When you are taking CDC Road Revision for Class 2b Motorbike School, you will most likely be riding the test routes twice. Depending on the instructor, you may ride test route 1 and then test route 2. In some lessons, you may be riding test route 1 twice as test route 1 is the most likely test route that you will be riding for your traffic police test. Test route 2 is a backup route in case test route 1 cannot be used due to jam or accidents.
Normally, the learners will be broken down into two groups. The instructor will follow you behind and observe you while you are riding. After finishing the test route, the instructor will debrief and tell the learners the mistake made. If there is remaining time, you will be allowed to do your circuit practice like what you did for circuit revision.
CDC Road Revision for Class 2b Motorbike School is more expensive than the normal lesson. Thus, to maximize the effectiveness of Road Revision, it is best if you can book it at 8.35am10.20am time slot so that you can familiarize yourself with the road condition during your Traffic Police test. The road condition in the morning can be quite heavy. Hence, it will be good if you can have a first-hand experience so that you have the best chance of passing the road component of the Traffic Police test.
It is also much harder to book road revision as compared to circuit revision. Thus, it is important that you book the lesson at least two weeks in advance. You can also book the lesson before attempting lesson 8. Last tip is to book more circuit revision and less road revision as it is much easier to accumulate demerit point in the circuit than on the road. Moreover, circuit revision is cheaper than road revision.
Lastly, please visit this post to learn more about other CDC practical lessons.
Pls do try to complete all your theory lessons and tests as soon as possible to prevent any bottlenecking. Both theory and practical lesson can be cleared at the same time. Some learners progress were impeded as they are unable to book their next practical lesson due to not clearing their theory lessons and tests fast enough. Do visit this post to learn more about other CDC practical lessons.
As i am no longer learning in CDC, i might not be able to give the most updated information. Thus, i am forming a telegram group so that i can create a learner community to engage all CDC motorcycle learner whereby you all can share your learning experience and learn from each other. Do join the Telegram group by clicking here. The link is https://t.me/CDCMotorcycleLearner
Telegram is chosen instead of whatapp because it allows user to create username and hide your handphone number. Do consider to install telegram from google app store.
If you have any question or thing that you do not understand, you can contact via telegram or email. For faster response, please contact me via telegram or whatsapp. The QR code is the link to contact me via telegram. Telegram is messaging app for smartphone similar to whatapp.
Dear Arcane
For road revisions and lessons, do CDC learners get to choose from a group of chosen bikes more suitable for the roads at higher speeds than circuit limit? This sounds noob but outside on the real roads, there are real dangers . So clutch and gear shift problems or engine stall problem should be prevented.
No. You will be the one to choose the bike available in the bike nursery. All bike should be able handle the road outside and you are unlikely to go very fast. The maximum speed is likely to be only 50km/h
Hi Arcane
Nice Blog info!
My friend at other motorbike school in sg tell me their instructor issue a write-up on all the instructions to follow on the road test route. This made their learning super fast and easy. However, at CDC we are not given . Only their verbal instructions thrown at us at lightning speed was given to us on out first lesson and that confused all of us. I asked everyone there did they remember the 30min briefing instructions, the students all blur.
All failed.
I am surprised there is no write-up on the formation at each road section or junction and all the check back lefts etc.
Coming back for more repeat lesson is ok but it’s delaying our progress without a write-up list of instructions to memorise.
Furthermore, booking a lesson 6 takes at least one week to find a slot. It could take a month before I clear the prac 6.
This is silly. CDC have not hired more instructors to cater to the highest motorbike student population it has by virtue of its location. I don’t think people praise them for their teaching nor the way their instructors explain to the students. Yes , a few are great but most I come across speak in ways that confuse me. Not clear English. Some instructor give different advice than others.
Everyone knows other schools the time taken to pass is faster and the bikes better or newer but I only knew after I signed up and went through a lot of shit.
Actually there is a handout given by the instructor after you passed lesson 5. That handout will show you the test route inside the circuit and on the road. The handout will also show the formation at each road junctions. Please ask the instructor for the handout if you do not have one.
Thanks Arcane, but I never received any information handout after prac 5. Instructor only told me to wear reflective clothes .
Really thank you for your valuable response. Will ask them.
Hi Arcane
The handout is INSUFFICIENT to pass the test unless you are so lucky.
My friend feel that he was marked and instructor in every repeat lesson put her in noob group such that she being repeater is put in the last or second last in the convoy. Being infront you can see the road signs early. But not at the back , so the ones in the back will realise the front is doing wrong only when it’s too late. If she kept being put into noob group, she will likely fail due to the noob mistakes eg. Forming in sibgle row instead of in two’s. Those put in the repeater group usually passed. It’s kinda unfair to her but she dare not complain as she already feel she has been targeted. Yes, she should not give excuse for following the wrong actions of the noobs but to be fair she is too far back to see the direction the instructor is going to know what to form up in and too far back to see the road signs infront. Also , learners are still not as experienced as the instructors who have possibly over decade of daily riding those routes. So, this is just to share with the world what is wrong with the school.
The repeat lessons are very expensive. About $40 per lesson with only 1 ride round the route.
The school must be earning tons of money.
Which lesson are you referring to? If it is lesson 6, then try to book lesson on saturday or sunday as it is much easier to pass. There is much lesser traffic during the weekend and the road condition is brighter as compared to lesson 6 hled during weekday
Hi Arcane
Weekend sessions are usually all booked in advance unless I wait for three weeks to a month for vacancies.
First timers usually ALL FAIL because of two reasons : 1: Unfamiliarity with the route being first timer. Instructor also won’t tell you the route.
2 : Too much instructions given out at one go within the 30min briefing.
3: It’s scary to most first timers going on the roads with real traffic that is very fast moving.
This is why the first prac 6 almost guarantees the school gets all if not most of them to PAY AND PAY for repeats. I suppose the instructors also earn more doing road practice .
IF you camp at the website, then you might be able to get an earlier time slot.
Hi Arcane
There is no write-up. The handout you mentioned is just a circuit map.
As you know, without the detailed instructions of what learners should check and do at each point along the circuit, the handout is useless.
If instructor does not like you, there are many ways they can make your life miserable or sabotage your learning. I dun think they are assessed for how many fail per test. Anecdotal evidence I hear is this school maybe has the lowest rider passing rate among the three schools in sg.
There is no evidence of what the instructor told the learner. The instructor may left out some advice for the learner. The instructor may not tell you mistake you made during road revisions. Or tell you unclear instructions.
In short, THERE IS NO RECORDED EVIDENCE OF WHAT THEY COMMUNICATED WITH LEARNERS.
I am fair. Most instructors are ok. Some are nice. But they are not saints. Some instructors may not like some learners.
So, to say that because they give a handout, it’s sufficient is not being fair.
If you look at the reverse page of the handout, there is instruction on the public road. If you want detailed instruction on circuit, then you should attend the circuit revision. The instructor will always give very detailed verbal instruction on what learners should check and do at each point along the circuit. If you cannot memorise, then you have to be PROACTIVE. Either you bring a pen to write down the instruction or you can record it down in your handphone. There is no point in complaining about unfairness as it does not help in your progress. My suggestion for you is to be PROACTIVE and ask question whenever unclear.
Anecdotal evidence is based on hearsay and totally inaccurate. You should look at the statistical given by traffic police on the passing rate of class 2b. According to traffic police website, CDC has the highest passing rate for class 2b at 59.5% from Mar 2017 to Feb 2018.
In one lesson, there are 5 – 9 learners with only 1 – 2 instructors. How can you expect them to accurately memorise all mistake make by every learner? If you are expecting premium teaching quality, then you are in the wrong place. Sadly for you, there is no premium school for riding in school where there is one to one coaching for riding motorcycle even if you are willing to pay for it.
Everyone in CDC went thru the same exact course and given the same exact handout. Why is this not fair to you? If you do not like the teaching style of CDC, then you should go to other riding schools. Else, just have to suck thumb and continue with CDC. Everyone went thru the same course in CDC and i went thru CDC with no such blog to guide me. You are already considered better off than me already.
Yes, prac 6 has no routes given. It’s random routes. The test route is given but that is just one of the possible prac 6 routes. All the info the instructor briefed us at the shed is not given a copy to students.
The instructor has many slides in hard copy but they dun give us a copy. So, you keep coming back in order to absorb all.
Prac 7 should be easier than prac 6 since it’s shorter. If you passed prac 6 why can one still fail prac 7 ?
But people still fail prac 7. Why? It tells us that there are countless situations possible and if unlucky you encounter a new scenario , you may fail.
If those who passed and ride on the roads still do check back right when moving off and blindspot checks when turning, we would have seen this in real life. But you hardly see this. It would be like a circus if in real life, bikers check back right everytime they inch forward eg. At Causeway.
When strict rules in the school has its merits and importance, and most people would say being strict is good for all road user safety, the reality is these people won’t do the checks in real life. And they won’t be penalised. We are learning what is practically impractical. If people really believe that being strict is good, they would have done check back right everytime they inch forward at the causeway, for example. And many still ride safely till their ripe old age.
But in school, any non compliance can potentially lead to failure. It’s good way to INDOCTRINATE the people but it’s not practised in real life. Some are not suitable to go through singapore driving school system and they retake the TP test five or more times. Their confidence and self esteem totally shattered.
Checking of Blindspot before turning is important. If you don’t check blindspot when turning, you are endangering yourself and other road user. Let me remind you that the road outside the circuit is not very forgiving as compared to the circuit. If you cannot follow the rule set in the riding school, you properly should not ride in Singapore. Everyone can ride a motorcycle after lesson 5 but not everyone who can ride can pass TP test. This is because all rider are expected to know how to ride safely and this is shown via all the checks.
I like to share my views on Prac 6.
The actual test route is short compared to prac 6 routes. Yet, the instructors are very extremely strict in prac 6 . They should be stricter for prac 7 than 6 where most of the routes are not tested.
Secondly, Formation is a dynamic situation and some lucky cleared prac 6 without encountering difficult scenarios. They may encounter it during test and fail if too confident. Once formed up, one of the two front riders may take longer to move off. If one of the right hand side front riders moved off leaving a gap, and the front left rider still there unready to move off, and I am behind the left front rider and I am the last rider and no rider to my right, must I shift to the right and fill up the gap? This is very difficult as there is little space insufficient to position straight and will get penalized.
Thirdly, what is the practical use of learning to form up when in real life , it’s own time own target and riders can even move off together which is immediate failure in riding school? Why are we learning things that many who passed dun follow in real life and they live to ripe old age safely?
Hi Arcane
Your blog is useful to me! Thanks.
I have a difficulty exiting the slip road leading to the KPE direction. Sometimes vehicles are speeding from the Right and due to the acute angle at the giveaway point at the slip road, I cannot see these far back right. And if we turn our heads too much, may lose focus of the front and hit the front rider. I did all the checks to the best of my abilities but a fast moving car still flew by when I did my left blindspot check and moved off. Almost got into trouble. It seems like looking over our right shoulder is insufficient an angle as the slip road is at an acute angle to the main road.
Any advice on how to handle the slip road safely?
Would very much appreciate your input.
Best regards
Shekar
First, before you exit from the slip road, ensure that there is no car doing U turn. Second, you have to ensure that the two lanes are clear before moving off. You just have to wait until this 2 conditions to happen.
Thanks Arcane.
The slip road is at an acute angle to the main road which is towards the KPE. This acute angle means if just check blindspot right, at most you can see is your 3pm which is the upturning vehicles and the right turning ones and some going straight but only those cars already inside the junction box. We cannot see SPEEDING cars or lorries moving Straight in the direction towards the KPE. My point is , despite checking the three directions, due to the acute angle, we WILL NOT BE ABLE to see speeding cars further away moving Straight in the direction towards the KPE . At such high speeds, they can hit us within one to two seconds even though our checks did not see them. Worse is our instructor tell us, if convoy ismoving through the slip road, we should only do a LEFT blindspot check before exiting the slip road!!! I am shocked . They told us not to stop at the give way line if convoy is moving. But real life is unpredictable and full of scenarios. I would prefer stopping at the give way line and turning my head far back right and see all the traffic behind is absolutely safe before I exit the slip road.
I trust that the instructors must have a good logic in what they say but I am unable to see their point of view given my concerns. Could you pls enlighten? Thanks!
You can check the road condition before entering the slip road and then form a road judgement on whether you should exit or not. If the traffic light is red, then you need to check for the u turning car. IF the traffic light is green, then you will have to ride slowly though the slip road while you check the road condition. Do use your side mirror to check the road condition when you are riding slowly in the slip road.
Checking your blindspot left before exiting the slip road is correct because you are turning left.
Dear Arcane
Appreciate your reply.
Pardon my ignorance, can I know which traffic light are you referring to that turns red or green?
Is it the traffic light facing and observed by the drivers and riders on the road before we enter the slip road ?
The traffic light on airport road
Because the Instructions or advice are usually given VERBALLY, a learner may not be able to prove that he was given contradictory or unclear or even wrong advice by instructor .
Instructors are just humans. They are not saints. They may dislike or like anyone.
This is the risk learners face when receiving advice or answers from instructors.
Here are some interesting questions you can ask different instructors there and see for yourselves if they give different advice or answers :
1. On top of the slope, and going downslope, where do you put your left hand? Over the clutch lever or on the rubber grip.
There are other questions but I will not share them at this moment.
When I try to show I receive what I perceive as contradictory or different answers from different instructors , I do not have evidence because it’s verbal.
In general, all the methods given by instructors are correct but they may differ slightly because there are many different way of doing thing. THe key is to understand the principle for the action. Like when you are on top of the slope, you left hand should be on the rubber grip because you want to show the instructor that you are clearly using engine braking for the downslope. If you keep your hand on the clutch lever, then it might be misunderstood that you are not using engine brake.
There is no point in arguing with the instructor. If you want to pass the lesson smoothly, just follow their instruction and do what they want. This is because they are the one assessing. If you do not follow their instruction, then you can come back again for the lesson and hope that you will not get the same instructor. Else, just ask the instructor when they are explaining to understand clearly what they are looking for during the lesson.
Hi Arcane
So, are you saying from the top of the slope, it’s correct to cover the hand over the clutch lever (but not clutched in at all) and It’s Also Correct to hold the rubber grip without touching the clutch lever when going downslope?
Both the different advice are correct? Can someone confirm?
Thanks?
in theory, yes but how can you show this clearly to the instructor? By holding rubber grip at the top will CLEARLY SHOW and DISPLAY your intention of using engine brake to go down the slope. You should be holding rubber grip when going downslope because you want to CLEARLY show that you are using engine brake.
Well, firstly thanks for the useful blog, it did help tremendously considering how crappy the teaching is being done at CDC. I believe plenty commoners resort to ‘Google’ for information on how to pass lessons as this should not be the way.
I’ve been driving for 10 years and the follow are my 2b lesson records as of now:
L1 – 2
L2 – 1
L3 – 2
L4 – 1
L5 – 2 (Technically should be a one-shot, no one told shit about the yellow flashing light before we start a course)
L6 – 1
L7 – 2 (Turning at a junction when green light started to flash – I know its ridiculous, no point arguing to make it right)
L8 – next week! Looking at the past pattern, I’m expecting to one-shot this lol.
I’m just sharing my experience of ‘learning how to ride’ at CDC is utmost uncomfortable. I recalled when I first attended driving school (I’m foreigner btw) i was tied to a TEACHER, who literally did his job as a TEACHER who shares knowledge, skills, coaching, guidance, etc whatever you call it to enrich the learner’s experience to GROW as a driver; teaching pedagogy adopted in the sense each time post a lesson, I felt good, learnt something new, and looking forward for next lesson.
Contrary, at CDC (Only 2b instructors maybe?) idk but they are not teaching in a proper way let alone professionally that I experienced previously nor have I ever experienced such way of teaching from any other teachers i came across. All they do each lesson is clumping each group and instructing stuffs in a ‘hard-way’. “You do this you fail, you miss 1cm you fail, you cross that line you fail”. Instructors are literally instructors lol. Initially I was expecting them to give lessons introduction/purpose, and converting theory concepts into practical that will be USEFUL for my understanding, but not just for the SAKE OF PASSING LESSONS.
Students are trained into robots (As the consensus in singapore i believe – Kids are taught in a way too methodological in schools, NTU, NUS, and this shit spreads to a bike riding school lol?). This is seriously detrimental in a learning process; constricts the mind in creativity, confidence, and judgment flexibility. Students are not taught in a way to adopt COMMON SENSE in riding, but rather what NEED and NOT to do in order not to damn fail the lesson. Like training to have a narrow tunnel vision with no ability to THINK / consider options. End up when they do something that ‘deviates’ from instructor’s instruction (Haha don’t let me start on the INCONSISTENCY of their instructions EVERY time), they get berated, yelled, and shun upon. Sometimes its fight and flight situations on the road; there could be 100 different scenarios with multiple options each to forego and this will never be able to be covered in school lessons. Forget about justifying your actions when you think you’re right – The sense of their empowerment is beyond the roof. You argue = You’re always wrong no matter what. For the record, after understanding the system and the way they work, I don’t argue – I take things diplomatically with good relation with them. Agree with what is right and filter out bullcrap teachings 🙂
I do feel pity for fellow students to get treated without dignity considering the time and energy spent to attend lessons especially slow learners. The ‘process’ just doesn’t justify the expensive COST and LEARNING EXPERIENCE. I guess its only in Singapore the system is made like that. Sometimes I think these schools are milking cow if not obvious already for the government. Surprised with such attitudes they could last. Perhaps inherently they are not like this to begin with, but supported and molded over time to be like that.
End of the day, suck thumb and complete it. After all its a privilege.
Hi,
i agree with you, if you still read this blog. I took riding lessons in Vietnam and the system there is every man for himself. 1000 bikes in front of me on the bridge expressway on my first road lesson. It was a spectacular sight etched into my mind forever. Over here, its suck it and complete it or give up. No use complaining. If I am not
Hi! I just went for practical 7 today. They’ve totally changed the route!