SC road test requirements, and what the test covers

What are the SC road test requirements?

SCDMV says the car must have all of these in working condition:

• Headlights and brakes
• Windshield wipers
• Safety belts
• Turn signals
• Mirrors
• Speedometer
• Defroster
• Horn

It also needs a valid license plate, registration card and insurance card. If you're using a rental car, your name must show as insured on the contract. If the car isn't safe, the test is postponed.

Bring your beginner's permit, a licensed driver, and liability insurance information from a company licensed to do business in South Carolina. If you're under 17, you also need everything on the teen list, including the PDLA form from your driver's education course.

What the examiner checks

Only you and the SCDMV examiner are allowed in or around the car. The test has three parts: a vision check, showing the car's basic safety features, and driving on the road. During it you may be asked to:

• Turn on the headlights, windshield wipers and turn signals, including the four-way flashers
• Test your brake lights
• Change lanes and make right and left turns
• Identify road signs
• Parallel park and park on a hill
• Back up 100 feet
• Back up in a straight line
• Make a three-point turnabout

The manual's list also includes forward and reverse two-point turnabouts and interstate driving. It says your examiner won't try to trick you. It also warns that SCDMV can randomly select someone to pass the skills test again before a license is issued, so drive the way you were taught.

Walking in or booking a time

Every SCDMV branch takes walk-ins for regular and motorcycle road tests from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., except Wednesdays, when walk-ins run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. From 2 to 4 p.m. you need an appointment, which you make through SCDMV's online scheduler. You can also take the test with an SCDMV-approved third-party tester instead of at a branch.

If you fail the South Carolina driving test

You can try again, but the wait grows each time. After a first fail you wait two business days. After a second, seven calendar days. After a third or any later fail, 30 calendar days. SCDMV says the first wait applies at any age.