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BBDC Driving School Experience
- Traffic Police Test
Continuing from my previous post on BBDC Practical Lessons. The final hurdle of the driving lessons would be the Traffic Police Test. Upon passing my Evaluation for the practical, I did not jump into booking the test date, as the timings clashed with my university exams. I waited for a couple of days, and the ideal date was released (25th April 2019 – Thursday). I was deliberating which timing to take since there are about 7 timeslots available. After searching and reading other blogs online, I narrowed down to the 9.55am slot or mid afternoon where the test is about 3.00pm. I chose these timings for the following reasons (which I have observed): There is a break for the instructors which translated to lesser training cars on the circuit. The roads were less congested, especially on a weekday I decided to take session 4 – the warm up session was at 9.55am and the test was scheduled to be at 11am. However, one of my instructor warned me that they may hold the test earlier at about 1030am. One day before, I did a revision class to prepare myself mentally and to recap the rules and make sure I don’t do rookie mistakes. 25th April 2019 – Test Date I arrived at the centre about 20 minutes earlier so that I could visit the restroom and register for the test. On level 1 you would see a place to register your attendance and you would be asked to provide your PDL and NRIC for verification purposes. After which, a warm-up instructor will bring you over to the assigned car to prep up yourself. Looking at the car plate, I was assigned to a pretty new car and it was easier to control the steering wheel and brakes. During this warm up session, I had a not-so nice instructor, who kept rushing me on the roads and I almost collided with an empty SMRT bus. Tip : Go at the pace you’re comfortable and confident with. After the warm-up, I had to take a couple of mints (to calm me down after the incident), I was asked to sit at level 2 where the tester came and called me at 10.40am. Tip: Greet the person, (basic manners) and SMILE. The tester will ask you to ‘usher’ them to the car which you just did the warm-up session. My tester was friendly and tried to strike a conversation and was asking what I was doing. Tip : Dress up like a responsible person (even if you aren’t one). If you are able to make them feel safe, you tend to pass the test. During the test, the instructor will let you know the route that you will be undertaking and FOLLOW instructions. Everything went smooth in the circuit, but at the end, I was told to turn right but I heard it as left! It was the time where many of the training cars were returning and I was about to make a left turn, an instructor speed through and almost cut my lane, forcing me to brake hard. Thankfully, the tester corrected me and he decided to give me 4 demerit points since I had 0 points at that moment. Tip : keep calm, just be more cautious and treat everyone else as road hazards. Don’t expect others to stop for you, just because you are doing the test (you aren’t that special). Moving forward, I went for the Teck Whye Route (the one with no U-Turn). However, half way through I was asked to drive into a more ‘neighborhood’ place which isn’t inside the route at all. My tester warned me to drive cautiously as there are more people on the roads crossing etc. Here, I gave way to a truck even though I had the right of way (so it got a demerit point but thankfully there was a free count). At the zebra crossing, I didn’t wait for a lady to put both of her legs on to the pavement, so it cost me 8 demerit points. I was rushing to cross before the crowd, so that I could execute a easy lane change, but … there was a sweeper moving slowly on the left lane. Taking a deep breathe, I tried to change lane slowly and a lorry gave way (surprisingly). With that I ended my test and I was asked to return to BBDC. It was a smooth ride and it started drizzling as I entered the circuit. The tester told me to wait for a while, as he was making the calculations and report. After which, he ran through my errors, what I did well and then ta-da he said I exceeded … exceeded expectations with 18 points (a little disappointing ). Remember to slow down at traffic lights, otherwise you will be awarded 6 demerit points (like me). - Bukit Batok Driving School – Part 4Once you are done with Stage 2 lessons and the theory aspects, Stage 3 focuses on the circuit, while stage 4 and 5 is pretty much a recap. Here you will spend most or all lessons inside the circuit, that you might lose touch driving on the roads. Just to remind you the lessons I had attended, refer to the snapshot here. And if you haven’t read my previous blogs on BBDC part 1, 2, 3 feel free to navigate through this list below. Lesson 16 (3.01, 3.02) is on driving in the circuit and reversing technique. Well it is a familiarization lesson, in this lesson, my instructor kept guiding and I got the hang of the maneuver at the later stage. Tip: Try to understand the reversing of the car, so it makes parking easier. Lesson 17 (3.03) is on Crank Course and S course. This is pretty much taught based on the textbook they provide. Tips : drive slowly to get the turning points. If you need a break, pause. For S course, look out of the window and look at the distance between the car wheel and kerb. The bigger the gap, the nearer you are to the other side (risk mounting kerb, or striking it). Lesson 18 (3.04) Directional Change, it sets the foundation for Vertical Parking. Lesson 19 (3.05) is Parallel Parking. I found it easier than Vertical parking, because it was memorizing the steps. But you should understand the steps – why you have to do the step, so it would be easier. Lesson 20 (3.06, 3.07) is on Circuit Slope and is straightforward. Lesson 21 (3.08) on Vertical Parking, I had a instructor from a different group and I didn’t learn much. He fell asleep while I parked every time. He didn’t highlight the turning point, and made me do corrections. This really frustrated. So over time, I played with the turning points and tried to see what would be the ‘best’ for me. Tip : If you don’t get it or you can’t follow, make your own rule, literally. Lesson 22 (3.09, 3.10) is on Emergency Brake and 3 point turn (this is not tested during the Traffic Police Test, but useful for real-life driving). The Emergency brake, just make sure you lock your arms and brake firmly! Check blind spot, and then let go of your brake and move off. From what I understood, emergency brake is done in the circuit and no longer on the roads. Tip: During traffic police test, if your tester is looking around, adjusting mirror, be alert he may hit the dashboard, signalling an e-brake procedure. Lesson 23 (3.11) final part of the stage, the evaluation! It usually serves as a recap of the lessons and use it as a juncture to clarify your questions! You will need to do a risk forecasting lesson (PPL), before you embark on Stage 4! It’s a lesson to understand how you react to hazards. Since they introduced this, the number of classes in Stage 4 has reduced. Lesson 24, 25 (4.01, 4.02) – Defensive Driving in test routes, here the instructor will bring you through the two areas – Choa Chu kang, Bukit Batok. They will bring you through these areas highlighting things to take note for test! It can be on things like slowing down at certain traffic lights because it changes fast or how to lane change at Teck Whye. Tip: Try to jot down after your lessons! Lesson 26 – Stage 5 is the final evaluation. It is a mock traffic police test, so try your best to identify your weaknesses and work on them! At this point you should have already cleared your final theory test and booked the traffic police test. Lessons 27 – 31 were my revision lessons. It is encouraged to attend at least one revision lesson. I went for 5 because I rather spend the money to pass in one go than repeat again. Well again it depends on how comfortable you are and confident you are. For myself, my revision classes were around the test timing and i did it frequently so that I can gain confidence in a quick period of time. Tip : Book at least 1-2 session a few days before your actual test and near the test timing so you understand the road conditions! With that I have ended my lessons at BBDC, but to find out more about the actual Traffic Police Test, stay tuned~!
- Bukit Batok Driving School – Part 3Now that we are done with Stage 1, we will advance to Stage 2 Practical Lessons. Here what to expect, well read on. Again here is a snap of my practical lessons, in case you stumbled upon my website and have not read my previous blogs, check it out here. Stage 2 involves on driving on the roads, learning to switch lanes etc. Lesson 8 (2.01, 2.02) is on observance of traffic rules and pedestrians on zebra crossing. To simply put, what ever that is learnt during the Basic Theory Lesson you would be applying it here. Tip: Always be alert. Slow down near traffic lights, zebra crossing or if you are unsure, only when you are confident that there is no one crossing / it is still green light, pick up speed. Lesson 9 (2.03, 2.04) is on left turns and lane change. It was Chinese New Year Eve, this instructor was sleepy and for a good 5 minutes I didn’t hear his voice telling me where to go. I circled around BBDC and realised I’m wasting time, so I decided to ask him – “where should I go?”. After his quick naps, he taught me how to do a lane change. Well it was a fast lesson (I spent 20 minutes on lane change and the rest of the lesson circling around BBDC). He guided me through the lesson, so it seemed easy. Even though he advanced me to the next lesson, I knew I wasn’t comfortable with lane change. Tip : If you want to learn the basics of lane change, pick a timing where there are no cars morning 9.30am till 12pm or evening 3pm till 530pm. After you’ve learnt the basic, challenge yourself to do the U-Turn classes during the peak periods to gain confidence. Lesson 10 (2.04) lane change (again!). Here I met an interesting instructor from my group. This uncle has almost 30 years of experience at BBDC and likes to point out the smallest mistakes – how you hold steering wheel, placement of feet, where you look at when driving. At first I was discouraged, as he said I should not even have passed stage 1 evaluation. But I took into consideration his feedback, I didn’t realise how he would turn out to be a very useful instructor, till I went to Stage 3.Tip : Rely more on the side mirror for lane change instead of the rear mirror, if a car is far behind, check there is enough space in the front, pick up speed and change lane. Lesson 11 (2.05) is on Right Turn is interesting, the maneuver is slightly different from a left turn. Lesson 12 (2.06) which is on U-turn can be either a bliss or hell to you. To me it was hell, since I couldn’t get the lane change. In order to do U-Turn you need to change lanes and some can be a short lane change so you must get into the lane swiftly otherwise you risk missing the U-turn. For me it started raining heavily and I could not gauge the speed well, I couldn’t stop in time. Thankfully, the instructor braked harder. Tip: If you really can’t lane change, instructors and testers understand and drive SLOW in the rain. Lesson 13 (2.07,2.08) is on driving on slopes and reacting to road hazards. Nothing much to take note of for these topics. As you drive around Choa Chu Kang, the instructors would highlight relevant pointers to take note for the test. Lesson 14 (2.09) is on Lane Change in heavy traffic. Well if you choose a time slot that has little traffic, it doesn’t really help. I remember it was a little easier to do lane change this time round, but many vehicles didn’t give way which is frustrating. Tip: Understand when a car is giving way and not based on the distance. If you don’t miss the chance, you might not get another. I too have given way to other learners during my lessons, but some don’t realise it so I speed up and continue driving. Lesson 15 (2.10, 2.11) is on overtaking, and being overtaken and Stage 2 Evaluation. Here the instructor will teach you kick down. It was a thrilling lesson for me although I only overtook a bus. I could not over take another learner car because the traffic light turned red and I was scared even though my instructor said I could go faster. Thankfully, I was surprised to hear that I cleared my Stage 2 evaluation! Blessed. Tip : Follow your instructor’s instructions! With that, we head to Stage 3 – learning more about the Circuit drills. You will be reminded by your instructors to complete a driving simulator and Final Theory Test, throughout stage 2. Tip: Clear the Driving Simulator which is a 50 minutes lesson with 2-3 students early of Stage 2 as well as the Final Theory Evaluation, since you need to wait about 1.5 weeks after the evaluation to do the Final Theory Test . I cleared my Final Theory Evaluation by lesson 10 and booked my Final Theory Test in Mid February. Take a look at my first post on the Theory Lessons here.
- Bukit Batok Driving School – Part 2
Following up from Part 1 where I outlined about the sign up process and the Basic Theory Lessons and Tests. In case you’ve missed it out, do check out part 1 here. Using try-sell I managed to get two practical lessons on 10 January. You might have observed that BBDC has demarcated peak & non-peak lessons. Since I self-funded my driving lessons, I took non-peak since it was ~$10 cheaper and the timing was convenient. But I would suggest trying out different lessons to understand what it is like to drive in different circumstances – crowded streets, night, morning and heavy rain. What do you need to bring / know before your practical lessons? Make sure you bring along your e-Provisional Driving Lesson & NRIC. There is a BBDC app on Apple and Google Store, download it on to your mobile phone and log in. This app will tell you the car number which is allocated to you and its location. This information is ready 30 minutes before your lesson. On the day of my first lesson, I was kind of lost as I did not know where my car was parked. Try to reach earlier, enter the glass door to the circuit area. Usually the pillars have a map on where the cars are parked and the sign boards are hung at the top. If you still can’t find, approach the instructors and ask for help (that’s what I did in the end). I was assigned to G8002, many worry that when they buy slots from try-sell, the instructors would come from a different group and may not be ‘effective’ in their teaching. Mostly, my try-sell slots allocated me to my G8002 instructors, nonetheless it was a good exposure to have different instructors. Each person has some tips and might teach differently and you would pick up new things. Well there were a few cases where the instructor came from a different group and I didn’t really learn much, read on more. Here is the snapshot of my 31 practical lessons, and the subjects I took. Stage 1 Practical Lessons Lesson 1 (1.01,1.02,1.03) was pretty chill, it was very much of a familiarization of the car – how to fuel, the different parts of the car, how to drive straight, press accelerator / brake. The instructor was pretty nice and strike conversations on what I do etc. I observed that group instructors will try to get to know you better since you are considered to be their client and they would try their best to teach you well as it affects their KPI. Lesson 2 (1.04) was on turning around the bends of the circuits. I didn’t have a good time here, the pace started getting a little intense. The instructor emphasized 1.04 was an important class as the next lesson would be driving on the roads (this stressed me out further). This instructor taught by the book, and I couldn’t catch the concept easily given the short 100 minutes lesson. Tip : It’s alright if you can’t get something, try to ask for help from other instructors during your other lessons, they are more than happy to assist. Lesson 3 (1.05,1.06) is speed adjustment, stopping and slowing down. Here you get to drive on the road, I was taught by the same instructor from lesson 2. After a quick warm-up in the circuit, I drove out around Bukit Batok area. Again, the instructor methods didn’t suit me, and I could not align the car into the lane using the textbook method. I was pretty stressed and took almost 20 minutes to get used to the road conditions. Well I found a trick to calm myself down in subsequent classes – having a mint during the lesson to calm down. Lesson 4 (1.07) was speed regulation. I was taught by a funny instructor who teaches manual cars. He was great because he taught me a couple of methods on how to align the car and turn properly (so grateful!). Usually for this lesson, they will train on the circuit for 30 minutes and bring you onto the roads. I found out that I tend to brake abruptly and he joked that I should have taken Class 3 instead. Lesson 5 (1.08) is on braking. Many of the topics overlap and it can be frustrating. Like why pay more for the same topic, when you can advance me to the next one? It was a continuation, sometimes instructors teach additional stuff to take note which should be taught in stage 2. So this instructor has a ‘RBF’ face, but he is the funniest guy in my group. I took a night class and he was tired by then so he was pretty grumpy and he started pinpointing the errors. In BBDC, after the end of the lesson, most instructors would say sorry and explain that they were trying to inculcate knowledge so on and so forth. Well their job is on the line, if customers complain too, so I guess they have to make up for it. Tip: Go with an open-mind, try to look at the feedback they offer and learn Lesson 6 (1.09,1.10) on Sharp turns and safety check, taught by an instructor outside my group. I spent around 45 minutes in the circuit and another 45 minutes in the road. He was too nice, and I didn’t learn how to check blind spots properly, every time I mounted a kerb he said it was fine and asked me to try again. The only perk was driving at night, I understood traffic conditions at 8pm. Tip: If your instructor doesn’t offer tips, ASK & try not to take night class if you wear specs and can’t see the kerb, like me Lesson 7 (1.11) is the Evaluation of stage 1, you need to pass this otherwise you will be stuck in Stage 1. My RBF instructor (I really miss his jokes) taught this. It is a test for all topics from 1.01 to 1.10. I mounted the car on the kerb 4 times and I don’t know how I even advanced to the next stage but at least I walked away with some knowledge on how I can prevent myself from mounting onto the kerb. Tip : Establish a good relationship with your group instructors! They advance you to the next lesson/ stage! - Bukit Batok Driving School – Part 1
Intending to sign up for driving lessons? Not sure of what to expect? Fret not, I have outlined what my experience at BBDC during my class 3A driving.