The Arkansas driving test

What to bring to the Arkansas driving test

ASP's 1-2-3 Skills Checklist, revised October 6, 2026, lists three things:

• Your original instruction permit, not a photocopy and not laminated
• A licensed driver aged 21 or older with a valid hard-copy license, who rides in the front passenger seat
• Current proof of insurance, on paper or electronic, and current vehicle registration

Bring your glasses or contacts if you wear them. The checklist also says no cameras or recording devices are allowed.

When ASP won't test your car

Examiners inspect the car before you drive. The study guide says a skills test won't be given if:

• The interior is excessively dirty
• Any of the lights don't work
• The windshield has a crack that blocks your view
• The muffler and exhaust system aren't working properly
• The horn doesn't work
• The speedometer doesn't work
• The tires are worn badly enough to be unsafe, or a donut spare is on the car
• The windows are excessively tinted
• The examiner finds a serious mechanical defect, such as bad brakes
• The car isn't properly licensed, with the plate properly displayed
• You aren't familiar with the car's controls

The skills checklist adds exact tint limits: nothing darker than 25% on the front windows or 10% on the back, no tint on the front windshield, and no brow measuring more than 5 inches from the center of the windshield. If you're not sure about a windshield crack, you can have it checked ahead of time at your local troop headquarters.

How is the Arkansas driving test graded?

The test has two parts. In the vehicle controls part, the examiner asks you to find each control, and you may miss three before you fail. The controls on the study guide's list are:

• Rear turn signals
• Brake lights
• Horn
• Side and rearview mirrors, which you adjust
• Emergency flashers
• Headlights, on and off
• Front turn signals
• Windshield wipers

The examiner also checks your tire tread, and won't test if the tires have no tread or show wires.

On the road, you're graded on how well you follow the rules of the road. Two misses in the same category fail the test. The guide's example: you're warned for a first rolling stop, and a second one gets you a two-week penalty before you can retest. An automatic failure carries a 30-day penalty, and breaking any law can mean a failing grade.

Weather and your permit's deadline

Skills tests run only in weather that's safe for testing, and the Troop Commander decides when to cancel. The permit can't be extended for any reason, bad weather included, and it can't be renewed. Leave yourself enough time to pass the driving test and buy your license at a Revenue Office within the two years.