The fact is, every learner driver is nervous when they first get behind the wheel, and everybody will be nervous on Driving Test day, unless they really don't care about the result (who are they trying to kid?)!
How well you cope with your nerves can seriously affect how quickly you learn and how well you perform on your driving test. In training, the lucky few, usually those who take to driving easily, will lose their nervousness quickly, the unlucky few will be nervous throughout and everyone else will be somewhere in between. On the driving test it can work in reverse. Those who learnt with little interference from nerves may find it difficult to cope with them when it matters most, and those who have been nervous in training will not be so troubled because they're used to them.
Yet, surprisingly for something so vital to a learner driver's progress and performance, understanding the effects of nerves is not part of an instructor's training. Each is left to their own devices once they are qualified, and most end up with some kind of 'calm you down' approach which isn't all that effective. After all, if it was that easy, there wouldn't be a problem!
So, what do we do that's different? Our strategy is to first accept that your nerves are a natural reaction to your circumstances and there is no point trying to fight them. This in itself has a calming effect on many because there is less reason to panic once you realize that your nerves are natural and normal. We also help reduce whatever pressures are making you nervous, such as fear of harm, failure or embarrassment, making your nerves more manageable. Then we deal with the effects of the nerves that are left.
Those effects are mainly subconscious, which wouldn't be a problem if your subconscious reactions were suited to driving, but driving a car, especially for the first time, is very different to most things you have done before. For example, a lot of what works for riding a bicycle or walking down a high street won't work for driving a car and this can apply as much to the way you think as it does to the way you react physically. By the time you take your practical test, your physical reactions to nerves should have been sorted out, and it will be the effects of nerves on your thinking that most interfere with your chances of passing.
We can't promise to stop you feeling nervous (nor can anyone else) but, whether your nerves affect your training or just your driving test performance, we can help you understand what happens to you when you are nervous, and, as with most potential problems, if you know what to expect, you can do something about it! If you can cope with your nerves during training you are more likely to enjoy your lessons, learn quicker and save money. If you can cope with your nerves on Driving Test day you are more likey to pass with fewer attempts and save even more money. Everybody needs to know how to deal with their nerves, and we are the experts!