Class 3A course
At BBDC, a school setting, students are required to attend Theory
and Practical lessons. I attended a total of 4 mandatory Theory lessons on two
separate days:
- Basic Theory Lessons (BTL) – BTL 1.01 & 1.02
- Final Theory Lessons (FTL) - FTL 1.01 & 1.02
Basic Theory
After attending the BTLs, I booked
Theory Practice sessions in preparation for my Basic Theory Evaluation and
Test. Basically, the evaluation is somewhat like a mock test. You are required
to pass the evaluation before you can book the actual test. In preparation for
my evaluation, I studied the “Highway code” and attended a few practice
sessions on separate days before and on the actual day of my evaluation. I
managed to pass my evaluation and proceeded to book the actual test (Traffic
Police) which I passed as well after having several practices.
Upon passing my Basic Theory test,
I applied for Provisional Driving License (PDL) at the Traffic Police counter
which is just outside the Theory Test room. It is compulsory to possess the PDL
before you can embark on the Practical
segment of driving. PDL is valid for 6 months and you have to renew it if it
expires before you take your actual Traffic Police Practical Test.
Practical Lessons
With my PDL, I started my Practical
lessons. There are 2 rates: Peak (more expensive) and Non-Peak. As I am holding
a full-time job, I could only go for the evening classes. The 7.20pm slot
(peak) is more expensive, while the 9pm slot is less expensive (non-peak). I
built up my momentum by attending at least 3 practical lessons per week, as I
wanted to clear driving as soon as possible. An instructor/counter staff (can’t
recall who was it) advised me to book at least 25 practical lessons in advance.
This is good because you can plan ahead and secure the 25 practical lessons
first.
If you have the means, please go
ahead and book a few more lessons in advance. Reason being, it is tough to
secure the current slots unless you try to camp at the BBDC website and wait
for other students to release their slots.
What if you are unable to attend a
lesson which you have booked in advance? Fret not, you can release your booking
and have it refunded to your BBDC account provided if it is done a few days
before.
If you were to release it on the
day of your lesson, the system would put your request under “Try-sell”. This
means that you will get the refund only if someone buys your slot. I tried
releasing it on the same day of my lesson (e.g. Booked 7.20pm slot but released
my booking in the morning or afternoon) for a couple of times and I did get the
refund. I think there are students constantly trying to snatch “last-minute”
bookings, which is why I always get the refund.
However, don’t really wait till
the very last minute (e.g. 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, etc.) in releasing a 7.20pm slot
because you would face the risk of not being able to sell your slot.
Final Theory
I waited for some time before
embarking on my Final Theory as I was too focused on my Practical lessons and
other commitment. Do note that the passing of Final Theory test is one of the
pre-requisites for booking your Traffic Police Practical test. Some students
prefer to clear the Basic Theory and Final Theory first before starting
Practical lessons. You can choose whichever way you are the most comfortable
with.
I failed my Final Theory
evaluation as I did not have enough practice sessions. So, I brought out my
Kiasu Singaporean spirit and booked 4 back to back practice sessions the day
before and on my actual evaluation (second try). For me, this helped because
the answers are somewhat embedded in my brain. I proceeded to book my test and
I continued to attend practice sessions while waiting for my test, so as to
ensure that the answers are still fresh in my mind. I managed to pass my test
as well.
[To be continued... Will be sharing more about the practical lessons in my next post]
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