How are you all doing? I am very new in this forum.
I would like to get some help from you regarding the decision of where to take my Swiss Driving test.
I live is Vevey, so my two nearest options of performing the practical driving test are Lausanne or Aigle. I have checked with some of my colleagues and they are suggesting me to go to Aigle. Most of my known people around have done their test from Aigle.
But my driving teacher said that it is better to perform the test in Lausanne. I have practiced last few weeks in Lausanne and it did not seem very complicated to me as I have seen many of the roads and most of them are very well marked.
I went to Aigle very few times and there the roads are narrow and not very broadly marked. Many complicated 30 zones as well. But it is very empty compared to Lausanne.
I am driving for last couple of months extensively (at least 10/12 hours a week). But mostly in Lausanne. Now I have to take a decision on where to finally go for the test. Based on that I will start practicing in the same location.
Any of your experience or suggestion will be really helpful for me.
Could you describe your driving test? Can you ask for english-speaking instructor? What he paid attention to? What were the roads you've passed, any specialities?
The test was cool. But the only language is French. I have survived with very basic French. You need to know the basic directions (Left, Right, Straight, Different exits, Follow main road etc). The main thing they check is the safety at the same time fluidity. So they check how are you giving or taking priority, speed limit, way of breaking, how frequently you check all the three mirrors, emergency break, parallel parking.
For me I started with a 60 road, then joined a 80 road, then a parallel parking, then he took me to a 50 zone followed by a field where he asked for the emergency break. At the end of that field, there were three roads where one was only for Authorized Entry and one was no entry. There he didn't really tell me the direction as I had only one valid direction for me on the right. Then we get into a 30 zone where he asked me to do a long reverse. After that the test ended with the motor way.
He actually told my instructor (she was waiting at the examination centre) that I got a rating 5 out of 5 in the exam. However it was not written anywhere in any documents that I have.
What I realized is that if you are confident in driving and drive smoothly; there is no reason of failing the test. The inspector is not there to fail you and they just don't fail someone without a big mistake that can cause accidents.
Thank you Avisekh for detailed description of your test drive I plan to take couple of test drives with instructor and then apply for driving license conversion. Hope to pass it, I'm nearly every day behind the wheel since 1993