Overdrive: Surviving the Roads in Ireland 2

Last Saturday, I took my Driver Theory Test. Ron accompanied me to the testing center because I don't know where it is. My appointment was at 2pm, but we left the house at 12:30 because we had to walk to the place. It's usually just a 30 to 45 minute walk but I don't want to be frazzled. I wasn't nervous or anxious though which was surprising because I usually feel panicked before ANY test.

We arrived in the center around a little over one, the two Irish guys administering the test briefed me about what to expect. They verified my personal information and took my picture for the driving certificate. After that, they gave me a reading material on the instructions and told me that if one of the kiosks frees up, I can already take my test. A few minutes later, one of the guys showed me to the kiosks, gave me a short rundown on the application and how to use it. When he left, I went through the practice sessions, after which I commenced with the exam. It's 40 questions about the rules of the road, risk perception, hazard awareness and good driving behavior. The time limit is 45 minutes, I finished mine in 10. I reviewed my work twice and clicked on End Test with almost 20 minutes to spare.

I went back to the administrators and they printed the result of my exam. I got 38 out of 40 (you have to get at least 30 to pass). I missed out on Technical Matters about your Vehicle and Emergency/Corrective Actions. When I inadvertently blurted out "I got two errors??!!!", the administrator had to point out that it doesn't matter because I passed anyways. It's just like me to whine about not getting a perfect score and not revel on the fact that I passed the exam.

(SIDEBAR: Later that day, I, of course, went back to the books that I borrowed and confirmed what were the mistakes I made. I really got that wheel balance question incorrect but I can't find the question that I missed under the Emergency topic.)

My next step is to exchange the driving certificate for a provisional license. But even with the certificate, I can now legally drive in Ireland. Of course, I still don't know how to drive a manual transmission but that's not the point.