California · Permit testWhen can you take it?
Every first-time license applicant takes it, and only by appointment, booked on dmv.ca.gov or by calling 1-800-777-0133. Under 18, you must be at least 16, have held your permit for 6 months, have done 50 hours of supervised practice (10 at night) and have finished driver education and driver training. If you got your permit between 17½ and 18 without driver education, you wait until you turn 18.
What to bring
Bring:
- Your instruction permit
- A California-licensed driver who is at least 18, or at least 25 if you're under 18, unless you're already licensed
- A car that's safe to drive, with valid proof of insurance and registration
- If it's a rental, a contract with your name on it that doesn't exclude drive tests
Only the examiner rides with you during the test. Recording isn't allowed, so switch off or cover any camera that can't be turned off.
The pre-drive safety check
Before you drive, the examiner checks the car and asks you to show you can work it. If the car doesn't meet the standards, the test is rescheduled. The handbook lists these:
- The driver's window opens, and the windshield gives a clear view (cracks can postpone the test)
- At least two rearview mirrors, one on the left
- Working brake lights, horn (audible from 200 feet), parking brake and turn signals
- Tires with at least 1/32 inch of tread, and no donut spare
- At least 1 inch between the pressed brake pedal and the floor
- The arm signals for left, right and slowing or stopping
- Working seat belts, worn by everyone in the car
Self-parking, lane departure and adaptive cruise control features must stay off. You can use a backup camera or blind spot monitor, but the examiner still expects you to check your mirrors and look over your shoulder.
What makes you fail the California driving test?
One critical driving error ends it. DMV's scoring criteria list eight kinds:
- The examiner has to step in, by word or action, or you take 3 attempts to back up
- Hitting something you could have avoided, or driving over a curb or onto a sidewalk
- Rolling through a stop sign, flashing red or right on red at 4 mph or more, or running a red light
- Passing a school bus with flashing red lights, or not pulling over for an emergency vehicle
- A dangerous move, like making someone else swerve, or skipping a mirror and shoulder check on a lane change
- Driving 10 mph over the limit, or 10 mph under it when nothing justifies it
- Not using wipers, defroster or headlights when you need them
- Lane violations, like driving more than 200 feet in a bike lane or the center turn lane
Everything else is a scored error. The examiner marks you on parking lot driving, backing, intersections, left and right turns, business and residential streets, and lane changes. Traffic checks, looking for cars, people and hazards, are scored in almost every one.
If you fail
Under 18, you wait 14 days before retesting, not counting the day you failed. Each retest needs a new appointment and a retest fee, and failing three times means a new application.
Sources: California Driver's Handbook, Section 3 · California DMV and 5 more. Checked October 2026.
- California Driver's Handbook, Section 3: The testing process ↗
- California DMV: Driving Performance Evaluation scoring criteria ↗
- California DMV: Driving Performance Evaluation score sheet sample (DL 32, rev. 4/2021) ↗
- California DMV: Driving test criteria, DMV driving test ↗
- California DMV: Driver's licenses ↗
- California DMV: Fast Facts FFDL 19, Provisional licensing (rev. 7/2019) ↗
- California DMV: Learner's permits ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.