The Dubai License - You can do it!

Many people I talked to before coming to Dubai, told me about two things and two things only. First, how expensive the rents were (even after they had come down) and second the difficulty in getting a Dubai license.
Now truth be told, they weren't kidding about the rents and honestly getting a license, well that one is up for debate.
It's true the cost of getting a license to drive is way up there, but how difficult is it really? I was able to get the license in my first attempt (Alhumdulillah) and nowadays I’ve heard of quite a few people who do, but then again in my opinion, it's probably not that difficult if you've been driving properly for some time and it's really difficult if you think that driving is simply about putting the car in gear and pushing on the gas... there is a subtle but important difference in the two.
What the examiner (Shurta) is looking for is road sense and an understanding of the Dubai traffic rules and above all; confidence. If you can successfully show him these elements in your driving, then you’ve got it made in the shade.
In my case, I wasn’t even asked to do any parallel parking during the exam or go to a round about, take a U-turn or anything like that. Perhaps one or two lane changes but that’s about it.
So all they’re really looking for is confidence and a command over the rules they’ve laid out. Once you get the license, you can pretty much drive like Schumacher if you’d like but just be careful of the fines – because that’s really going to pinch your wallet.
All in all the chances of getting a license in the first attempt is based on your skills and discipline. Don’t let your nerves get the best of you and always remember contrary to popular belief the Shurta is not there to fail you on your first attempt!
Also remember not to interact too much with the people at the final exam because you’ll find a few ‘seniors’ who’ve tried getting a license for the 5th or sometimes even more time then that and they’ll never tell you what they did wrong but rather blame it all on the examiner. These are the people that can kill your confidence in a heartbeat.
In the end, best of luck and hope to see you on the roads of Dubai very soon.

Jellyman out!