Just did my mock test for my Car IAM. The Institute of Advanced Motorists are set up to carry out advanced tests, and local voluntary groups make arrangements to help prepare folks to test standard.

Part of the quality control of this in local groups is for Senior Observers to run through a mock test with the potential candidate to put them through the conditions of the test, sometimes the driving isn’t the problem – it’s the test itself.

I went through mine this morning with a Senior Observer from Edinburgh IAM who also happens to be a biker, which could be either a good or a bad thing – at least one comment related to my biking “background”.

To cut a long story short I would have passed if it had been the real thing, but as a flawed perfectionist I have to watch out for the way that the Observation programme works. The arrangement is a naturally critical one, based on watching what you do and how it could be done better. Both my bike and car mock tests descended into what appeared to be a lengthy list of what was wrong, whereas the throwaway line “the perfect drive/ride doesn’t exist” is important. Perhaps I give the impression that I’m not listening, rather than being totally gutted at falling short. I suppose I should take the encouragement from today that I know that if I work on the two or three points raised (nothing new either) that my drive would have been really good.

Give me a couple of days and my self esteem will come back a bit and I’ll be ready for the real test!