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In the VicRoads drive test, two kinds of serious mistake end your test: immediate termination errors, which stop the test on the spot, and critical errors, which are serious faults that are unsafe but not an immediate danger. This checklist lists the examples Transport Victoria gives for each, so you know exactly what to avoid on test day in Victoria.
Immediate termination errors: the test ends straight away
Your test ends and you are unsuccessful if you do something that puts you or other road users at risk. Transport Victoria’s examples:
- Colliding with another vehicle, or failing to give way so that someone else has to act to avoid a collision.
- Mounting the kerb while driving.
- Speeding: 5 km/h or more over the limit.
- Speeding: any amount over the limit for 5 seconds or longer.
- Speeding: any amount over the limit in a school zone.
- Stopping in a dangerous position.
- Running a stop sign or a red light.
- Disobeying a direction from the testing officer or the police, or needing any spoken or physical help from your instructor or the testing officer.
- Anything else that creates an unsafe situation.
Critical errors: serious faults that can fail you
Critical errors could be unsafe but do not put anyone in immediate danger. Examples include:
- Stalling the car.
- Rolling through a stop sign without coming to a complete stop.
- Driving too slowly for the conditions.
- Failing to look or signal, where no one else has to take evasive action.
- Blocking a pedestrian crossing when no pedestrians are affected.
- Letting one wheel mount the kerb when parking or leaving a parking space.
How many critical errors you can make before the test is stopped is not set out on the current Transport Victoria page. Treat every critical error as a possible fail and check the current criteria with VicRoads if you need the exact rule.
Speed: the error that ends the most tests
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| 5 km/h or more over the limit, even briefly | Test ends |
| 1 to 4 km/h over for 5 seconds or more | Test ends |
| Any amount over in a school zone | Test ends |
| Too slow for the conditions | Critical error |
Watch for speed limit changes, especially when a limit drops and when school zone times are in force. Your test car must have a speed display the testing officer can see, so they are watching it too.
Devices that must be turned off
Transport Victoria says your mobile phone, pager, radio and any audio or video recording device must be off. In the car, turn off speed warning devices, cruise control, navigators and any audio or video recording equipment. An alcohol interlock fitted to the car is the exception. As a learner you already must not touch or use voice controls on a phone or other device while driving: see Victoria phone and device rules for L and P platers.
Test day checklist
- Check the car meets the rules, including a centrally mounted handbrake for a solo test: which cars you can use.
- Know every speed limit on the roads near the test centre.
- Come to a full stop at every stop sign, with the wheels stopped, before the line.
- Head check and signal before every lane change, merge and pull out.
- Leave plenty of room when parking so your wheels stay off the kerb.
- If you stall, stay calm: secure the car, restart and check around you before moving off.
- Follow every instruction from the testing officer, and ask if you did not hear one.
Common questions
Is stalling an automatic fail in the VicRoads drive test?
Stalling is listed as a critical error, not an immediate termination error. It is still serious, so practise smooth starts, especially on hills in a manual.
Can you go 1 km/h over in the drive test?
Going any amount over the limit for 5 seconds or longer ends the test, and so does any amount over in a school zone.
Is mounting the kerb an instant fail?
Mounting the kerb while driving ends the test. Letting one wheel mount the kerb while parking or leaving a park is a critical error.
What if the testing officer has to say something to keep me safe?
If anything you do creates an unsafe situation, the test can end. Drive so the officer never has to step in.
What happens to my test if I make an immediate termination error in stage one?
The test ends there and you are unsuccessful. See how the stages work in the VicRoads drive test.
Back to the full guide: learning to drive in Victoria.
Sources
- Transport Victoria, “Drive test for a Victorian driver’s licence”, sections Serious errors during the drive test and Devices that must be turned off, read 6 November 2026 (transport.vic.gov.au, Probationary licence)
- Department of Transport and Planning, “Road to Solo Driving” handbook (edge.sitecorecloud.io, transport.vic.gov.au)