— 01

When are you ready for the exam?

The question every student asks at some point: am I ready for the exam? At Rijschool Denhaag we take that question very seriously, because sitting the exam too early costs you money and confidence, and waiting too long is unnecessary as well. Your instructor assesses your progress against clear criteria that align with what the CBR expects from you. You must be able to drive independently in a wide range of traffic situations without your instructor needing to intervene. That means driving safely in the city, on the motorway and on rural roads. It also means mastering special manoeuvres: parallel parking, reversing, the emergency stop and turning in the road. In addition we look at your traffic awareness. Can you assess situations in good time? Do you respond appropriately to other road users? Do you make your own decisions in traffic, or do you always wait for an instruction? That independence is crucial, because during the CBR exam your instructor is no longer allowed to help you. To test your exam readiness, in the weeks before the exam we deliberately drive the routes around the CBR exam centre in Rijswijk. You get to know the intersections, roundabouts and tricky situations that regularly come up in exams. We also do one or more mock exams: a full drive under exam conditions where your instructor acts as the examiner and gives you detailed feedback afterwards. Only when both you and your instructor are confident do we book the exam. We register you with the CBR and choose an exam date that fits your schedule. Students coming from Den Haag, Rijswijk, Voorburg or Zoetermeer can usually count on an exam date within a few weeks of registration, depending on availability at the CBR.

— 02

The day of the practical exam

Exam day is a special day for many students, and a touch of nerves is perfectly normal. At Rijschool Denhaag we make sure you start the exam as relaxed as possible. We meet at a familiar location in Den Haag or Rijswijk and your instructor drives with you to the CBR exam centre. On the way you do a short warm-up drive so you do not go into the exam cold. At the CBR exam centre you check in at the desk. You need your identity document and your theory certificate, so make sure you have them with you. The examiner introduces themselves, explains the procedure and checks your documents. The practical exam lasts approximately thirty-five minutes, during which you drive a route through Rijswijk and the surrounding area determined by the examiner. You receive directions via a screen in the car or verbally. During the drive the examiner assesses you on driving skill, traffic awareness and vehicle control. You also carry out one or two special manoeuvres, such as parallel parking or an emergency stop. It is important to know that the examiner is not there to fail you, but to assess whether you can participate in traffic safely and independently. A minor mistake is not immediately the end. What counts is the overall picture. After the drive you return to the exam centre, where the examiner tells you the result. At Rijschool Denhaag your instructor is present when the result is announced, so you can celebrate immediately or discuss together what needs improvement. Most students who are well-prepared find the exam less nerve-wracking than expected. The routes are recognisable from your lessons, the traffic situations are not new and you are in the same car you have been driving in for weeks. That familiarity is a huge advantage on exam day.

— 03

What if you do not pass?

Not passing your practical exam is disappointing, but it is certainly not a disaster. At the CBR almost half of all candidates fail on their first attempt on average, so you are absolutely not alone if it does not work out. At Rijschool Denhaag we handle a failed exam constructively. Immediately after the result your instructor discusses with you what went wrong. The examiner provides a brief overview of the areas where you scored insufficiently, and your instructor translates that into concrete points for improvement in your next lessons. Sometimes it is a matter of nerves. You can do everything perfectly in your lessons, but during the exam you make mistakes due to tension that you would not normally make. In that case we pay extra attention to stress management and practise more often under exam conditions. We drive the exam routes around Rijswijk until you can do them in your sleep, so you feel less uncertain on retake day. In other cases the exam reveals that you are not quite sharp enough on certain elements. Perhaps you need to judge right-of-way situations better, or you struggle with merging on the motorway. Then we schedule targeted extra lessons that focus specifically on those points. There is no point in doing twenty extra lessons when you only need three on a particular element. At Rijschool Denhaag we are honest about how many extra lessons you need and what the costs are. We only book the retake once you are truly ready. Many students who fail the first time with us pass on the second attempt without any issues. The extra preparation you do after a failed exam often makes you a better and safer driver than someone who passes first time but was not quite ready.

— 04

After getting your driving licence

Congratulations, you have passed! The moment the examiner tells you that you have made it is a moment you will not forget anytime soon. But what happens next? After passing you can collect your driving licence from the municipality of Den Haag or the municipality where you are registered. You will need a recent passport photo for this. Within a few working days your licence is ready to pick up. Then the real driving begins. And that feels different than you might expect. Without an instructor beside you, without dual controls and without someone warning you in tricky situations. That is completely normal and almost every new driver experiences it. At Rijschool Denhaag we therefore also offer a number of aftercare lessons for students who have just obtained their licence. During these lessons you drive independently but with your instructor beside you as a safety net. You practise routes you will be driving in daily life, such as the commute to your job in Delft, your studies in Zoetermeer or your sports club in Rijswijk. You learn to handle situations that are not covered in the standard lesson programme, such as driving in the dark, in heavy rain or during rush hour on the A12. Even if you have had your licence for a while, you are welcome to take a refresher course with us. Perhaps you have not driven for a few years and you feel unsure. Or you have moved to Den Haag from a quieter area and the city traffic takes some getting used to. A few lessons with an experienced instructor will restore your confidence. Your driving licence is the beginning, not the end. The skills you learned at Rijschool Denhaag form a solid foundation on which you can build the rest of your driving career. We wish all our students many safe kilometres ahead.

Practical Exam at Rijschool Denhaag

When are you ready for the exam?

The day of the practical exam

What if you do not pass?

After getting your driving licence

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