Driving Exam

A driving exam (also known as a driving test, driver's test, or road test) is a procedure designed to test a person's ability to drive a motor vehicle. It exists in various forms worldwide, and is often a requirement to obtain a driver's license. A driving test generally consists of one or two parts: the practical test, called a road test, used to assess a person's driving ability under normal operating conditions, and/or a written or oral test (theory test) to confirm a person's knowledge of driving and relevant rules and laws. The world's first mandatory national driving test was introduced in France in 1899.

Exam Methods
To make the test fair, written driving tests are normally standardized tests, meaning that everyone takes the same test under the same conditions. In many places the test can be done by computer, and typically consists of questions related to road signs and traffic laws of the respective country, but may also include questions related to road safety best practices or technical questions regarding vehicle operation and maintenance. In many countries, passing a written driving test is required to be allowed to sit the practical test.

Test Requirements
Depending on the country and on the driver's license category, the practical test includes driving on the public, open road as well as different maneuverability test, which are usually carried out in a controlled environment such as:


 * Driving back and forth through a set of traffic cones
 * Reversing around a corner or into a parking space, with or without a trailer or semi-trailer, or with an extra one for multi-rig road trains
 * Turning and leaving controlled junctions with trailer and/or with an extra one for multi-rig road trains
 * Emergency stops or evasive maneuvers
 * Coupling and de-coupling of a trailer to a truck, which includes establishing the electrical and compressed-air connections and checking them
 * Maintaining a motorcycle stable at low speed
 * Parallel parking (with a maximum of 2 separate forward movements)
 * Reverse Angled parking (cars, trucks and road trains)
 * Three-point turn (in 3 movements)
 * Uphill starts, downhill curbside parking with gear shifts
 * Gear shifts moving off green lights (manual cars and trucks only)
 * Lane changes
 * Entering and leaving intersections (from give ways, stop signs, roundabouts)

Additional Requirements
In some countries (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) maneuverability tests are timed, meaning there is an expected time that a driver has to complete these tasks, so they don't hold up traffic.

In most European Union member countries, the road test may be taken on either a manual or an automatic vehicle, however, when using an automatic vehicle, the driver's license will be restricted to such vehicles. This is also true for New Zealand and Australian road tests. A candidate who passes their test in an automatic may take and pass a second practical test in a manual at a later date to upgrade their license.