The Indiana road test

By the end of this topic you can

• You can choose between a BMV branch test and a driving school test.
• You can book a test and bring a vehicle that will be accepted.
• You can list the skills the examiner scores.
• You can name the errors that cause an automatic fail.
• You can explain the waiting periods after a failed test.

What you need to know and understand

• You must have passed the knowledge exam and hold a valid learner's permit before the skills exam.
• Branch tests can be booked online or by calling the BMV Contact Center at 888-692-6841, no more than three weeks and no less than 48 business hours ahead.
• Arrive at least 15 minutes before your branch appointment.
• The BMV branch test is free. You supply the car, which must be registered, insured, legally equipped, safe and clean.
• Only the examiner may ride with you. Interior cameras must be switched off; backup cameras are fine.
• Hand signals cannot be used on the test, so your turn signals must work.
• After a failed skills exam you must wait seven days. After a third failure on the same permit, you must wait two months.

Branch test or driving school test?

If you take driver education with a school that participates in the BMV program, you can take the skills exam with the school after completing the course. The BMV now lets licensed schools test any permit holder aged 16 or older, even without their course, and a passing school result stays valid until your permit expires.

You must test at a branch if you fail either part of driver education, or if your school does not take part in the program.

What the examiner scores

Points can be lost for things like not using wipers or the defroster when needed, one hand on the wheel, the wrong gear, missing signals or blind spot checks, driving too slowly, stopping past the line, slowing during lane changes, reversing too fast or leaving a signal on.

• Lane position, mirror checks and signals before changing lanes.
• A safe following distance.
• Keeping a steady speed and leaving room when someone passes you.
• Speed suited to the limit and to traffic.
• Defensive habits, following instructions and reading traffic flow.
• Approaching intersections at the right speed, looking, and stopping fully when required.
• Reversing, including backing correctly out of a parking space.

Automatic fails

• Not wearing a seat belt.
• Disobeying a stop, yield, school zone or no-turn-on-red sign, or any traffic signal.
• Speeding, or driving too fast for conditions.
• Failing to yield, or failing to stop for emergency vehicles or school buses.
• Crossing a solid yellow line, passing in a no-passing zone, driving left of center or straddling lanes.
• Turning into or using the wrong lane.
• Driving too close to pedestrians or bicyclists.
• Backing over a curb, hitting a parked car or causing a crash.
• Breaking railroad crossing laws, ignoring instructions or not reacting to hazards.

Getting the car ready

The examiner can turn away a car that is not properly registered or has unsafe tires, a missing bumper, broken glass or mirrors, or a door that does not work. Check every light, both turn signals and the horn the day before. Our separate guide to the Indiana road skills test explains the day itself in more detail.

Common mistakes

• Rolling through a stop sign or turning right on red without a full stop.
• Glancing only in the mirror when reversing instead of turning to look through the rear window.
• Forgetting to cancel the turn signal after a lane change.
• Driving well under the limit out of nerves, which the examiner marks as too slow.

Test yourself: The Indiana road test

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Indiana Driving Test
• Indiana Bioptic Driver Program
• Indiana Permit Test