The simple answer to this question is that it is simple but not easy to pass your Driving Test first time out. Simple in as much as it's not Rocket Science or Quantum Physics or Nuclear Fusion but a calculated sequence of techniques and checks that put together in the correct order should ensure success.

Planning is the key to success in anything in life and the Driving Test is no different ...no different at all! You don't Plan? ...You don't Pass! ... it really is that simple! So what is there to plan you might well ask.

Before we look at all that we ourselves have to do let's look at the Transport. For sure... what is there to be bothered with when looking at your Car? Quite a lot actually!

(1) You need to know your Car inside out. Quite literally. The new Technical checks to the Irish Driving Test were introduced on the 14th February 2005. They consist of three questions taken at random by the examiner out of 12 categories and will include all the major systems that you find under the Hood which we in Europe call the Bonnet! These include Oil; Coolant; Brake fluid; Screen wash; Power Steering Fluid; Tires; Lights; Foot Brake; Parking Brake; Brake Lights; Steering Wheel;

(2) Secondary Controls...all the knobs and switches that are present in every Modern Car and some that are not found in all models. You will not only need to know their respective functions but will be expected to operate all equipment adequately during the Test without taking your eyes off the Road. This is best described as Touchy-Feely!

(3) Paperwork requirements...which in Ireland are Road Tax...Compulsory Insurance...and in the case of all cars over three years old the NCT certificate (MOT) in the U.K. Not forgetting your Provisional License of course. If you have just bought a car in the lead up to your Driving Test the failure of a Garage to provide you with the necessary documentation to enable you to Road Tax your Car will not carry any weight. If your car does not comply with the legal requirements your Driving Test will not be carried out under any circumstances!

(4) Worse still you will lose your fee and be put to the end of the long waiting list. And it is long, very long and getting longer by the minute! Lack of attention to the details mentioned in this article is one of the main reasons for the lengthy delays in getting a Driving Test appointment.

(5) Changing a car at the last minute prior to your Driving Test is also a recipe that will prevent you from passing the Driving Test First Time. It takes even an experienced Driver quite some hours to acclimatize to a new car. A learner will take even longer and will not have the necessary skills set to cope with dramatic differences in a strange car. A Driving Test is difficult enough without shooting yourself in the foot.

(6) If repairs are necessary to your regular car during the lead up to a Driving Test then don't leave things to the last minute since spare parts sometimes are not always available off the shelf and your beloved Motor could be sunning itself on the top of a ramp when you should be piloting it to your First Time Driving Test Pass. In an emergency it will take at least eight hours tuition and practise for a person who is absolutely ready for the Driving Test to switch cars and have a hope of passing. As a general rule no Professional Driving School will hire out a car for the test without having assessed the Pupil's skills and then insisting on at least eight or ten hours practise to qualify for hire. If you are on the borderline in the skills department a Driving School may well decide not to offer you the car for hire for the Driving Test. There are safety and reputation implications to be considered in this scenario.

(7) You need to be very familiar with the general area where Driving Tests take place and should practise regularly at different times of day and different days of the week. You won't know the significance of different traffic flows unless you do. If you are caught out in particular spot because it's Friday afternoon and the whole Universe is heading down this particular stretch of road to get home after a gruelling week then you only have yourself to blame for making a mess of things. Here we have the planning aspect (or rather the lack of it) rearing its ugly head again. Any one badly or dangerously executed manoeuvre due to stress in heavy traffic will mean the dreaded Grade Three fault and a "Sorry you haven't been successful this time " remark from the Examiner when back to the Driving Test Centre. Guess whose fault this result is? It certainly isn't the Examiners or the heavy traffic!

(8) If you have along way to drive to get to the Driving Test Centre then leave ample time in order to arrive at least ten or fifteen minutes early .Arriving early could mean that you will be taken out a little earlier which may prove to be beneficial and there again it may not. Either way if you are six minutes late (for whatever reason) its bye, bye Test and come back next year! Oh yes and that will be another 38 Euro please!

We haven't even begun to talk yet about the various manoeuvres and the Techniques that will ensure your First Time Pass but we have covered the main elements of the Car requirements and certain protocols surrounding the Driving Test. We will discuss the various techniques and skills required to satisfy a Driving Examiner in an accompanying article.

Get all these things sorted out first!