Driver's license skills test
The skills test is the driving part of the exam, given by Arkansas State Police examiners in a vehicle you provide. First you must locate and demonstrate the vehicle controls (more than three missed controls fails), then you drive on public streets. Most errors get a warning the first time and fail you the second time in the same category, with a two-week wait; a short list of serious offenses is an automatic failure with a 30-day wait.
Checked October 4, 2026 against official Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Driver Services sources. Tap a numbered chip to read the exact wording.
You need an Arkansas instruction permit (from age 14, after passing the knowledge and vision tests) and an appointment. A licensed driver aged 21 or older must come with you. The permit is valid two years and the skills test must be passed and a license bought before it expires. Applicants under 18 need parent or guardian consent, and a clean driving record for the previous 6 months (learner's license) or 12 months (intermediate license). Official source 1media.ark.org“To apply for an instruction permit, the applicant must be at least fourteen (14) years of age. The applicant must pass the knowledge exam and vision test to receive the instruction permit.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026Official source 2dps.arkansas.gov“The skills exam must be completed, and a license purchased before the two (2) year expiration. Failure to complete the requirements will result in the applicant retaking all phases of the driver’s exam.”“Schedule an appointment for the driving portion. Visit: https://telegov.egov.com/aspdlskills”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026Official source 3dps.arkansas.gov“a driving record must be free of any serious accident or a conviction of serious traffic violation for the previous 6 months for a learner’s license and the previous 12 months for an intermediate license.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026
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The examiner checks your car before you drive. If it fails, you usually can’t take the test that day.
Vehicle controls: more than three missed controls fails the test. Driving: nonserious offenses get a verbal warning the first time; a second offense in the same category fails the test with a two-week penalty. Listed serious offenses are automatic failures with a mandatory 30-day penalty. Any violation of law may also fail you. Official source 1media.ark.org“If the applicant cannot locate the control, the examiner will mark the missed control as an infraction. You are allowed three (3) missed controls before the test is failed.”“A total of two missed attempts in the same category will constitute a failed exam. For example: The examiner will warn you on the first rolling stop. If you make another rolling stop, you will receive a two-week penalty.”“A violation of any law may result in a failing grade on the skills test.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026Official source 4webftp.blr.arkansas.gov“Any person violating any portion of 27 CAR § 52-102(b)(2)(A) of this part on the first offense will receive a verbal warning.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026
Any one of these ends or fails a Arkansas road test, no matter how well the rest goes.
Steps and scoring come from Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Driver Services’s own materials, in their words where possible. Where a state publishes no steps, we say so rather than guess.
The examiner asks you to identify each control; each one you cannot locate is an infraction, and you are allowed three missed controls before the test is failed. Being unfamiliar with the vehicle's controls can also stop the test from being given.
Improper backing gets a warning the first time and is a serious offense (fail, two-week penalty) the second time. The rule does not say which backing maneuver is given.
Not officially described by DFA.
Improperly entering the roadway gets a warning the first time and is a serious offense the second time.
Not officially described by DFA.
An incomplete (rolling) stop gets a warning the first time and fails you the second time. Running a stop sign or red light, or disobeying yield, railroad crossing or pedestrian crossing signs, is a serious offense.
Not officially described by DFA.
Wide or fast turns get a warning the first time; improper turns, improper use of signals and failure to yield to oncoming traffic are serious offenses.
Not officially described by DFA.
Wide or fast turns get a warning the first time; improper turns, improper use of signals and failure to yield to oncoming traffic are serious offenses.
Not officially described by DFA.
Improper lane usage or lane change gets a warning the first time and is a serious offense the second time.
Not officially described by DFA.
First incomplete stop is a warning; a second rolling stop fails the test with a two-week penalty. Official source 4webftp.blr.arkansas.gov“Failure to obey stop signs (rolled stop, second offense), Arkansas Code § 27-50-408(e)(9); and”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026
Disobeying school-zone or speed-limit signs is listed as a first-occurrence offense; failure to obey speed control is a serious offense. Official source 4webftp.blr.arkansas.gov“Failure to obey other signs (school zone and speed limit), Arkansas Code § 27-50-408(e)(9);”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026
Following too closely is a warning the first time and a serious offense the second time. Official source 4webftp.blr.arkansas.gov“Following too closely (first offense), Arkansas Code § 27-51-305; and”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026
Inattentive driving is a warning the first time and a serious offense the second time. Official source 4webftp.blr.arkansas.gov“Inattentive driving (first offense), Arkansas Code § 27-51104(b)(8);”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026
Poor general control and going the wrong way are serious offenses. Official source 4webftp.blr.arkansas.gov“General control, Arkansas Code § 27-51-104(b)(6); (iii) Improper lane usage/lane change (second offense), Arkansas Code § 27-50-408(e)(17) and § 27-51-104(b)(1); (iv) Going the wrong way”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026
Failing on a second offense in the same category means a two-week wait before retesting; an automatic failure means a mandatory 30-day wait. The permit is valid two years and cannot be extended, so the test must be passed before it expires. No official source found states a separate road-test fee or attempt limit. Official source 1media.ark.org“Permits cannot be extended for any reason, due to inclement weather. No Exceptions!”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026Official source 4webftp.blr.arkansas.gov“Any person violating any portion of 27 CAR § 52-102(b)(2)(B) of this part on the second offense will receive a two-week penalty unless the violation warrants an automatic failure.”“Any person violating any portion of 27 CAR § 52-102(b)(2)(C) of this part will receive a mandatory thirty-day penalty.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026
Didn’t pass? What to do next, including the Arkansas permit (knowledge) test retake rules.
No driver-education or third-party waiver of the noncommercial skills test was found. U.S. military spouses may be licensed without testing under Act 235 of 2005. Official source 1media.ark.org“Act 235 of 2005 permits U.S. military spouses to obtain an Arkansas Driver’s License without testing”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026
The skills test is the driving part of the exam, given by Arkansas State Police examiners in a vehicle you provide. First you must locate and demonstrate the vehicle controls (more than three missed controls fails), then you drive on public streets. Most errors get a warning the first time and fail you the second time in the same category, with a two-week wait; a short list of serious offenses is an automatic failure with a 30-day wait. Maneuvers covered by official sources: Vehicle controls, Backing, Entering the roadway, Stop signs, traffic lights and other signs, Left turns, Right turns, Lane usage and lane changes.
Vehicle controls: more than three missed controls fails the test. Driving: nonserious offenses get a verbal warning the first time; a second offense in the same category fails the test with a two-week penalty. Listed serious offenses are automatic failures with a mandatory 30-day penalty. Any violation of law may also fail you.
Official Arkansas sources list these as automatic failures: Passing a stopped school bus with lights flashing; Failing to yield to an emergency vehicle using its flashing lights; Improperly passing a stopped law enforcement vehicle with lights flashing; Improper parking in a handicapped parking space; Driving to the test site without a licensed driver; Violating the Arkansas cell phone law; and At-fault accident.
Original instruction permit (not photocopied or laminated); A licensed driver aged 21 or older with a valid license (hard copy or electronic); Current proof of insurance (paper or electronic); Valid vehicle registration; Glasses or contacts if you wear them; and All immigration documents, if you have them.
Clean and in good mechanical condition, with no warning lights displayed; All lights work, including brake lights and front and rear turn signals; Horn and speedometer work; Windshield clean, with no crack that blocks the view and no tint; Window tint no darker than 25% in front and 10% in back; no windshield brow more than 5 inches; Muffler and exhaust work properly; Tires not unsafely worn (no exposed wires, tread present); no donut spares; No serious mechanical defects such as defective brakes; Properly licensed, with the license plate properly displayed; and No cameras or recording devices.
You need an Arkansas instruction permit (from age 14, after passing the knowledge and vision tests) and an appointment. A licensed driver aged 21 or older must come with you. The permit is valid two years and the skills test must be passed and a license bought before it expires. Applicants under 18 need parent or guardian consent, and a clean driving record for the previous 6 months (learner's license) or 12 months (intermediate license).
Failing on a second offense in the same category means a two-week wait before retesting; an automatic failure means a mandatory 30-day wait. The permit is valid two years and cannot be extended, so the test must be passed before it expires. No official source found states a separate road-test fee or attempt limit.
No driver-education or third-party waiver of the noncommercial skills test was found. U.S. military spouses may be licensed without testing under Act 235 of 2005.
No official score sheet is published for the noncommercial skills test; the scoring here comes from the Arkansas State Police rule (27 CAR Part 52, Noncommercial Driver's License Testing) and the driver's manual chapter 10. The rule's middle category is headed 'Serious offenses (second occurrence or automatic failure)' and includes running a stop sign, running a red light, going the wrong way and failure to yield; it does not say which of those fail on the first occurrence, so only the items under 'Serious offenses (automatic failure)' are listed as automatic failures. ASP does not publish a list of maneuvers; the maneuvers here are inferred from the offense categories (backing, entering the roadway, turns, lane changes, stops) and are marked required: null. The rule's turn offenses are not split by direction, so the left-turn and right-turn entries share the same scoring. 'entering-traffic' (Entering the roadway) is used because the rule scores improperly entering the roadway as its own category. Older (2021) versions of the ASP skills checklist required waiting 30 calendar days after permit issue before the driving test; the current checklist (revised September 24, 2024) and the manual's copy no longer state any wait, so none is recorded. The manual's copy of the checklist says weather cancellations are decided by the Troop Commander, while the 2024 PDF says tests are not canceled for rain but are not given in severe thunderstorms, fog, sleet or snow.
Every fact above links to one of these official pages. Checked October 4, 2026.
This guide summarizes official Arkansas sources for study. It is not the test itself, and only a DFA examiner (or a tester the state licenses) can pass or fail you. Rules change; confirm with Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Driver Services before test day.