Look out Germany. I passed the befuddling theory test and am now a proud owner of a German drivers license. Fo.eh.va. Yeah!!

Unfortunately, I need to prepare for another interview today and don’t have the time to detail my nerve wrecking adventure. But it’s great to check this one off the list of things I need to accomplish here in this ‘Guten Tag’ land.

Cheers to you all

[update] I received only the Fragebogen (practice exams) in November of last year. The drivers school teacher, who taught Alex, Roland, and Martin to drive, said it would be enough to pass the exam. Upon taking the first few exams, the sinking feeling began to grow as I failed them one by one -my vocabulary and comprehension were mostly to blame. Alex kept saying just memorize all of the questions. Um, I don’t even recognize these German words yet?!

Between collecting all the necessary paperwork to apply for a drivers license at the Straßenverkehrsamt, I needed a Lebensrettende Sofortmaßnahmen class (first-aid course, or specifically Life Saving Emergency Measures at the Accident Site) and an eye-test. A few of my friends said the class was boring but I guess I got lucky and had a pretty active and informative teacher. Of course it helped to have the class split between two days and it was also a little cheaper. I definitely recommend taking the class, whether you drive on the streets here in Germany or not, you may be involved in a serious accident and haven’t a clue what to do. Even if you aren’t required or your last first-aid course was 4 years ago, you should take the class.

It took awhile to get everything organized especially once December rolled around. Everyone was either on vacation or sick. Once I got the approval, it was already the end of January. At the start of February, the theory test was updated. I read that 50 questions would be revised or omitted and replaced. I only received an extra Fragebogen with 30 questions, half covering what to do in a tunnel or emergency lane, which weren’t on the previous exams.

The practice exams weren’t enough for me and left me completely frustrating. I wanted to understand why one of the three choices was right and the other two were wrong. My American version of common sense didn’t see the connection. Alex at times would be helpful and other times I just had to take his word for it. I had to teach Alex what a Rückfahrsperre was. (It is a “backwards break” break - engage it to allow the trailer to roll backwards)

I also wanted the questions in some sort of group ordered in related subjects, like: right of way, street signs, avoiding road rage, and hazards. In the practice exams, the questions are all mixed up. After awhile, the questions worth more (max 5 points) I learned, are repeated on every other exam so it is easy to commit those to memory. My problem was with all the other questions I only saw once or twice out of all the exams and their points added up quickly to 10 in no time. Fail. failing. Failed.

What I recommend for those only taking the German version of the driver license theory exam without classes:

• Go through the practice exams without writing on them and use a dictionary. It should help to learn the vocabulary.English-German driving glossaries are provided here and here although they are not comprehensive.
• To view the questions in groups, download this free drivers license preparation software. I’m not sure if it has the new questions added after Feb. ‘08, but this program was quite helpful for me.
• If you want specifics, check out Wikipedia.de to find out the ‘why’, (i.e., how to calculate the maximum allowable weight of a trailer over 750 kg) Sometimes there is an English write-up of the same subject but be careful, the material may not apply on German roads. Here are some other tips and tables.
• Days before the test, go over the practice exams again but mark them up. Highlight all the questions you missed. Go over those at the end. At this point, memorize the ones that still don’t make any sense.

The test isn’t all that bad, but you have to know all questions and answers to guarantee success. There just isn’t much wiggle room to guess or know half of the questions.

Thanks to Leigh from Regensburg for the encouraging message of her own experience and a special thanks to Günter Sorg for organizing my drivers license card to be delivered at the test center. I needed the extra pressure.