10THINGS YOU SHOULD DO. ByAndreiZakhareuski BEFOREYOURCDLKNOW LEDGEEXAM

Transkript

1 10THINGS YOU SHOULD DO BEFOREYOURCDLKNOW LEDGEEXAM ByAndreiZakhareuski

2 SincewestartedDriving-Testsin2010,we veheard from tensofthousandsofrecenttest-takerswho toldusalotabouthow theirofficialknowledge examswent. ManypeopledotheirbestbutstilgettotheDMV overconfidentandunderpreparedbecausetheyfail todosomeofthesimplethingsthatwouldalow them topasseasily.w hatwenoticedwasa discerniblepaternbehindthesuccessofthosewho passedontheirfirsttry.ifyoudothosesamethings, youwilhaveamuchbeterchanceofpassingyour knowledgetest,too. W hatfolowsarethetenstepsthatwebelieveevery aspiringcommercialdrivershouldtaketoprepare forhisorherofficialknowledgeexams. Roughlyhalfofaspiringcommercialdriversfailthe CDLgeneralknowledgeexam ontheirfirsttry. Ifyouwanttodramaticalyimproveyouroddsof passing,subscribetoourpremium program,which guaranteesthatyou'lpassthefirsttime.we dlove tohelpyoubefulypreparedandconfidentwhen youtakeyourknowledgeexams.

3 1 Getthingsinorder

4 Beforetheknowledgeexam,gathereverythingyou l needtoprovidetothedmvforyourcommercial LearnerPermit(CLP)orCommercialDriverLicense (CDL).(Someendorsementtestsyoumaytake whenyouapplyforaclp.however,youmayonly takethehazardousmaterialstestwhenyouapply foracdlorafteryouobtainone.) Statesusualyrequire youtoprovideat leastthefolowing items: Proofofyouridentity YourSocialSecuritynumberor(ifyou renota UScitizen)proofofineligibilityforone Proofofyourcitizenshipor(ifyou renotaus citizen)yourpermanentlegalpresenceinthe UnitedStates Proofofyourresidencyinthestate Yournon-commercialdriver slicense(ifyou re applyingforaclp)oryourclp(ifyou re applyingforacdl) Self-certificationofcommerce(interstateor intrastate;exceptedornon-exceptedstatus) Yourmedicaldocumentation(though probablynotforexceptedcommerce):medical ExaminerCertificate(DOTmedicalcard)and anymedicalvariancedocuments AcompletedapplicationforaCLPorCDL Insomestates,youmaybeabletosubmitsomeitems beforeyouapplyforyourclporcdl.youmaybeableto mailorfaxyourdotmedicalcardtothedmv.also,some statesnow alow youtoself-certifyonlinebygettingan appropriateaccountonthedmv swebsite.theotheritems youwilhavetotakewithyou. IfIfyou vehadadriver slicensefrom anotherstatewithinthe pasttenyears,youwilprobablyalsohavetosubmittoa ten-yearbackgroundcheckofyourdrivingrecordwiththat license.

5 DoyouintendtotaketheHazardousMaterialsknowledge test?ifso,beawarethatforahazardousmaterials(h) endorsementoratankvehicleandhazardousmaterials(x) endorsement,youmustbefingerprintedandpassa TransportationSecurityAdministration(TSA)securitythreat assessment(backgroundrecordscheck).thatcantake sometime,soyoushouldstarttheassessmentprocessat leleast30daysbeforeyouapplyforacdltoalow adequate timefortheprocesstobecompleted.notealsothatinmost states,youwilbefingerprintedatatsa-approved applicationcenter,notatadmvoffice. Don tforgettotakeyoureyeglassesorcontactlenseswith youforthevisionscreening. Checkyourstate sofficialcdlmanualorthedmv swebsite tofindoutjustwhichitemsyouarerequiredtoprovide beforeorwhenyouapplyforaclporcdl.thencolect thoseitemssoyoucanprovidethem alasyou rerequired to.

6 2 Prepareyourmindandyour body

7 Ifyoudon tfeelyourbest,youmaynotdoyourbest.although itmaysoundlikecommonsense,you dbesurprisedhow manypeopleignorethisobviouspoint. ItItneverfails,doesit!Justasasignificantevent(liketakingthe knowledgetest)isabouttooccur,yougetabadcoldortheflu oraseveremigraineheadache.behonestwithyourself:can youstilperform atyourbest?ifnot,considerpostponingthe knowledgeexam.inmanystates,ifyoufailaknowledgeexam, youmustwaitacertainamountoftimebeforeyoumay attemptitagain.hence,postponingtheknowledgeexam may notdelayyouanymorethanfailingtheexam would. Thenightbeforetheknowledgeexam,makesuretoget enoughsleep.doyourselfafavorandsaynotopartyingthe nightbeforeyourtest.onestudyhasfoundthatgoingwithout sleepfor24hourscanimpairyourjudgment,memory,and powersofconcentrationasmuchasbeinglegalyintoxicated! Ifyouwouldn ttaketheknowledgeexam whileyou redrunk, don ttaketheexam withoutenoughsleepeither. Thenightbeforetheexam,avoidstressingorstimulating yourselfwithsuspensefultvshows,excitingmovies,video games,heatedargumentsonsocialmedia,oreventhecdl manual.restingyourmindwilbenefityoumuchmorethan crammingalnight.w henyougotobed,gotosleep.sleep. NotwatchTVorlistentothenews. Finaly,setyouralarm clocksoyou lwakeupacoupleofhours beforetheknowledgeexam.thereareacoupleofotherthings youshoulddobeforetheexam.

8 3 Startyourdayofright

9 Ifyou vetakenthepreviousstep,youshouldbewel restedandawakethismorning.now startyourdayof right. Haveawel-balanced,protein-packed breakfast Haveawel-balanced,protein-packedbreakfasttofuel yourmindandbodyfortheknowledgeexam.butbe carefulwithstimulantslikecafeinatedbeverages.too muchcafeinecanmakeyoutoojitterytoconcentrate. Instead,considerdoingsomemild,non-exhausting exercisetokeepthebloodflow surgingtoyourbrain. Exercisecanalsohelpdissipatethenervousnessthat virtualyeveryonefeelsjustbeforeanimportantexam. However,ifyou vefoundthattestanxietycausesyouto freezeupandyourmindtogoblankduringanexam, considerlearningsomerelaxationtechniquessuchas meditationorevenseekingprofessionalcounseling beforeyourknowledgeexam isscheduled. Inshort,pamperyourselfanddon ttakeonanything thatmayaddtoyourstresslevel.trytoavoidother sourcesofstressatthistimesoyoucanfocuson passingtheknowledgetest.

10 4 Review yourtrainingmaterials onelasttime

11 Takeonelastquicklookatyourstate sofficialcdl manualtorefreshyourmemory,especialyofthetopics youfoundtrickiest. TheCDLmanualincludesatremendousamountof information.youmaywonder,how am Isupposedto rememberalthis? Thegoodnewsisthatyouprobablydon tneedto studyital.somesectionsofthecdlmanualapply onlytocertaincdlclassesorendorsements.(for example,ifyou renotgoingtobedrivingpassenger vehiclescommercialy,youdon thavetostudythe sectionsonpassengervehiclesorschoolbuses.) Somewherenearthefrontofthemanual,thereshould beguidanceonwhichsectionsyoumuststudyforthe CDLclassandendorsementsthatyouwant. Asforthesectionsthatyoumuststudy,youcanoften figureoutthecorrectdrivingtechniquetouseina giveninstance.however,you lprobablyhaveto memorizespecific,oftennumericalfactssuchasthe varioushazardousmaterialclassdefinitions,therules onfolowingdistanceandnumbersoftie-downs,where toplaceyourwarningdevicesifyoumuststopyour commercialvehicleontheroad,andsoon.

12 W hileyouarescanningthroughthesectionsofthemanual forthecdlclassandendorsementsyouwishtoobtain,jot downsuchspecificfacts.bythetimethatyouaredone scanningthesesections,youwilhavecompiledalistofthe factsthatareusualythehardesttoremember.ifyouneedto refreshyourmemory,youcangothroughthelistratherthan theentiremanualagain. Thepre-tripinspectionprocessforcommercialvehiclesand thecouplinganduncouplingprocessesforcombination vehiclesarecomplex.therearemanystepstoperform,and youshouldperform them inaparticularorder.insteadofjust tryingtomemorizeaseeminglyarbitrarysequenceofsteps, trytolearnandrememberwhyyoumustdothesestepsina certainorder.w hatmightgowrongotherwise? Asasimpleexample,whenyoucoupleatractor-semitrailer, doesn titmakesensetolockthetrailerbrakesbeforeyoutry tobackthetractorunderthetrailer?andbeforeyoutryto lockthetrailerbrakes,doesn titalsomakesensetofirstmake surethatthetrailerbrakesareworkingcorrectly?(andhow doyoudothat?)w hatthingsmightgowrongotherwise? Actingoutthestepsinorderratherthanjustreadingabout them wilhelpyourememberthem.youcanevendothisat home.imaginethatthere satrucksittingrightinyourliving room.actoutthestepsinvolvedininspectingthisimaginary truckandpreparingtodriveit.walkaroundit,checkeach item,andsoon.(iftheactorsin JurassicPark couldpretend thattherewasanactuallivedinosaurinfrontofthem,you canpretendthatthere sanactualtruckinfrontofyou.and youdon thavetoworryaboutbeingcriticizedforbadacting!) Explainingthesequenceofstepstoafriendorrelativewil alsohelpyourememberthesteps.

13 Therearemanyvehiclecomponentsinvolvedinthe inspectionprocess,thecouplingprocess,andother procedures.youmayfindthatit seasiertorememberwhat eachcomponentdoesifyoucanseewhatitlookslikeand how itoperates.somestates CDLmanualsarebetter ilustratedthanothers.ifacomponentlacksanilustration, searchtheinternetforapictureofit.youmayevenfinda videoonyoutubethatshowshow thecomponentworks. W henyouthinkyou vedoneenoughstudying,takeour permitpracticeteststoevaluateyourunderstandingof generalcommercialdriving,airbrakes,orthosespecialized subjectsrequiringendorsements.ifyou redissatisfiedwith yourperformanceonthesepracticetests,don tget discouraged.notewhichquestionsyoumissedandresolveto studythosetopicssomemore.

14 5 W earappropriateclothingforthe knowledgeexam

15 Youdon twanttobecomechiledoroverheatedduring theknowledgetest;eitheronecanmakeyoudrowsy. Dressincomfortableclothingthatisappropriateforthe ambienttemperature.pickoutacomfortableoutfitthat isn tconstrictingorannoyingtositinforlongperiods. Youmightaswellookpresentabletoobecauseonce youmeetaltherequirementsforaclporcdl,you l havetohaveyourpicturetakenforit. Don tforgettotakeyourstate srequireditemswithyou. Andgotothebathroom justbeforetheknowledge exam startssoyouwon thavetolater. Now it stimefortheknowledgetest butthereare someimportantstepsyoushouldtakethereaswel.

16 6 Readeachexam question inteligently

17 Youreyesandmindworkatdiferentspeeds.Ifyourush throughaquestion,youmightpickthewronganswer. Nomatterhow simplethequestionsseem,besureto readeachoneatleasttwicewhilekeepingthefolowing tipsinmind. Lookoutfornegatives.Thesearekeywordslike avoid, except, or not thatcaninvertthesenseofthe question.ifyoufailtospotthese,youmightinterpret thequestionbackwardandchooseawronganswer. Youmayencounteraquestionthatappearstohavetwo correctanswers.w hatshouldyoudo?logicaly,one answermustbebetterormorecompletethantheother one.don'trushtopickthefirstplausiblechoiceyou find.theremaybemorethanoneplausiblechoice,but thecorrectansweristhebestormostcompleteanswer. Findareasontopreferoneanswerovertheother.Tryto critiquebothanswers.isthereasituationforwhichone answerislessappropriatethantheother? Watchfor Aloftheabove choices.if Aloftheabove istrue,thenaltheotherchoicesarealsotrue!ifyou don'tnoticethe Aloftheabove choice,youmaypick oneoftheothertruechoiceseventhough Alofthe above isthemostcompleteanswer.

18 7 Usetheprocessofelimination

19 Ifyoudon tknow thecorrectanswertoatestquestion,use theprocessofeliminationtoeliminatechoicesthatyou know arewrongandthenmakeaneducatedguessfrom the remainingchoices. Atestquestionmayincludeoneridiculousoroutlierchoice, intendedtocatchtesttakerswhoguesscompletely randomly.quicklyidentifyandeliminatethatchoice. Forexample,hereisaquestiononaccidentsfrom someof ourcdlpracticetests: W hatcanyoudoatanaccidentscenetohelpavoid anotheraccident? 1.Stayinyourvehicleanddonothinguntilhelparrives. 2.Setoutwarningdevicestokeepothervehiclesfrom runningintotheaccidentscene. 3.Haveadrinktocalm yournerves. 4.Leaveyourvehicle,donothing,andgettohigher ground. Thisquestionhasfouranswerchoices.However,choice(3)is clearlyabsurd.eliminatethischoiceimmediately. Iftherearefourchoicesandyoucaneliminatetwoofthem, yourchanceofguessingcorrectlywilrisefrom oneinfourto oneintwo.intheabovequestion,choice(4)isonlyslightly lessabsurdthanchoice(3).from yourexperienceasacar driver,youalreadyknow thatleavingthesceneofan accidentisilegal.eliminatechoice(4)too.hence,thecorrect answeriseitherchoice(1)orchoice(2).

20 Notethatif Aloftheabove isoneofthechoices,you caneliminateitifyoucaneliminateatleastoneother choiceasincorrect.(andsimilarlyfor Noneofthe above. ) Forexample,hereisaquestiononbackingfrom some ofourcdlpracticetests: W hyisitimportanttouseahelperwhenbacking? 1.1.Becauseyouhaveblindspots 2.Becausepeoplefeelmorecomfortablewhenyou do 3.Becauseyouareprovidingajobforsomeoneelse 4.Foraloftheabovereasons Choice(3)istheabsurdchoicehere,soitcanbe eliminatedimmediately.(unlessyou rethebossofyour organization,you renottheoneprovidingjobsto people.)now youcaneliminatechoice(4)aswel, meaningthatthecorrectansweriseitherchoice(1)or choice(2).

21 8 Takeyourbestguessifnecessary

22 Ifyoustildon'tknow theanswerevenafterapplying theprocessofelimination,don'tgetrattledorpanicky. Youdon'thavetogetaperfectscoretopassthe knowledgeexam. IfIfyou realowedtoskipthequestionandcomebackto itlater,goaheadanddoso,makingamentalnoteto returntoit.asyou reansweringotherquestionson relatedtopics,thecorrectanswertotheskipped questionmayoccurtoyou.ifnot,thenafteryou ve eliminatedasmanywrongchoicesaspossiblefrom that question,calmlytakeyourbestguessfrom the remainingchoicesandmoveontothenextquestion.

23 9 Double-checkyouranswers

24 W henyoudoknow thecorrectanswertoaquestion, selectthatanswer.beforeyoumoveontothenext question,however,takeadeepbreathand double-checkthatyouindeedselectedthatanswer. W henapersonisunderpressure,heorshemay accidentalypickthewrongchoiceeventhoughheor sheknowswhichchoiceisright.

25 10 Believeinyourself

26 Beconfidentinyourabilitytohandlethechalengeof passingtheknowledgetest.infact,believinginyourself isnecessarytosucceedinhandlinganychalenge! IfIfyouhavedoneeverythingyoucouldtopreparefor yourknowledgetest,revelinthinkingpositively.be proudofyourselfforhavingpreparedsowel,and visualizeyourselfhappilywalkingoutofthetesting facilityafterhavingpassedtheknowledgetestwitha highscore.remember,youcandoit! You reonyourway! AndreiZakhareuski, Driving-Tests.org,FounderandCEO

27 Addthese10thingstoyourCDLknowledge exam preparationplan,andyouwilsee results.signupforcdlpremium,andyou l seeevenmore.infact,weguaranteethat you lpass.w e dlovetohelpyoubefuly preparedandconfidentwhenit stimefor youtotaketheexam. RegisterToday driving-tests.org/cdl-premium/

28 «Thisisanexcitingnew toolwecanoferour driversthatwilhelpwithourgoaltocreatea safertransportationsystem» DebbieTrojovsky DriverServices,Program Manager, W yomingdepartmentoftransportation «Thesepracticedrivingskilsexamsmake studyingeasierandlessstressful.» IndianaBureau ofmotorvehicles «First-timedriverorneedarefreshercourse? TestyourknowledgeontheRulesofthe Roadhere.» KansasDepartment oftransportation «IpurchasedPremium tostudyformycdl busdriverexamination.iwantedthebest possiblechancetopass.ididpassyesterday, onthefirsttry.alofthequestionswere almostidenticaltothestyleandthecontent thatihadonthepracticetest.» JamesW icker CDLPremium memberfrom WestVirginia

29 Here'swhy95.2% ofpremium customerspassvs.theus nationalaverageof49% Since2010,over20milionAmericanshaveusedour websitetopasstheirdmvexam andwintheday. We'veheardfrom thousandsofrecenttest-takers whotolduseverylittledetailofhow theirdmv exam went.that"insider"knowledgeisattheheart ofourpowerfulpremium program -now wecan shareitwithyou. RegisterToday driving-tests.org/cdl-premium/