New York Beta
Parallel parking is on every test, and a three-point turn may be. DMV’s road-test pages list the errors examiners mark, but no point values, pass mark or list of automatic failures.
Driving safely in traffic, left and right turns, parallel parking on every test, and possibly a three-point turn. A DMV examiner rides with you on city streets.
dmv.ny.gov: Driver re-evaluation program NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 7: Parallel Parking NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses
Wheels straight; look over your right shoulder through the rear window, check the inside mirror, signal, check the side mirrors, look over your left shoulder as you creep forward to clear the car ahead, then look over your left shoulder again and enter the lane when it’s safe.
Signal at least 100 ft before; slow down; for a right turn keep as far right as possible and enter the right lane; for a left turn use the legal lane position; keep wheels straight until you begin to turn; check for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles.
If no one ahead of you is turning left, pull into the intersection to the right of the center line, wheels straight, and turn when oncoming traffic clears or stops for the red.
Full stop at the stop line (or before the crosswalk); yield as the rules require; don’t enter unless you can get through; in New York City no turn on red unless a sign allows it.
On every test. Signal, stop about 2 ft beside the car ahead of the space, look over both shoulders, back slowly with the wheel turned fully toward the curb while looking through the rear window, counter-steer when your front wheels pass the car ahead’s back bumper, straighten up and finish no more than 1 ft from the curb.
May be required. Signal and pull over right; signal left and check every direction; turn across to face the far curb and stop; wheel full right and back up looking behind you, stopping short of the curb; check again, wheel full left and drive off.
Keep right and in the proper lane; keep at least a 2-second gap; match speed to conditions without impeding traffic; yield to pedestrians and others; signal, check mirrors and look over your shoulder before every lane change; anticipate pedestrians and hazards.
Smooth acceleration, steering and braking; correct gear use; no stalling; react calmly to emergencies; know where every control is.
DMV publishes the errors an examiner can mark on the scoring sheet, sorted into 5 categories.
Here are all 32, with a tip for each; tap a group to open it.
Not verified DMV’s road-test pages don’t give point values, a pass mark or a list of automatic failures.
The “30 points” rule repeated on other sites isn’t on any dmv.ny.gov page we found.
Finish with your wheels no more than 1 foot (12 inches) from the curb. The steps, in our words:
NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 7: Parallel Parking
Use it only on a narrow two-way street where turning around is allowed. Steps:
NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 5: Intersections and Turns
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Photo learner permit | The physical card. An interim permit without a photo needs a NY photo ID or license too. DMV form RT-3: road test checklist (PDF) |
| Course certificate | Original MV-278 (in-person course, within the past year) or MV-285 driver education on file; none needed for an online course taken within the past year. DMV form RT-3: road test checklist (PDF) |
| MV-262 (under 18) | Parent or guardian certifies 50 supervised hours, 15 after sunset; give it to the examiner at each test. DMV form RT-3: road test checklist (PDF) |
| Accompanying driver | 18+ if driving you there, 21+ if you drive; physical license valid for the car (no Mobile ID). The only other person allowed at the site. dmv.ny.gov: Schedule and take a road test |
| Registration, inspection, insurance | The test car must be validly registered, inspected and insured. dmv.ny.gov: Schedule and take a road test |
| Permanent plates | Two plates on a car; in-transit permits are not allowed. dmv.ny.gov: Schedule and take a road test |
| Car in working order and clean | Doors and seat belts must work; the front passenger belt must be clean and usable by the examiner. NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 1: Driver Licenses |
| Rental car paperwork | Bring the rental agreement and written permission to use the car for the road test. DMV form RT-3: road test checklist (PDF) |
| Glasses or contacts | Required if your permit carries a corrective-lens restriction. dmv.ny.gov: Schedule and take a road test |
| Foreign license translation | If your foreign license isn’t in English: an International Driving Permit or certified translation. dmv.ny.gov: Drivers from other countries |
Warnings (backup camera, blind-spot monitor, parking sensors, collision and lane-departure alerts) and assists such as automatic emergency braking and lane keeping are allowed.
Cruise control (adaptive or not) and parking assist such as automatic parallel parking aren’t, and the examiner decides whether you relied on any feature.
NY Driver’s Manual, ch. 13: Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
Not verified We found no dmv.ny.gov page that says whether an interpreter may ride along or whether the test is given only in English, and only your accompanying driver may come to the site.
Plan to follow the examiner’s directions in English.
DMV form RT-3: road test checklist (PDF) dmv.ny.gov: Schedule and take a road test
Results post online after 6 p.m. on test day; if you pass, an interim license is available online and the photo license comes in about 2 weeks.
If you fail, wait at least 14 days; after failing your first two road tests you pay additional fees to book another. Drivers 18 or older start with 6 months of probation; under state law, junior DJ and MJ licenses aren’t probationary.
dmv.ny.gov: Schedule and take a road test NY Vehicle and Traffic Law §501
3 of our 38 New York road-test practice questions, with explanations. The rest are in the app (beta).
Answer: B. Up to 1 foot
Your wheels may end up no more than 1 foot (12 inches) from the curb. Farther out is the scoring sheet’s ‘too far from curb’ error. To get closer, ease forward and back, turning toward the curb and then straight again.
Answer: C. The errors an examiner can mark, in 5 categories, without point values
DMV publishes the errors examiners mark, sorted into 5 categories. We found no points per error, pass mark or automatic-fail list on dmv.ny.gov, and no dmv.ny.gov page that backs a ‘30 points’ rule. Practice every category instead of counting points.
Answer: B. No: in New York City a turn on red needs a sign that allows it
No: New York City bans turns on red unless a sign permits them, so a full stop alone isn’t enough there. Elsewhere in the state, a right on red after a full stop and yielding is allowed unless a sign or marking forbids it.
35 more road-test practice questionsKeep practicing in Roadfeel