France in Focus

Well, it's time for child No 2 to book his Code de La Route exam. When Child No 1 did it, we all tried the free online tests and ended up shouting at the screen "WHY" "WHY????" Amazingly, Child No1 passed first time when she took the exam in Limoges, and we actually cried from the relief!

Here's a taster for you all: 40 questions of multiple choice (I think it's the same in the UK now?). You have to get 35 right to qualify as a pass.

https://www.coderoute.com/test-code-de- ... .php?num=1

If you answer incorrectly - even some of the explanations get you scratching your head! But, as with Child 1, we learnt a lot. I recommend it!

Well that was fun! You need to get into the head of the question setter. I shall have another go later. I failed.

curtis wrote: ↑Fri Nov 25, 2022 1:10 pm You need to get into the head of the question setter.

Don't you just?! Also, to remember that there is more than one answer. Good fun where there is no image, and they almost seem to contradict themselves. We're just checking that this is a proper practice site ...

But, yes, good for learning - as there are still words that we stumble over!

You can google translate to English, but it sometimes throws a spanner in the works by bad translating, hence my crap score

I thought I'd have a go but couldn't get my translator to do the words as they came up. It might have been useful to understand why French drivers do some of the crazy shit they do, like overtaking me straddling the while line and cutting in before getting fully past.

I did it and failed miserably. So many of the questions seem set to trick you? But then I suppose they are testing your thought processes as well as knowledge. I'm going to do it again because I hate to lose!

The above link isn't quite the same lay out as the official test - we think we've found practice tests that are, to familiarize with. The questions are slightly less ambiguous, but there's always the "yes and no" are both the right answer, but you don't have time or option to explain why. Just to know that there is often more than one right answer!

Still, it's good learning new stuff, and I doubt there are many old timers on the road - French or foreign - who would now pass this test first time!

(It was so much easier and cheaper in our day! )

Edit - Mangetout. It's said they are not out to trick you, just to test your understanding of La Code - but the question master has a strange way of asking questions for sure!

Thanks for that Bayleaf .. that was fascinating. As has been said you do need to realise that 2, 3 or even 4 answers might need to be ticked.
I failed badly, sometimes because I erred too much on the side of caution !

An odd strategy considering the French reluctance to think outside the box. If its not in the book of words the shutter comes down, etc. as when trying to get a problem solved with some official or at a customer service ( ) desk.

I thought I'd do the test but the lady's voice was so loud I had to stop before I started
I need to go to settings to turn the volume down, now where's that thingy hiding....

Are we all going to dare publish our scores?