The Georgia DDS road test

What's on the Georgia DDS road test?

The examiner fills in a score sheet and goes over it with you at the end. You need at least 75% to pass.

• Parallel parking: park midway between two standards, less than 18 inches from the curb.
• Backing: back about 50 feet slowly and straight, looking back the whole time.
• Stopping for signs and signals: signal, approach in the right lane and stop before the crosswalk.
• Turnabout: turn the car around in a narrow space with a two-, three- or five-point turn.
• Corners, turns, passing and following: the right lane and signal, yielding to people and cars, and a safe following distance.
• Posture: both hands on the wheel, no elbow out the window.
• Clutch, if you drive a manual: smooth, correct shifting.

Traditional or virtual road test

In a traditional test, the examiner rides in the passenger seat. In a virtual road test, there's no examiner in the car. DDS watches through a dual-facing camera and a hands-free device, and a licensed adult 21 or older rides with you. You can choose either kind when you book a non-commercial test.

What to bring

The car must pass a DDS safety inspection before the test. If it's a rental, your name must be on the rental agreement. If its turn signals don't work, you'll need to know hand signals.

• Under 18: your learner's permit, proof of school enrollment, your ADAP certificate, your driver's education certificate, and a parent, guardian or responsible adult who signs that you've driven 40 hours, 6 at night.
• 18 and older: a valid Georgia learner's permit and a signed affidavit of 40 hours of supervised driving, 6 at night. You must also have passed the knowledge exam.
• A licensed driver 21 or older, who drives you there. Only you and that driver may be in the car: no other children and no pets.
• For the car: a paper copy of the registration, a current insurance card, and a tag that isn't expired. If the car was bought in the last 30 days or has a temporary tag, bring the bill of sale.

If you fail

You can retest after 1 day the first time, and after 7 days if you fail again. If the test ended because of a crash or a traffic violation, ticketed or not, the wait is 30 days. Every retest needs a new appointment.