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Indiana · Permit test

The Indiana driving test

The BMV calls it the driving skills exam: a drive with a BMV examiner in your own car, scored on a standard form. It's free at a branch. You can take the Indiana driving test after 180 days on your permit, and some mistakes, like disobeying a stop sign or speeding, fail you on the spot.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

When can you take the Indiana driving test?

  • Age 16 if you finished driver education, or 16 years and 270 days if you didn't.
  • A learner's permit held for at least 180 days.
  • At least 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 of them at night, on the Log of Supervised Driving Practice. A parent or guardian signs it if you're under 18.
  • The knowledge exam already passed.
How to schedule a driving test in Indiana →Indiana learner's permit rules →

What the examiner checks

The examiner asks a few required questions first, then watches without coaching you. You're judged on:

  • Staying in the proper lane, looking and signaling before lane changes.
  • Keeping enough distance from the vehicle ahead, and holding your speed when someone passes you.
  • Speed for the posted limit and the traffic.
  • Defensive driving, following instructions and the flow of traffic.
  • Approaching intersections at the right speed and stopping fully when required.
  • Reversing and backing out of a parking space.

Mistakes that lower your score

  • Failing to signal, or leaving the signal on after a lane change.
  • Overrunning a crosswalk, stop line or stop sign.
  • Skipping the blind spot check.
  • Following too close to the vehicle ahead or a parked one.

What fails the Indiana driving test automatically

  • Disobeying a yield, stop, school zone or no-turn-on-red sign, or a traffic signal.
  • Backing over a curb or hitting a parked vehicle.
  • Not wearing a seat belt or not following instructions.
  • Speeding, or driving too fast for the conditions.
  • Passing in a no-passing zone, crossing a solid yellow line, driving left of center or straddling lanes.
  • Driving too close to pedestrians or bikes, or not stopping for emergency vehicles or school buses.
  • Failing to yield, breaking railroad crossing laws, or causing a crash.

Your car, and what happens if you fail

You bring the car. It must be registered, insured and in safe, clean condition, and you show the current registration. The examiner can turn it away for things like unsafe tires, a missing bumper, broken glass or mirrors, or a door that doesn't work. Interior cameras must be off, backup cameras excepted. Only you and the examiner ride along, and you can't use hand signals on the test.

If you fail, you wait 7 days to try again. After a third failed test on the same permit, you wait two months from the last one. A pass is good for two years or until your permit expires, whichever comes first.

Sources: Indiana Driver's Manual, Chapter 1 · Indiana BMV · Indiana Driver's Manual, Chapter 7 and 1 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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