Maryland road-test checklist
Tick boxes for the Maryland driving test: what to bring, the vehicle check, what the examiner scores and what fails you on the spot. Free to print. The full guide with every quote is on the road-test page.
Study sheet for before your test. Notes aren’t allowed in the DMV test room. Every state bans notes, phones and printouts during the knowledge test, in person and online.
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Tick each box during practice drives in the weeks before your test. The numbers in brackets are the sources listed at the bottom. How it’s scored: Two parts: closed course, then public road. You must pass the closed course to continue. The test is stopped immediately for any unsafe act (see automatic failures) or when too many basic driving errors are accumulated; the MVA does not publish a point value or error limit. [1, 3] Bring to the test [1]- Your valid learner's permit
- Vehicle registration for the test vehicle
- Proof of insurance
- Signed Practice and Skills Log with certification page (if required)
- Verification of driver education completion (if applicable; driving schools submit it electronically)
- A supervising driver with a valid license, who drives you to the test site
- Out-of-country license holders: 3-hour Roadway Safety course certificate
Vehicle check before you go [1]- Valid registration with front and rear tags, plus the registration document
- Valid proof of insurance
- Safe, properly inflated tires with adequate tread
- Working headlights, brake lights and turn signals
- Working brakes, horn, mirrors, door handles and locks
- Parking brake the examiner can reach
- At least half a tank of gas
- No windshield cracks that block the driver's view
- No loose objects inside the vehicle
- No serious dashboard warning lights (e.g. Check Engine, ABS/Brake)
- In wet or cold weather: windows that fully roll up, working heater and defroster, wipers, washers and washer fluid
- Rental vehicles: your name must be on the rental agreement as an authorized driver
- Backup cameras may stay on, but you must still use mirrors and head checks
Maneuvers the examiner scores [1, 2]- Reverse two-point turnabout (back into a driveway or alley on the right)
- Pull-in parking (10 ft by 20 ft space) (may be tested)
- Back-in parking (10 ft by 20 ft space) (may be tested)
- Three-point turn (16 ft by 20 ft space) (may be tested)
- Parallel parking (may be tested)
Skills checked throughout [1]- Obeying traffic signs and signals
- Braking, steering and stopping
- Lane position
- Turns and lane changes with head and traffic checks
- Speed control
- Awareness at intersections and of traffic
Automatic failures: never do these [1]- Not wearing required glasses or contact lenses
- Not properly fastening your seatbelt
- Taking more than three minutes to complete the closed course exercise
- Touching and moving a cone or flag on the course
- Not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign
- Not obeying signs, signals or any other traffic law
- An avoidable crash, or contact with other vehicles, objects or pedestrians
- Any unsafe act, or forcing another driver to take evasive action
- Driving over sidewalks or curbs
- Not following the examiner's verbal instructions
- Impeding the flow of traffic unnecessarily
- Taking both hands off the steering wheel while moving
- Examiner has to intervene physically or verbally to avoid a collision or unsafe act
Sources- mva.maryland.gov: behind wheel tests
- mva.maryland.gov: 148
- regs.maryland.gov: index.full
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