Passed first time too. About 10 weeks after my birthday. Like my own eldest three.. lucky in that my birthday co-incided with the long summer holiday. My parents more or less did for me and my brothers and sisters as we have done with our own kids... booked a block of lessons in rapid succession to "get the feel".. though back then .. there was also the luxury of the empty supermarket carparks on Sundays (now no more..
) ... and we got the "feel" on those car parks pre-driving school lessons as well with our parents. My driving instructor thought I had "driven before". I had not.. just dodgems, go-karts and my bicycle.
Mum and Dad each supervised us on practice sessions and then followed up with more formal lessons again. I was not supposed to have time off school for a driving test.. and my Mum managed to secure the first tests on ringing for cancelled appointments. She thought the "experience" would be a learning curve and did not expect such an early pass. She thought I'd fail as "too inexperienced!"
She did not even tell me about this test either.. merely waltzed into my bedroom .. told me to hurry down to breakfast as I had an "important appointment" that day. Out in our own car .. she behaved oddly like an examiner until we reached the test centre and then gave me a kiss and told me to drive as just displayed to her .. I did not have time to get nervous as a result ..
The examiner at the end gave me a very quiet "well done" and he removed the L plates himself!
to my Mum's amusement.
After that .. I concentrated on passing my A Levels .. and took my IAM whilst studying at St Andrews .. in my penultimate year up there .. just short of my 21st birthday. My RoSPA .. I passed that the week before I sat my absolute Finals down in Manchester.
For those not "au fait" with the St Andrews Medical Science degree.. .. we did a degree in Medical Science as three year course. It was four years if they decided to place you on their Honours course based on the exam results. I was chosen and accepted to do the Honours version. Thereafter we had choices.. to continue the clinicals at Dundee/Edinburgh or Manchester. Most of us opted for the big 'burb for the night life and a top Medical Faculty. Why I have a love, respect and knowledge of this city - as well as having one brother (also a medic ) and two of my sisters (teachers) living down there.
I always wanted to study medicine.. from being aged just 5 years according to my over-proud parents who have a right to be proud really as they invested in education big time for all 8 of their children.. and as I know they also read this site .. I will always appreciate and value what they did for us all as their children.
They instilled common sense and family values into me and provided me with a car too.
My Dad was not best pleased though when I took out a huge bank loan to buy a Triumph Stag. though .. and reduced my allowance to "teach me a lesson"
He now accepts that this was an "investment" as I still have this car.. one of the very first Stags to run off the production line.. and for all its tendency to overheat and get a bit "frothy" in a traffic jam.. this car has the original Triumph engine.. is in mint condition and I could never ever sell her. After all.. she was instrumental in bringing Wildy to me as my wife
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to cars for first two years there. It was .. 
I mean it would have been sheer purgatory to be a full time 
(and the lurks will have a field day over this comment 
) and his twin has opted for Durham 
