BBDC Experience | Part 3

Hey guys! This is the final part of my BBDC experience! If you have not check out part one and part two, be sure to check it out first!

So the final part of my BBDC experience will be on the TP test and my thoughts after attaining my driving licence.

TP Test 

To say I was nervous for my TP test would be an understatement. I was totally freaking out on that day. I went for school in the morning for my lessons and then I proceeded straight to BBDC in the afternoon for my warm up and TP test.

I'm not sure if I was late, but once I arrived and took my queue ticket for the warm up, I was immediately called by the instructor. I hurried over and then we proceeded for warm up! 

Warm up wasn't exactly smooth since I was a little panicky and made a few mistakes here and there. After the warm up, I remembered the instructor telling me that my turning was not good and that I shouldn't have any high expectations that I was going to pass my driving test. (Who says that to a person going for a test in less than an hour!!!) 

I then followed him to level 2 to wait for the actual TP test. There were already a few people sitting down, waiting for their names to be called. After around 15 minutes, my name was called and I proceeded with the tester for the real deal.

The TP test car is the same car which you have used for your warm up thus there is no need for any adjustments if all of them had been made during the warm up session. 

Most of the time, the tester would complete the circuit test first before proceeding to the road. This is because if you fail your circuit test, you will not even have the chance to go out on the main road, and there flies your money. 💸💸💸

After the circuit, you will then proceed to the main road. For me, my test timing was 2pm, on a Thursday, thus there were not many cars on the road (thankfully). 

Honestly, I thought I would not be able to pass my TP test after the remark made by the warm up instructor and the fact that I was really nervous, but I was really glad I manage to scrap through it as I did not want to go through the entire TP test process again and I do not want to pay another round of test fee.

As for the test fee, here's the break down of it for each attempt:

Practical Test: $33.00

Vehicle Rental: $171.20

Warm-up Session: $38.52

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Total fee for each attempt: $242.72

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So yes, each attempt is expensive. 

From what I've heard, private candidates pay more for their practical test, but their lessons are way cheaper than school's lessons. Some of my friends who took the private route mention that they will be able to book for their practical test once their instructor deem them to be ready for their TP test as they do not have a fixed structure like the school does. However, they also mention that they struggle more in the circuit course as private candidates do not have the luxury of using the circuit as much as the school candidates does. So, I guess it solely depends on what is your preference.

Here's my Class 3A Driving Test Assessment Checklist:

- Moving/Reversing up the ramp: Incorrect technique: 4 points

- Moving/Reversing up the ramp: Incorrect positioning: 2 points

- Forward driving: Fail to slow down when approaching road hazards: 6 points

- Junction: Improper turning: (a) Wide turn: 2 points

- Safety Check: Fail to check blind spot: 4 - 4 - 4 points

- Safety Check: Fail to check mirror before (b) slowing down: 2 points 

- Safety Check: Fail to look out for traffic: (a) side road: 2 points 

*The strikeouts indicates that the points are not tabulated*

Number of Immediate Failures: 0

Number of Demerit Points: 18 points

Result: PASSED

The final tabulation

Looking at this list, I think I am pretty dangerous, lol, but owell, I barely scraped pass a passed score and I am really glad about it.

Post TP Test

After passing your TP test, you will need to watch a graduation video and then the staff will ask you to fill up a feedback form. You will then be able to apply for your licence online via Singpass after a few hours. I did mine on the next day instead. The licence fee is $50 and it will be mailed to your house address. Congrats if you passed if not, don't worry, you'll be sure to pass the next time round!

A Few Months In...

After a few months of getting my licence, I would say, I am still a pretty bad driver, HAHA. I do not drive often, and for each time I drove, I had my dad beside me just to ensure that I was driving safely. Honestly, I just feel safer with someone experienced beside me and I dare not venture out on my own.

From my experiences, driving out on the main road is far different from when you are having driving lessons. There are many times the traffic rules do not exactly apply and you will just have to gauge the situation for yourself. 

Parking is a whole lot different from parking in the circuit. The lessons that the instructors thought in BBDC does not apply out here in the real world. I remember them telling me to turn whenever the tyres of the car touches the line marked in the circuit. Outside, the line does not exist, lol. It is very much different from what you learn in school and I believe that it will take one some time to get used to driving around on his or her own.

These are just some food for thought and experiences vary for each individual. 

Till next time!!!

BBDC Experience | Part 2

Hey guys! This is part 2 of my BBDC experience! Do read part one before you start reading this blog post. :)

After applying for your PDL, it usually takes awhile before you can officially start your driving lessons. Why so? This is because the slots are always full! It is thus recommended for y'all to start going for FTT practice sessions and evaluation in this timeframe. As for me, I didn't complete my FTT during this period, but instead, I took a break from driving all together haha. This is because I wanted to complete my FTT while going for practical lessons so that I would only need to go to the centre once (killing two birds with one stone, lol)

FTT

For FTT, the process is basically the same as BTT. There are theory lessons, practice sessions, evaluation sessions and finally the actual FTT test. The price for FTT lessons are the same as per BTT, $17.12 for each theory lesson (FTL 1.01 and FTL 1.02) , $3.21 for each theory practice session and $5.35 for each evaluation session. For FTT, BBDC provided more practice booklets (A total of 11 booklets) for their students to practice. I strongly believe that you should attend the practice sessions as FTT is indeed more difficult than BTT, If you want more practice, you can always go back to the website I recommended in part 1, "basictheorytestsg.com" for more questions to practice on.

I failed my first evaluation, I think i got the score of around 37/50 (?), it was pretty bad, but it is okay cause i passed the second evaluation! After passing your FTT evaluation, you will be able to book your FTT test. My wait for the booking was around 3 weeks if I recall correctly. It was quicker than the wait for the BTT test.

Once again, the actual test will be held at level 2, directly in front of the staircase. Remember to being your NRIC. The same process that happened for BTT will occur again, and you will be given a piece of paper with your name and password for the FTT. Just keep calm and complete the test and you will be fine!

 Here's how you will be able to login to your account to take your BTT/FTT test!

After you passed your FTT, you are done with the theory part of driving lessons! Congratulations!! 

Practical lessons

You'll be able to attend practical lessons once you've attain your PDL. However, as mentioned above, it is really difficult to book lessons as the slots seem to be always full. For the charges, there are 2 different types: Off-peak Hour Lesson & Peak Hour Lesson. Each Lesson is about 100 minutes (1 hour and 40 minutes). For Off-peak Hour Lesson, it costs $68.48, while for Peak Hour Lesson, it costs $77.04 (A difference of $8.56!) 

Peak Hour Lessons are technically all the lessons that are carried out during the weekends. Since I was not able to make it on weekdays for my lessons, my lessons are usually on the weekends and thus more expensive. 

BBDC advises their students to block book their practical lessons (around 25 lessons) so that it would be more conducive for their learning, with minimal breaks in between, but I did not do that lol. I booked a total of 15 lessons at one shot and the rest of the lessons I book progressively. I have to check the BBDC website regularly so as to check if there are any of the students who "sell" his/her lessons. If there are any, I would quickly grab the slot if I could make it for that timing. However, this does not work all the time, because I do not have the luxury of time to camp in front of the BBDC website and refreshing it every minute, there is more in life than that! So yes, block booking lessons are pretty important if you want to finish up your driving lessons asap!

Initially, I wanted to complete my driving lessons before uni starts (in Aug), but procrastination got the best of me and I couldn't finish it on time, but it is okay, I managed to cope with school, my part time job and driving lessons all together, so it is all good last year!

Practical Lesson - Stages 1 & 2

 For the first lesson of practical, the instructor will give you a brief introduction of the vehicle you are driving and then he will show you the different parts of the car. After the introduction, he will let you drive around the circuit and he will teach you the basics of driving. I recall only going out to the main road on the third lesson. Just follow the instructions given by the instructor and I'm sure you will do fine!

For most of the lessons, it will usually be carried out near Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang and Teck Whye area and the routes taken are usually around the same. Just follow the instructions given by the instructor and I'm sure you will do fine!

Driving Simulator (DS)

After completing stage 1 of the driving lesson, the instructor will pass you a coloured paper, telling you that you'll be eligible for the driving simulator lesson. In order to book for this lesson, go under Practical Training and to the page you usually book driving practical lessons. There will be box which indicates that you'll be able to book a DS lesson. I recommend booking this lesson after you had attend another one of your practical lesson so that you would not need to waste an extra trip down to BBDC for a 50 minute lesson. The DS lesson is basically like a racing game in the arcade (haha)

Practical Lesson - Stage 3

For stage 3, it is full of circuit practices. You'll be in the circuit all day, err day. Most people used around 6-8 lessons to clear stage 3, but for me, I sucked, so the driving instructors that cleared me very slowly at this stage, and I used almost 10 lessons for this stage. At this stage, you will go through all the circuit courses: S-course, Crank Course, Ramps, Parallel Parking, Vertical Parking and Slopes.

Stage 3 was the worst for me and honestly I felt depressed at times when I couldn't do what was instructed and the instructors would look so done with me, lol. It was not a smooth journey.

BBDC Circuit in the early morning 

Risk Forecast Training 

Basically, this is a required lesson which you have to attend before you can book your TP test. It is rather boring actually, all you have to do is sit in the classroom and listen to the instructor for 100 minutes and it costs $22.47. 😐

Practical Lesson - Stages 4 & 5

For these last 2 stages, they are basically recap sessions for you to practice your driving skills and it acts as a simulation of the actual TP test. At these final stages, the instructors tend to be stricter and will point out all the tiny little mistakes you made as they wanna make sure you will be ready on the actual day. 

For lesson 5.01, it is basically an evaluation test for the instructor to gauge whether you are ready for the actual test. You can actually book extra practices before your actual test date so as to feel more prepared for the test as well.

In the next post, I will be sharing about the actual traffic police test and my thoughts after the TP test. Stay tuned! 

BBDC Experience | Part 1

Hey everyone! I'm here to share about my driving experience at Bukit Batok Driving Centre (BBDC). I passed my driving test in October 2018, and had been wanting to share my journey for a very long time, but had never done so until now (procrastination at its best, I know).

Anyways, I enrolled with BBDC for my Class 3A license on the very last day of December 2017. Why BBDC? Welll, according to the traffic police website, BBDC is known to be the best driving school in Singapore, with the highest pass rate on the first try. Furthermore, I live in the west, so getting there was rather convenient.

Also, if you are wondering why I didn't pick up Class 3 instead, it is because I heard that Class 3A will be easier to pass the traffic police test and tbh, I do not think I have great coordination skills (hahaha). For Class 3,  there will be the usage of the clutch and the problem of the car stalling. Personally, I don't see myself driving a manual car in the future and that most cars are now auto cars in Singapore, thus me picking the easier option.

GETTING TO BBDC

There are several ways to get to BBDC. The school provides the students with a free shuttle bus service to and fro Bukit Gombak MRT Station and BBDC, with a waiting time of around 20-30 minutes for each bus to arrive. The website provides the full schedule of the shuttle bus so do check it out if you plan on taking the shuttle bus from the MRT station.

Another way you could try is to walk from Bukit Gombak MRT station to BBDC. All you have to after tapping out of the MRT station is to turn left, and walk towards the Bukit Gombak Sports Stadium, then, all you have to do is to follow the MRT tracks! According to google maps, it is around a 1.0km walk and it will take around 12 minutes.

Lastly, you can also take the bus. There is a bus stop directly outside of BBDC and one opposite of the driving centre thus it is very convenient. Bus services includes 188, 985 and 991 which you can take from Choa Chu Kang bus interchange and 187 from Woodlands bus interchange.

Registration/Sign up

Make sure you have brought along your NRIC before enrolling for driving lessons! After you have reached BBDC, proceed to the information counter and wait for your turn. The lady will then pass you a queue number and ask you to complete a pre-enrolment online form where you have to fill up your particulars (name, date of birth, address, etc). When you are done, just wait for your turn and the counter staff will attend to you. Firstly, they will ask you if you would like to opt for Auto (Class 3A) or Manual (Class 3). They will then basically brief you through the entire process. You would also be needed to do an eye check up and a photo taking at the centre as well for the application of the Qualified Driving Licence (QDL) on the same day (yep, they just implemented this in Oct 2018, so from now on, we will need to take our passport photo with the centre instead of  bringing our own passport size photo on the day of the TP test as our good luck charm and saving the $7) 

The BBDC staff will also pass you a BBDC Practical Training Handbook (Manual/ Automatic Transmission, depending on what you have signed up). On the day I signed up, I asked the staff if I would be getting "The New Highway Code" Book 1 and 2 (the theory books), as I thought they have forgotten to put it in the bag for me (lol), but apparently, it is now sold separately and you have to purchase it on your own if you want it.

Next, you will have to top up some money into your BBDC account in order to start booking for theory lessons. The counter staff will guide you to the e-kiosks across the room and you can opt to top up with NETS or cashcard. The counter staff actually recommended me to top up $200 so that I would be able to start booking for the theory lessons and theory practice sessions, but personally, I think $100 will be enough to cover the first few lessons.

After all these administrative work is done, you will officially be enrolled with BBDC! The enrolment will last for 12 months, thus it will be best to get your licence within this timeframe as monthly renewals will be at $4.01 for each month you choose to extend your membership.

Theory Lessons, and BTT

After signing up with BBDC, you must be pumped up for this journey! I knew I was then, haha. For BBDC, it is compulsory for each student to go through 4 theory lessons, 2 for basic theory test (BTL 1.01 and BTL 1.02) and 2 for the final theory test (FTL 1.01 and FTL 1.02) . All you have to do is to login in to your BBDC account using your NRIC and password and look under "Theory Training". The order of you attending does not matter as long as you clear all the theory lessons (eg. you can go for BTL 1.02 first, followed by BTL 1.01). Each theory lesson is at $17.12.

I suggest finishing the theory lessons asap and to go for practice sessions. Remember to bring your NRIC for all the lessons as they will take your attendance by scanning your NRIC once before class starts, and once at the end of the class. Each lesson will last around 1 hour 40 minutes with a short break midway through it. Basically, they will just run through the basics of road safety and show you some videos. You can bring along a pen and a paper if you wanna take notes as well.

After your theory lessons, it is time to book your practice sessions and evaluation sessions. Each theory practice session cost $3.21 while each theory evaluation session cost $5.35 and they both 45 minutes each. Personally, I feel that it is important to book practice sessions as the questions are similar to the evaluation sessions and the actual BTT test. I read the old theory book (basic theory of driving) that was being passed down to me and it didn't work as I failed my evaluation. What is even funnier is that I booked my next evaluation immediately after, and I failed the second one too, lol, there goes by $10. Thus it is very important to practice, practice and practice!

In order to book for the actual Basic Theory Test, you will need to pass your evaluation (passing mark: 45/50) before the BBDC system allows you to book it. BBDC provides a total of 4 booklets, each with around 50 questions in them. So for each practice session you book, you can complete around 2 booklets. Alternatively, you can also search up "basictheorytestsg.com" as they provide a set of questions for you to practice on. I would say that the questions on the website tests your knowledge as well, but if you want a more accurate presentation of how the evaluation and the actual basic theory test is like, it is better for you to go for the practice sessions. These sessions are usually held at the third floor, room 6 or 7. After passing your evaluation, you will be ready to book for your actual basic theory test. The actually BTT will be at the cost of $6.50.

The earliest date which I can book for my BTT is around 2 months from the date I passed my evaluation (yes, it is a long wait). I actually booked one more practice session before my BTT so as to make sure that I will definitely pass my actual BTT (kiasu-ism). The actual test room will be located at level 2, directly in front of the staircase. Just remember to bring your NRIC and to keep calm when going in for the computerised test. The invigilator will also provide you with a piece of paper with your name and password on it for you to log in to the system. Most people will complete the test in around 5-10 minutes. Afterwards, you will be able to apply for your Provisional Driving Licence (PDL), congratulations!!

 Provisional Driving Licence (PDL)

In order to apply for your PDL, you will have to log on to the Singapore Police Force (SPF) e-services website using your SingPass account. BBDC will no longer be providing a hardcopy PDL to their students. After logging on to the website, all you have to do is to select the option to apply for PDL and to make payment via nets or credit card. After payment has been made, you will then be brought to a page which shows you the validity of your PDL (2 years wef from the date you have made payment). Remember to screenshot your PDL and keep it in your phone as you will need to show it to your driving instructor in every practical lesson and you will be ready to go!

In the next blog post, I'll be sharing more about FTT and the practical lessons.

The beginning of an end

It is the end of the year again, and I just want to take a moment to reflect upon 2018. It was indeed a year different from the rest of my previous years and I must say, it is a year which I feel like a "semi-adult" as I was no longer waking up at 6am everyday and putting on my uniform and getting ready for school.

It is the year I've got an eight month holiday before university started in August. Even though I felt that time flies wayyyyy too fast, I am quite glad that I managed to do some of the things I have never tried before. This year made me realised that I was trapped in my bubble for far too long, and that I have no exposed myself to the outside world.

This year, I got my very first temp job, and started my very first working experience. I received my A levels result, and even though it was really bad, I am just glad that it is all over. I've got my driving licence too! Can't say that the whole process was enjoyable, but it was something I would not regret as the licence is for a lifetime. I've attended my very wedding under my own name and had gotten attached on my own as well. I have also experienced my very first year of uni life and have tried working and studying at the same time.

Looking back, I have definitely grew as a person. As time passes, we age and our views change. As the saying goes, change is the only constant. Here's to 2019, a better year and a better future! Happy New Year everyone!


<3 Random Potatooo