Just a thought that might help newbies about to take their test - Examiners are a great bunch of guys and gals (mostly)!
No, I’m not an Examiner myself, just an ordinary guy who’s passed C and CE myself in the last two months. On my most recent test (the CE, passed yesterday), my Examiner was very, very fair to me - even if his decision had gone the other way, I would still have respected that decision and considered I’d been very fairly treated.
Why? Well, when I encountered unexpected problems on the uncouple/couple exercise, he encouraged me to take the time to sort it out and used careful questions to point me in the right direction. (Of course, he didn’t intervene, or tell me how to solve the problems, but he did give me every opportunity to overcome the snag.)
Then, he was very patient and calm, even though I’d totally destroyed his planned timing for the test - and was going to run into his lunch break. He didn’t put me under pressure and made sure all aspects of the test were properly completed. The minors that he faulted me on were absolutely fair and he gave me good feedback at the end of the test.
I think it might help all newbies on test to think to themselves, “This Examiner is a highly trained, rigorously supervised professional, who wants me to pass. He/she will treat me courteously and fairly and give me every chance to show I meet the test standard.”
Best wishes for your own tests, ladies and gentlemen!