The Michigan road test

By the end of this topic you can

• You can book a test with an approved driver testing business and ask the right fee questions.
• You can bring the right documents and a test-ready vehicle.
• You can describe the three basic control exercises and their scoring.
• You can explain the on-road pass mark and common automatic failures.
• You can say what happens after you pass or fail.

What you need to know and understand

• Teens need Segment 2, six months on Level 1, 50 logged hours (10 at night), age 15 or older and a clean 90 days.
• Adults need a TIP held for at least 30 days.
• A parent, guardian or authorized adult must be present for a teen's test.
• The basic control test is passed with six errors or fewer.
• The on-road test is passed with no more than 25 points and no automatic failure.
• Only one skills test attempt is allowed in a 24-hour period.
• Driver-activated features such as self-parking are not allowed; passive features such as a backup camera are.

Booking and the vehicle check

Find an approved tester through the Secretary of State's online locator. Ask about initial and retest fees, refund policies and charges for missed appointments or faulty equipment before you book. Bring your Level 1 License and Segment 2 certificate with your signed log, or your TIP if you are an adult, plus proof of Michigan No-Fault insurance, registration and a plate with a current tab.

The examiner checks items including brakes and brake lights, headlights, taillights, turn signals, horn, mirrors, tires, wipers, seat belts, doors and the windshield. A defect such as a missing side mirror or broken taillight cancels the test. Student Driver signs must be removed, and no study aids or phones may be used.

The basic control skills test

Each time you touch a boundary or reposition, it counts as an error. More than six errors and the test ends.

1. Forward stop: drive forward and stop with your front bumper within 2 feet of the stop line without touching it. No leaning out of the window.
2. Sight-side backing: back from a 90-degree angle into a simulated driveway, finishing with your rear bumper within 2 feet of the rear boundary.
3. Blind-side backing (parallel parking): back into a space on the passenger side that is your car's length plus 6 feet, finishing fully inside it.

On the road

If you pass, the examiner gives you a signed Driving Skills Test Receipt, which is not a license. Our Michigan driving skills test guide covers each maneuver in more detail.

• The route includes left and right turns, stop and through intersections, expressway or rural highway with lane changes, urban and residential driving, a curve, a railroad crossing, a simulated head-on avoidance, and turning the fan or radio on and off.
• Make head checks obvious, check blind spots, and signal at least 100 feet before turning.
• Automatic failures include running a red light or stop sign, passing a stopped school bus, turning from the wrong lane, not moving over for an emergency vehicle, speeding 10 mph or more over, and the examiner having to prevent a crash.
• Speeding 4 to 9 mph over, or following too closely, fails you after one warning. Driving more than 10 mph under the limit can end the test as dangerously inexperienced.

Common mistakes

• Arriving with a broken bulb or cracked windshield and having the test cancelled.
• Repositioning several times in the backing exercises and going over six errors.
• Checking mirrors with eyes only. Examiners need to see your head move.
• Driving far too cautiously on the expressway and failing to keep the minimum speed.

Test yourself: The Michigan road test

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

Go deeper

• Michigan Driving Test
• Michigan Driver’s License Cost and How to Book SOS Tests
• Michigan Permit Documents Checklist