Cardington vs IAM Advanced

[jonesy611]

Thanks for the response on this one guys, a fair few interesting points raised….

This came about after I’d seen a lot if you on the forum putting your qualifications on the bottom of your posts (e.g. Cardington Grade A, ROSPA Gold, Diamond Special etc) and rightly so…I get the feeling these tests are no walk in the park..!!!!

Imagine 2 ADI’s, one did the IAM Advanced test before training as and ADI, the other did the Cardington after qualifying, so both are members of the IAM. I was curious if, in the eyes of potential pupils, one could be seen as a “better driver” than the other. I know that probably sounds really petty, but these are the sort of things I’m beginning to think about starting out in this driving business. I would say there is no better or worse, just different…like the PC and Apple Mac’s (am I opening another can of worms..??  ) I think I will go along with Bill’s idea and do as much CPD as possible when I'm qualified (finances and time permitting)

After passing part 2 last week, I’m getting nearer (in theory) to qualifying, and I’m trying to get as much background info as I can. I’ll probably be posting a lot over the next coming weeks, as I’ve got loads of questions about setting up as self employed, to franchise or not to franchise and what colour pants to wear on my first day………….

Thanks all

[adi]

and what colour pants to wear on my first day………….

Brown..... Just in case!

[adi]

At the end of the day if you hold an advanced driving qualification then your at a good standard. Drivers could argue all day about the pro's and con's of each style of driving used for each test and never come to an agreement.
What i would say though, is if you have the time and finances to do the tests from both sides of the fence it can only enhance your teaching techniques, especially when dealing with learners but also those on refresher courses with a full licence, pass plus etc.

[jonesy611]

Thanks Adi,

The route I'm thinking to go down is along the lines of get the green badge and instruct learners moving up to tek pass plus. Then do some sort of fleet/licence holder training then, maybe, move up to adi training. I can see a lot of courses and/or training for me, all a long way down the line tho... 

I've just put in my order for the bumper pack of brown y-fronts too....

[DampDog]

Cardington grade A 0-3 minors
grade B 4-6 minors
grade c 7-15
grade d more than 15 or serious fault

Only grade A pass would receive a certificate.

So only an "A" grade should be considered a pass then. Also what makes it more difficult than the Part 2, is it marked differently, or is the general drive more challenging?

[adi]

Just like part 2, only the target is 3 or less faults, so a bit more pressure.
The drive is from the examiners training centre based in cardington bedfordshire.
The test route i did was rural with lots of villages and then into part of bedford. Apart from hedge vegetation being seriously overgrown restricting visibility in many places, the hardest part was keeping track of speed limits as they seemed to change every mile or so, and a couple of times i was left frantically looking for repeaters etc to confirm it!
Some of you might think that with it being same as part 2 what's the deal, but if like me it's nearing a decade since you last did your part 2 it's good to put yourself to the challenge once again and confirm your still doing what you should be doing! It also helps bring it home how pupils feel when you take them for test, i've been a lot more sympathetic with them this last few weeks!!

[hector]

To clarify a few points

Cardington v Iams - No comparison. You can become an Iams special member by passing Cardington as the standard is way higher . Not the other way round though! Someone recently pointed out there is a qulification list with Iams that will qualify you as a full member, examiners for example.

Cardington is marked much higher than any other test (Including Rospa) and at an advanced standard (Not just harder learners!) Its way above part 2.

One other thing has anyone ever failed the Iams test