I love how Blake and Maegs gave opposing advice within one post of each other.

You want a good rule of thumb? Ask your tester. They will say "do you have any questions before we begin?"

You: Yeah, is it fine if I go above 100 km/h on the highway as long as it's safe and if I need to do so to merge properly?

Most likely they will say that's fine, but on the off chance they say "no, don't go above 100 km/h because that's speeding" then you know what to do either way. But going above that should be fine.

And in real life - obviously traffic speed is better than speed limit.

Anyway, I think they can feel your confidence in the car. Within like 30 seconds IMO they'll make a decision and stick by it unless you do something stupid on the highway.

Originally Posted by BlakeM

Its not speeding if you match traffic. Driving less than the speed of everyone is dangerous. L2Drive.

It depends on who the person is. You can likely ask them before you start driving, otherwise its best just to stay in the right lane and go the legal limit

They will explicitly say that they won't ask you to do anything illegal, so go the speed limit. Trust me, don't go the speed of traffic.

your dad needs sports mode on the car

hmmm 1/2 speed limit, 1/2 traffic speed, interesting lol

in my experience when driving on the highway there wont be any situation when you need to go over 120. usually the 100 km/h limit, or any limit at that, as a +/- 10 km/h leniency. in most cases people will be driving at 110 and some a**es will be doing 120+ and continually passing ppl. in certain situations when the traffic speed is high say 120, you wont be able to even pass if your not exceeding the speed limit, but the instructors should understand that, and also you can always be like "the traffic speed it _____ and i am unable to pass at the legal limit so i must go over to pass" or w.e. and the instructor will tell you there if its ok or not.

Originally Posted by Alchemist11

I love how Blake and Maegs gave opposing advice within one post of each other.

You want a good rule of thumb? Ask your tester. They will say "do you have any questions before we begin?"

You: Yeah, is it fine if I go above 100 km/h on the highway as long as it's safe and if I need to do so to merge properly?

Most likely they will say that's fine, but on the off chance they say "no, don't go above 100 km/h because that's speeding" then you know what to do either way. But going above that should be fine.

And in real life - obviously traffic speed is better than speed limit.

Anyway, I think they can feel your confidence in the car. Within like 30 seconds IMO they'll make a decision and stick by it unless you do something stupid on the highway.

I did actually ask that question before I was starting. I was merging onto a highway that I knew people would be speeding on, usually going ~30km/h over the speed limit. The examiner asked me what I thought, and I said I think it should be fine because it's dangerous to merge going 90 if everyone else is going 120 (the speed limit on the highway was 90), and she told me I was right. I don't know if that also applies to driving on the highway, but for merging, definitely.

Originally Posted by MacAttk

They will explicitly say that they won't ask you to do anything illegal, so go the speed limit. Trust me, don't go the speed of traffic.

Well the problem is safety vs. legality - and safety is the number one concern always. Also if the testers considered going slightly over the speed limit as "illegal" then everyone would fail since their speed may go 1-2 km/h over the limit at least once during the test.

Like I said, just ask the person testing what they prefer and that's fine. Your tester would be a moron if he told you "don't go above 100 km/h even when I ask you to switch lanes or merge" the way you're insinuating he would.

Being nervous is expected, but you're lucky you're taking the test in Burlington because it sure is better than Hamilton with all our one-way streets! haha.

Biggest tips:
- Like everyone else said on MacInsiders... make sure you're checking those blind spots every time you stop. When you're about to stop... look in your rear view mirror and make it obvious so the tester sees you're looking. Same with blind spots, when you change lane, stop at a stop sign, anywhere you're stopping... check those blind spots and make it obvious (turn your head).

- Stay calm. Testers are just regular people, and they aren't mean (at least most of them!). You won't even talk to them most likely, they just get into the car, say hi and introduce themselves, and you're off. They'll be writing and checking things in their checklist as you drive and won't tell you anything except when to turn, etc.

- Don't focus on the tester and what they're doing! If you stop at a stopsign and notice they were writing a lot on their sheet or checking things off, don't panic and think you did something wrong and they are writing about your mistake. Just keep going. Focus on the road. Focus on the signs. Focus on your blind spots and speed.

- Drive WITH the flow of traffic. Other posters have suggested different things, I was taught to go with the flow of traffic for safety. In real life you need to go with the flow of traffic cause it can be dangerous if you're driving too slow or too fast. Obviously do not speed if others are speeding, you need to use your best judgment, but the take-away point here is to make sure to keep a good distance between the car behind you and the car infront of you. If the car behind you is on your bumper being a jerk, change lanes and let the car pass. The instructor will see you're reacting to traffic well. If you're driving behind someone that is driving slower than the speed limit, slow down as well so that you're not tailgating them and leaving good distance between. If you're unsure what to do, just kindly ask the tester while you're in the parking lot at the start what he/she would like you to do in that situation before you start the test (as suggested by Alchemist11).

- PRACTICE. PRACTICE. You can pay a driving instructor to take you on some practice runs before you start your test. Do it. It'll help ease your nerves. Ask the instructor if he'll take you on a practice run around Burlington before your real test. Go around the local area so you get a feel of the roads there and can recognize the signs, study the signs around the streets, know the speed limits on the streets, practice merging onto the highway... just merge on, exit on the next exit, and loop back and repeat over and over till you're completely confident. Then go and do your real test, and you'll be confident since you just practiced right before.

The circuit you drive in Burlington is nice. Make sure to stop at all stop signs in the plaza parking lot, be sure to check for speed signs, and practice merging onto the highway since it's probably the only tricky part

Just don't top that 100 mark on you're speedometer !