One of the first few things I did after A levels ended was to sign up for driving! I went to the driving school nearest to my place, which is Comfort Delgro Driving Centre (CDC Ubi).
Signing upÂ
When I first went there I was really clueless about the types of programmes they had (e.g. school learner vs private candidate, auto vs manual course) and I was really at a loss of what to do when I first entered the driving centre hahaha.
Basically there are 2 sections in the CDC, the one nearest/next to to the passport photo booth & the snacks vending machine is the area where you can register as a school student. There’s another reception area opposite to this and you go there if you want to register for BTT/FTT as a private candidate.
I went to the driving centre with the intention of signing up for the BTT as a private candidate, but somehow I was speaking to the lady and she convinced me to sign up under the school. Which on hindsight was a good choice because:
- School learner’s have priority for BTT/FTT dates, which means they can sit for the theory tests earlier, whereas private candidates have to wait for later test dates (which is a con if you want to get your driving license ASAP)
- The school learner’s package comes with the BTT & FTT guidebooks (save the hassle from getting it from popular!)
- and e-trials which are basically practices (kinda like a ten year series for driving) where you can go practice old theory test questions
The lady at the counter convinced me to sign up for manual (at that time, I was really clueless so I asked her for her opinion, and she recommended manual because you can drive manual cars overseas and your future company may not provide an auto car etc hahahaha). But when I went home my mum was rather shocked that I signed up for manual because manual is apparently a lot tougher than auto. So I was a little worried and went down to the driving centre the next day to switch to auto instead hahaah.
E-trials
How it works is that you get to book your e-trial sessions (which you can do via the CDC online portal). As a school student you get 6 e-trial sessions for free! Head to Level 3 of CDC Ubi for the e-trial session, and bring your IC along so it can be scanned (otherwise you can’t sit for the e-trial).
The room has plenty of computers, the computer is touch screen (I didn’t know that hahaha until much later) and a mouse. Try getting the computers with the mouse because the touch screen sometimes isn’t very sensitive and it affects how fast you can do the questions.
Each e-trial session is around 55 minutes long, which is the actual time duration given for the BTT/FTT. However most people (I think) can finish the test before the 55 minute mark, so once you’re done with 1 practice test, you can move on to the next one and keep doing questions until the 55 minute mark is up (and you’ll be invited to leave).
I signed up for 2 e-trial sessions in a row because I thought it would be a hassle to go down to the driving centre 6 times for each of the 6 sessions, so I went to the centre thrice (2 e-trial sessions each time).
Online e-learning material
School learners also have access to online e-learning material (20 hours or so I think), which I personally didn’t find very useful because the videos move at a rather slow pace. Also, you have to complete one unit before you can move on to the next unit (in other words, you can’t skip units), and some of the first few units are rather basic, so it would be more efficient just reading the book instead 🙂
BTTÂ
I first signed up at the CDC driving centre in mid-December 2015, and my Basic Theory Test (BTT) was scheduled on 7th January 2016, which was much earlier than I had expected it to be.
I browsed through the theory book once before the e-trials, and once the day before the actual BTT. Most of the e-trial questions can be quite repetitive and can be classified into a few broad categories, so I familiarized myself with the e-trial questions and took mental note of the questions which I got wrong during the e-trial.
You need to get 90% and above to pass BTT, and during the e-trials I failed 2 out of the 10 practices given (not a surprise because I didn’t really read the BTT book in detail!), but I also learnt a lot from doing the e-trials (so I don’t think it was a bad idea signing up as a school student after all).
My score for BTT was 49/50, after which I immediately went to the counter to apply for the provisional driving license (PDL), which would allow me to start taking practical lessons. At the same time I got a test date for the Final Theory Test (booked online through the CDC online portal).
Induction Programme
Before the BTT test date, I also attended this compulsory induction programme. Basically there were 3 of us and 1 instructor. We sat in the car while the instructor explained the different parts of the car (e.g. signals, speed indicators, brakes, gears etc). The induction programme is a pre-requisite for taking practical driving lessons. The lady at the counter fixed the induction programme date for me when I first signed up, so I went for it even before taking my BTT.
Private Candidate
One of my friends is taking driving lessons as a private candidate, so she didn’t get the e-trials (which I think can be rather useful). However there are pros to being a private candidate as well, for example having more liberty in arranging practical driving lesson days/dates, not having to book one month in advance for practical lessons (which is what students have to do, and the competition for booking slots can get really fierce). [But this also depends on whether you can find a good private instructor! That friend of mine is learning manual because the private instructor she found only teaches manual.]
Okie that’s all for now 🙂
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