How Not To Fail In J.P.J. Road Test

Some people prefer the “positive” approach. However, unusual as it may seem, there are others who profess the “negative” stance instead.

This article is therefore written to cater for those who wish to know “How did I fail the test?”.

First and foremost, do not allow your name to be called too many times on test day. Nothing irritates more than having your name or number called too many times.

Human beings are easily irritated. Excuse the poor tester, he has anything from maybe 30 – 50 candidates to test in the hot mid-day Malaysian sun.

Get the idea?

Well, whether it is for parking or the road test, do listen carefully. Appear before the test the moment your name is called.

Anyway, this shouldn’t be a problem. Most institutes are using the P.A. System anyway. You should be able to hear fairly well, unless you are hard of hearing.

A well-mannered candidate uttering “Good morning, Sir” or “Selamat pagi Encik” is a bonus. Actually, you have nothing to lose by being well-mannered.

Remember, you are out to get you license that day, [tag-tec]by hook or by crook[/tag-tec]. The important thing is try not to fail. Failing means incurring time lost and more money spent. So go all out by being on your best behavior that special day.

“Clothes, they say, maketh a man.” Males candidates, please wear shoes, collared shirts and proper trousers and please, not those “tiga-suku” ones.

For young ladies, please refrain from wearing revealing or short dresses. For Muslim lady candidates, it’s better if you could “bertudung” or wear a “selendang” for that day. Thinking of it, it’s worth the effort anyway.

In my many years as an instructor, nothing irritates me more than a long haired lad swiping away his hair which has fallen across his forehead time and time again.

Swiping or brushing your hair away may be done in the name of vanity, but for this particular day, remember my dear friend, “Vanity should not be the name!” The same also applies to young lady candidates as well.

For boy candidates, my advice is, do get your hair cut, and your lady candidates, do have your hair tied up neatly and carefully before your test. Swiping away your hair from your forehead, is actually driving with one hand. To the testers, this actually is “Gagal Serta Merta” or G.S.M.

For those who are ignorant, driving with one hand is allowed, but only when one is changing gears. In short, driving with one hand is actually “Dangerous Driving”.

How on earth can the tester ever pass you if you are driving in such a manner?

So ladies and gentlemen, think about it deeply. You hair or your license?

They say “a miss is as good as a mile”.

But unfortunately, in driving test, “nearly missing” to cause an accident is as good as having Failed.

So do not ever “about to be involved or nearly involved or about to come on accident”. To the tester, it’s all in the same category. It’s a G.S.M. or “Gagal Serta Merta”. In English, if you still have not understand yet – “Instantaneous Failure”. On the spot!

So do remember, drive extra careful when you are on test.

I know you are nervous. But try your best. Look ahead, anticipate children crossing, old folks about to cross the road, cyclists and cars attempting to enter your line of traffic.

Use the horn if necessary! There is no greater sin than not using the Horn in cases of Emergency. Especially in a test. So I wish to reiterate once again – beware of cyclists, pedestrians, school children and especially “disabled persons” or O.K.U. “orang kurang upaya”.

These are your greatest dangers.

As mentioned earlier in another blog post, ask the tester whether he wishes the engine to be switched off or otherwise when you reached the testing institute. Days are hot and testers tend to be irritated easily.

Don’t do things which might make the tester angry!

If you can, contribute by making “his” day as cool as possible. That’s the way Not The Fail, hopefully.

It has been said before and I would say it again, Free Gear when you stop. Also pull up your handbrakes. Nothing makes the tester angrier than having the vehicle suddenly jerk forward violently, as he is about to disembark from the car.

There has been cases where testers has reversed their decision from a “Pass” to a “Fail” in instances such as these.

Finally, during the “On the road” test, strictly keep your [tag-tec]eyes on the road[/tag-tec] and no where else! This has been said over and over again.

To end this short article, permit me, if I may, to quote you an incident. a true one which happened during the test in Penang some many years ago.

A friend, taking his driving test in Penang, did extremely well in the initial stages.

Three quarters through his test, in fact he had already passed his exam, so commented the testers. Unfortunately, while crossing the town area, there was a large advertisement poster depicting a [tag-tec]James Bond[/tag-tec] movie in a local cinema.

The tester looked out and commented: “Oh, James Bond!” The candidate also turned around to the tester’s side and looked out too. After all, it was a natural thing to do anyway.

The tester screamed. “Eh, why are you not concentrating on your driving?” Failed, uttered the tester.

Despite my poor friend’s protest, he actually did not pass eventually. My friend has since passed away.

There is no way whereby I can verify they story anyway. Believe it or not? Up to you anyway.

This article, unlike others, has concentrated on the topic of “How I can fail my Jalan Raya test!”

Come to think of it, it actually does make sense anyway. By pinpointing all the negatives aspects which brings about a person’s failure and by avoiding them during the test, we eventually might land up passing the test.

All the best in you attempt to pass the Part III of the Jalan Raya test and eventually secure your Lesen D (cars) license.


By | 2017-05-18T00:14:44+08:00 June 1st, 2009|Road Test|21 Comments

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21 Comments

  1. Rima AJ February 29, 2012 at 3:25 pm - Reply

    Good day,sir!i heard that some of the testers require the candidates to overtake the car,increase speed etc. while driving on the road.what should i do?should i do as commanded or the opposite?

    • Cikgu Yap March 6, 2012 at 12:02 am - Reply

      Follow tester’s recommendations if you capable of. But do not overtake at double lines, a bus which has stopped and at corners too.

  2. Rima AJ March 17, 2012 at 2:54 pm - Reply

    Thank you very much,sir!
    i have 2 more questions,though
    a)if i were to use viva instead of kancil for jpj test,is it going to be the same-in terms of clutch?
    b)will the engine die if i release the clutch completely(but gradually) as i press on the accelerator?

    • Cikgu Yap March 18, 2012 at 6:56 am - Reply

      There shouldn’t be too much difference between Viva and Kancil. Release clutch gradually.

  3. anraws April 4, 2012 at 6:18 pm - Reply

    Sir,

    I am a foreigner, learned driving just now with a driving school here.

    What If I do not know the route what they ask me to go, will tester help me? Will i get negative marks for that?

    • Cikgu Yap April 6, 2012 at 9:19 pm - Reply

      Best is learn properly before you test. Otherwise, cancel test.

  4. Aifin April 6, 2012 at 12:41 pm - Reply

    Hello Mr. Yap
    I have a question,
    Recently my cousin had just received her P license, so i went and ask her for her score paper, which she got 17/20.
    However, i was shocked to find that she didn’t get full marks on the starting ones, for example things that you have to do before you start the car like adjust seats, check mirrors etc.
    She got all of it right except for “pastikan gear kereta dalam keadaan neutral sebelum memasang enjin” . When I asked her why she got wrong, she answered the car was already on when she got in.
    So how to handle this situation Mr Yap? What should I do if my car is already on? My exam is on monday next week.

    • Cikgu Yap April 6, 2012 at 9:16 pm - Reply

      Nothing to say you can’t close off engine and start again.

  5. harry May 8, 2012 at 8:44 pm - Reply

    about the slope, when should i stop the car? my instructor told me the stop when right mirror is between the two poles but on exam day, the officer said that i tak sampai the yellow line?????? im very sure that my mirror is between the poles.

    • Cikgu Yap May 10, 2012 at 11:40 am - Reply

      You should put your head out of the window to ensure the front tyre has reached the yellow line. If not, revere back to the white line at the starting point to do the second attempt.

  6. Chloe May 24, 2012 at 7:00 pm - Reply

    Great write-up! I’ll be having my test tomorrow and I’m afraid of getting the route(B road) where there will be a junction which I have to turn right at when there isn’t any car passing from the opposite road. But they’re currently widening the road there so basically I have to stop about 2-5m in front of the junction. At that junction I’m suppose to do that engine-balance thing but I’m not very good at it and during my last test, my engine died when I tried to do it :( Is it okay if I just press on the brakes before turning at the junction? Meaning I don’t do the engine-balance thing.

    • Cikgu Yap May 26, 2012 at 10:59 am - Reply

      If the road is uneven, pull up the handbrake. Then control the clutch properly as you did in the slope test. When the road ahead is clear, then only proceed forward. Do not panic.

      • el June 9, 2012 at 1:27 am - Reply

        i actually experienced the same thing as chloe.can you tell me the step one by one? on how to do the engine-balancing?my route is route A. which i have to turn left where there is a slope ahead. thanx

        • Cikgu Yap June 11, 2012 at 2:26 pm - Reply

          I am unable to assist you much theoretically.You should see your instructor’s help. Basically, you should take extra lessons until you’re competent.

  7. Raj August 24, 2012 at 9:20 pm - Reply

    Hie Mr.YAP, I’m sitting for the exam next week. Upon turning the steering as I drive through a junction I’ll purposely loosen my grip on the turned steering as the steering will automatically turn-back straight after the junction-turn to reposition itself and then I’ll grip the steering back and continue. Can this be done,

    • Cikgu Yap August 25, 2012 at 12:06 pm - Reply

      You can adopt your method if you can control the steering well. Personally, I’d advise you guide the steering back straight.

      • Raj August 28, 2012 at 12:03 am - Reply

        Mr.YAP, Thank you for the remark. I was acknowledged by my instructor to strictly not to allow such controls to occur as the JPJ officials will never want students to not to steering the vehicle at any given moments. Thanks

  8. Rin October 18, 2012 at 9:12 pm - Reply

    Mr. Yap,

    I have a question. I have a question. i signed up with a driving school.i do not wish to mentioned the name of the driving school. It has been taking me ages to get my license. Was scheduled to do ,my jpj test tommorow. and all of of a sudden my instructor calls and inform me tht jpj rejected my test day saying my L license is not even one month old. as i have my l licence in hand and it shows the three month duration which ended in september.

    how can the jpj say my license is not even one month old even thought my l licence is showing 3months already

    • Cikgu Yap October 20, 2012 at 12:17 pm - Reply

      Looks as if your instructor has not been truthful with you.

  9. Ivy April 23, 2016 at 12:28 am - Reply

    Is there really no difference between the control of clutch for kancil and viva? I had only tried kancil before but was assigned to drive viva during my on-the-road test. I failed. The engine died even before I exit the institution. And right outside the instituition, The engine died again, for like 5 or 6 times. I had no idea what went wrong. My friends’ sifu said viva is a very HARD to drive. I did release the clutch gradually. Each time it dies, there isnt any jerking forward motion, so i supposed it isnt the clutch problem. Could you please enlighthen me on this problem? I had not been driving since(last month) and is going to retake my test next Thursday. Thank you!

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