Illinois Secretary of State road test: what to expect

What the examiner checks

• Checking vehicle controls, parking brake and mirrors; making all adjustments before moving
• Backing about 50 feet slowly, straight and smoothly while looking to the rear over the right shoulder
• Turnabout using an alley on the left side of the street
• Parking uphill and downhill at the curb and starting from each position
• Obeying all signs, signals, right-of-way rules and lane markings and using turn signals properly

How it's scored

Graded on the listed driving tasks and maneuvers. Three attempts to pass each exam within one year of paying the application fee.

Mistakes that end the test

• Any traffic violation during the exam
• Any dangerous action
• Rolling stops

Your car

• Properly licensed and equipped (see the handbook's required equipment list)
• Same weight class as on the application
• Properly insured, with proof of insurance shown at the exam
• Valid front and rear Illinois plates and registration sticker (or meets the home state's registration rules)
• Driven to the facility by a driver with a valid license or permit

After you pass

Drivers under 18 get a provisional or junior license first. Its restrictions:

• Initial Licensing Phase (ages 16-17): nighttime restriction Sunday-Thursday 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Friday-Saturday 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• For the first 12 months of licensing, or until 18 if sooner: only one passenger under 20, unless the passengers are the driver's siblings, stepsiblings, children or stepchildren. After that, one front-seat passenger plus one per back-seat belt
• No wireless phone use, even hands-free, under age 19 except in emergencies
• You must keep a conviction-free record for 6 months before turning 18, or restrictions may extend past 18
• Written parent or guardian consent is required for ages 16-17, and the parent or guardian may cancel the license at any time before 18
• You must complete driver education and 50 hours of practice (10 at night), certified by your parent or guardian
• First-time applicants aged 18-20 who never completed driver education must take a 6-hour Adult Driver Education Course from an SOS-certified provider
• Drivers under 21 are limited to one court supervision for serious traffic offenses; two or more moving violations in 24 months bring at least a 30-day suspension
• A moving-violation conviction in the first year of licensing extends the one-unrelated-passenger-under-20 limit by six months. Any conviction before 18 brings a warning letter to the parent and teen

How to prepare

• Practise in the car you'll take the test in, including parking and backing up.
• Drive the kinds of roads near the test site with your supervising driver: intersections, lane changes, school zones.
• Check the car the day before: lights, signals, horn, brakes, mirrors, tires, seat belts, and current registration and insurance documents.
• On the day, signal every turn and lane change, check mirrors and blind spots visibly, and come to full stops behind the line.