Taking the Authorized DPS Road Test
So, it’s time to take the Authorized DPS Road Test!
Who has to take the test? What is required to take it? What if DPS has a four or five month wait to get an appointment for one? What is required to be successful on the test?
While most of the time it is teenagers taking this test, there are many adults who find themselves in need of taking the road test again for various reasons. The last few years, we at Maverick Driving Academy have tested adults of all ages because their license expired during Covid-19 and they did not get it renewed during the grace period. DPS required all of these drivers to take the road test again. Some drivers were taking it again up to 50 years after they took the test the first time as teenagers. The first rule of being successful on the Road Test is to keep your driver’s license valid so you never have to take the test again.
There have been periods of time over the last thirty years where either the test was suspended and not required or not required for those who do an in-person driver’s education program. When teenage car wreck fatalities rates began going up, the state reimplemented the test for teenagers to get their license. No matter how much driving these students have done, there is always nervous energy going into the test. Here are some tips and what can be expected depending on where the test is done at.
What should I expect at DPS?
When going to DPS to test, it is important to know which appointment to select. If a person logs on to the DPS website and selects the button for needing a driver’s license, that will not reserve a testing appointment. That simply makes an appointment to process paperwork and then schedule the test for a future date. Sometimes that future date could be weeks or months away. You want to search their website and make sure you select “Road Test” to assure that you are booking an appointment for an actual test.
Assuming that you booked the correct appointment, you will meet with a DPS clerk who will take your state required paperwork, take the traditional photograph and thumbprint, and have you fill out the correct application. Then you will be asked to bring your vehicle with your proof of insurance to a designated place where the DPS Examiner will check to make sure your vehicle is street legal. Unlike the old days, it is not a state trooper that administers the test. Only a DPS employee.
After that, the examiner gets into the vehicle with you and reads a script on how the test is graded. Once the test begins, the DPS Examiner is only allowed to give directions on where to go and what to do. They can only answer questions that are in regard to the directions. If the student commits an error that automatically fails them, most likely the test will be stopped and the student will be directed to return to the DPS office.
The test will go in this order: backing up in a straight line, parallel parking, entering the roadway and doing a total of at least three uncontrolled right turns, three uncontrolled left turns, two traffic controlled intersections, and two traffic sign intersections. The test usually takes 15 to 20 minutes.
Once the test is completed, the driver will be directed to go back into the DPS office. They will be given a paper summarizing how they did and what they need to work on. If the driver passed, they will be processed for their driver’s license. If they failed, they will be given another appointment to come back and retest. Fortunately, most DPS offices are good are scheduling the retest in a reasonable time frame.
What does it take for someone to fail a Road Test?
There are different categories that failures fall under. A driver can have no more than thirty points taken off the test. Points are taken off for things like: not looking down side streets, not stopping before the white line or pole at a stop sign or traffic control device, not looking over the shoulder on lane changes, not using turn signals 100 feet before a turn, not turning into the lanes closest to the lane they are coming from (like wide right turns), not being within 6 to 18 inches of the curb when parallel parking, and the like.
A driver automatically fails the road test if they: hit the cone on parallel parking, go over the curb on parallel parking or over any curb on the route, go over the speed limit, break any laws, or cause another driver to take evasive action to prevent a wreck with driver who is testing.
Can I take a Road Test at a Driving School?
What if DPS is months away from appointments for a road test or you do not want to travel to a DPS office three hours away to get an appointment that is sooner?
That is where driver education schools come into play. In 2013, Texas began allowing driving schools to administer the test to help with the back log the state had at that time of road test appointments. These schools have played an even bigger role since Covid as that is the time when getting any DPS appointment became hard to get if you were not willing to wait two months or longer.
The examiners of these driving schools are employees of the schools who have been certified driver education instructors for at least one year and have gone to a DPS location to be trained. These examiners have to renew their license as driver education instructors every year. The testing routes used by the school are approved by DPS. The driving schools are required to keep a copy of all forms and tests for three years. A DPS auditor does inspect the school once or twice a year to make sure the school is in compliance. Like the DPS locations, there are variants in how the examiners grade the road test.
Once a tester passes at a driving school, they are given a sealed envelope that contains the test and required paperwork. The tester is required to take the sealed envelope along with their social security card and birth certificate to a DPS office to be processed and then get their license.
As of June 2024, driving schools are allowed to upload the test and required documents into a portal for DPS approval so the tester does not have to go back to DPS to get processed, if the tester qualifies. The approval process takes 4 to 5 business days. Driving schools do charge an extra fee for this service.
What are the advantages of taking a Road Test at a driving school?
While you do have to pay more to take a road test at a driving school like Maverick Driving Academy, there are some benefits to it.
First of all, we can get you a testing appointment quickly. Unlike a two month or longer wait at DPS. And if you do choose the DPS portal for approval, there is no reason to go back to DPS.
Unlike most driving schools, we offer a free retest if it is needed. This takes the pressure off the student and parent financially. You can know that if your student fails the test, it’s because there is something they still need to work on to be a safe driver. Not because we are trying to charge you more money.
If a student did their driver’s education through Maverick Driving Academy, they are already familiar with the test route and how it is graded. This is something that is covered on their last drive time to prepare them for the road test whether they take the test with us or at DPS.
For those who want to test with us but have not done their driver’s education through us, we offer a practice road test option. Our examiner takes the driver through the course and shows them exactly what they need to do to be successful. Many times, people will schedule a practice test then the real test back-to-back.
Unlike DPS, we do retests on the same day if needed and the examiners feel the student is ready after failing the test the first time.
Overall, it is a less stressful environment. While we do not bend any of the rules that DPS holds us accountable to, we do strive to provide excellent customer service and put testers at ease.
What is required to take the Road Test?
Whether you take the test at DPS or at a driving school, there are things you need to bring.
For adults, they must have a valid permit. If they are testing at DPS, then DPS will issue that on site. A driving school cannot issue permits so that will be required to already have. If the adult is 25 or over, they do not have to show proof of taking a driver’s education course. They just have to watch a state required video, known as the Adult Impact Video, that can be found on the DPS website. If the adult is 18 to 24, they have to show proof of doing either a teenager driver’s education course or adult driver’s education course. The proof is shown through a certificate called a DE 964 that is issued once the course is completed.
For 16 and 17-year-olds, they must have held their Texas permit for at least six months. They must bring their DE 964 unless the driving school already has it. If the student did a parent taught program, the DE 964 they bring must say “Driver’s License Only” at the top of it. The teen must have watched the Teenage Impact Video.
The tester’s vehicle must be street legal. Which means, it must have proof of insurance, a front license plate, working brake light, turn signals and horn. And the passenger door must be able to open from the inside.
Hopefully these tips assist you if you or someone you know has to take a Road Test. Best of luck and see you on the road!
