving test? What could have gone wrong?
Here are a few reasons why your teen didn’t pass the driver’s license exam and advice on how to prevent failure from happening again:
Stayed Out Too Late
Maybe your teen thought the test wouldn’t be a big deal, so he stayed out late the night before the exam. The lack of sleep may have played a part in poor test performance. Studies show losing as little as an hour and a half of sleep can reduce daytime alertness by up to 32 percent. Encourage your teen to get into bed early the night before the exam, so he feels alert and focused on test day.
Test Anxiety
Sweaty palms and jittery nerves will definitely effect your teen’s performance. Getting so worked up over an exam will cause your teen to lose focus and give into worry. This will keep him from answering the questions to the best of his ability. If your teen is constantly nervous and anxious during most exams or performance, it might be time to seek a professional’s opinion on how to help him though it.
Crammed For The Driver’s License Exam
Maybe your teen is great under pressure and thinks he will be able to study the night before the test. There are specific rules and laws your teen needs to know because he will be expected to apply those principles during the exam. By reviewing the material once or twice and memorizing random facts, your teen will likely miss the big picture and not be able to recall the appropriate information during testing. Devise a plan for studying with your teen. This is especially helpful if your teen is a known procrastinator.
Lack Of Exposure To Driver’s License Sample Tests
On test day, your teen has different expectations regarding the exam because he believes it is like a school exam. The driving test is unlike other tests and it is wise for your teen to practice similar tests before exam day. Encourage your teen to check out practice exams online so he knows exactly what to expect on the actual test.
Not Learning From Mistakes
What is stumping your teen during an exam? Is it the way the questions are asked? Is it lack of knowledge? Has he not read the manual thoroughly? If your teen is repeatedly failing the exam, determine what is holding him back. It might be as simple as narrowing the answer down to a couple of answers. Is your teen picking the wrong choice or maybe guessing his way through the exam? Evaluate what the mistakes are in order to help your teen pass the exam on the next go-around.
Passing the written portion of the driver’s license exam may seem like a piece of cake. But if your teen is unprepared there is a possibility he may fail. Have your teen identify his stumbling blocks ahead of time — it might make the difference between passing and failing.