Illinois Driving Test 2026: What’s Graded and Your Car

Who takes the Illinois driving test?

All new drivers, and drivers 87 or older, or turning 87, when they renew.

If you finish a high school course in the Cooperative Driver Testing Program, you may not need the SOS driving exam, as the driver’s ed page explains. Even then, students whose birthdays fall on certain spot-check dates must pass a driving exam at an SOS facility.

See the course exemption →

The car you bring

The car for the test must:

Be properly licensed and have the equipment the handbook requires
Be in the same weight class as the license on your application
Be properly insured, with proof of insurance at the exam
Display valid front and rear Illinois plates and a valid registration sticker, or meet its own state’s registration rules
Be driven to the facility by someone with a valid license or permit

During the test

Only the examiner can be in the car with you. Children and pets can’t ride along or be left alone at the facility, so bring someone to look after them. You and the examiner both wear safety belts, and any traffic violation or dangerous action is an automatic fail.

What the examiner grades

The tasks include:

Checking the controls, including the parking brake and mirrors, with the seat, belt and mirrors set before you move
Backing about 50 feet, slowly, straight and smoothly, turning your head to the right to watch behind
A turnabout using an alley on the left: signal left, turn in, back out and stay on your side of the street
Parking uphill and downhill at the side of the road, and starting from each
Obeying signs, signals, the right of way and lane markings, and using your turn signals

The retake rule is the same as for the written exam, which the overview explains.

See the retake rule →

How to park on a hill for the test

The handbook’s rules for the parking tasks:

Facing downhill with a curb: turn the front wheels toward the curb
Facing uphill with a curb: turn the front wheels away from the curb
With no curb, uphill or downhill: turn the wheels toward the side of the road you’re parked on

Put the car in park and set the parking brake if needed. To start again, release the brake, signal, check for traffic and pull out when it’s safe.

Booking the test

The Rules of the Road doesn’t explain how to book the driving exam for a car, or whether it needs an appointment. Ask at your SOS facility when you get your permit.

Sources: Illinois Secretary of State. Checked November 2026.