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West Virginia · Permit test

The West Virginia driving test (road skills test)

You bring your own registered, insured and inspected car. An examiner checks it with you, has you do a few basic control exercises such as parallel parking, then rides along on a road route. Teens take the West Virginia driving test for a Level 2 intermediate license; adults on a regular instruction permit take it after at least 30 days if they’ve never been licensed. If you fail, you wait at least seven days to try again.

  • $7.50Fee for each teen road test attempt
  • 7 daysWait after a failed road test
  • 4 pointsParallel parking penalty points allowed
Where to study

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

When do you take the West Virginia driving test?

When you take it depends on your age:

  • Under 18: for your Level 2 license, at 16 or older, after 180 days on a Level 1 permit with no convictions. Bring proof of an approved driver’s education course or the 50-hour log on the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) form
  • 18 or older: after holding a regular instruction permit for at least 30 days. Bring two documents proving your West Virginia residency

You must have passed every part of the knowledge test first, and you must arrive at the test site in a lawful manner. Skills tests may be postponed in bad weather at some offices; DMV asks you to call 1-800-642-9066 to check.

West Virginia driver’s permit levels →

West Virginia road test requirements for your car

  • A valid license plate and registration card
  • Proof of valid insurance
  • A valid state inspection sticker
  • Working headlights (high and low beams), brake lights, tail lights, turn signals, hazard lights, horn, wipers, defroster, parking brake and exhaust
  • A driver side window that works
  • No illegal equipment, such as red or blue flashing lights, a cracked windshield or windows tinted below 35 percent light transmission
  • No open safety recall, unless you bring proof it’s been fixed

The examiner may let you fix a minor defect and carry on, but you can’t switch to another car on the same test date. The one exception is a car under a safety recall: DMV lets you bring a different car the same day. You also have to show where the safety equipment is and how it works, including the parking brake. Not being able to is an automatic fail.

The basic control skills test

You may be asked to do some of these exercises:

  • Parallel parking on the left side
  • Parallel parking on the right side
  • A forward two-point turnabout
  • A reverse two-point turnabout
  • A three-point turnabout

You lose points each time you skip a turn signal or a head and traffic check. On the handbook’s score sheet, parallel parking passes at 4 points or less.

You fail parallel parking by hitting a standard, relying only on the camera, or ending outside the 18-inch curb line after three tries. A hands-free parking feature must be switched off. Hitting or moving a cone, barrel or flag, or jumping a curb, fails the whole test.

What the examiner checks on the road

  • Turns: checking traffic, signaling, braking smoothly and finishing in the right lane
  • Intersections: stopping behind the line or crosswalk, where you can see the rear tires of the car ahead
  • Lane changes to the left and right, with mirror and over-the-shoulder checks
  • Curves: slowing down before you enter
  • Traffic signs: the examiner may ask what sign you just passed
  • Steering with both hands on the outside of the wheel, with no palming

Mistakes that end the test

The handbook lists these as automatic failures on the road:

  • Too many points
  • Not wearing your safety belt, or using a phone at any time
  • A moving violation, such as speeding, rolling through a stop or ignoring a sign or signal
  • Not yielding to people on foot or other road users
  • An avoidable crash, or touching another vehicle, object or person
  • An unsafe act that forces another driver to swerve or brake
  • Driving over a curb or sidewalk
  • The examiner taking control of the car
  • Not wearing glasses you’re required to wear
  • Refusing a maneuver, or showing you’re dangerously inexperienced

Scores, retests and your new license

Back at the test site, the examiner goes over your score sheet. If you didn’t pass, you’re told what to practice and when to come back:

  • You wait at least seven days, and you still need a valid permit
  • Under 18, each road test attempt costs a new fee
  • From 18, §17B-2‑6 allows up to three road test attempts within 90 days of getting your permit

Only you, the examiner and an interpreter may be in the car. If you pass, first-time applicants take a short course on driving under the influence (DUI), and the state rule says you should get your license within 30 days of passing. You leave with a temporary card, and the license comes by mail.

Sources: West Virginia DMV · West Virginia Secretary of State · West Virginia Legislature and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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