The West Virginia road test

By the end of this topic you can

• You can list what to bring to the road test.
• You can prepare a vehicle that will pass the pre-test check.
• You can name the basic control skills you may be asked to perform.
• You can explain the pass marks and how points are given.
• You can name the most common automatic failures.

What you need to know and understand

• The road skills exam costs $7.50, and you cannot be tested twice within one week.
• Under 18, you need at least 180 conviction-free days on Level 1 and a 50-hour log or approved driver education certificate.
• Parallel parking passes with 4 points or less over up to three attempts, ending within 18 inches of the curb.
• The on-road test passes with 10 points or less; each item is marked 1, 3, 5 or 10 points.
• Hitting a cone or jumping the curb in the skills test is an automatic failure.
• First-time applicants complete a short DUI awareness course after passing.

What to bring and the vehicle check

• Your valid instruction permit and identity documents.
• Your completed 50-hour log or driver education certificate if you are under 18.
• A licensed driver to bring you; on a permit you must arrive lawfully with a supervisor.
• A vehicle with a valid plate, registration card, proof of insurance and a valid West Virginia inspection sticker.
• Working lights, brake lights, horn, turn signals, wipers, defroster, parking brake, seat belts and a driver's window that opens. You must be able to find and show each control.
• No illegal equipment, such as red or blue flashing lights, window tint letting through less than 35 percent of light or a cracked windshield. The examiner will not test a vehicle that is unsafe or not legally equipped.

Basic control skills

You may be tested on a selection of left or right parallel parking, a forward two-point turnabout, a reverse two-point turnabout and a three-point turnabout. The examiner explains each exercise first. Points are added for missing signals, missing head checks and touching or climbing the curb. Relying only on a backup camera is marked as a fail, and any hands-free parking feature must be switched off.

On the road and automatic failures

The route can include a hill, left and right turns and traffic lights or stop signs. The examiner scores turns, intersections, lane changes with head checks, curves taken at a steady speed, steering with both hands, keeping a safe gap and naming signs you have just passed. Only the highest mark in each row counts, and the examiner discusses results back at the test center.

• Not wearing your seat belt or required glasses.
• Using your phone at any time.
• Speeding, rolling stops or any moving violation.
• Failing to yield to pedestrians or other road users.
• An avoidable collision, an unsafe act or the examiner having to take control.
• Driving onto a curb or sidewalk unnecessarily, or refusing a maneuver.

Common mistakes

• Bringing a car with a blown bulb, an expired inspection sticker or a cracked windshield.
• Not knowing where the defroster or hazard lights are. Failing to show safety equipment fails the test.
• Rolling through a stop sign. A rolling stop is an automatic fail.
• Skipping the over-the-shoulder head check when changing lanes or parking.

Test yourself: The West Virginia road test

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

Go deeper

• West Virginia Road Test
• Learning to Drive in West Virginia
• West Virginia 50-Hour Driving Log