Massachusetts RMV road test: what to expect
Schedule online with the RMV and arrive about 15 minutes early. The examiner sits beside you and your sponsor sits behind you. The fee is $35. If you fail or miss a test, you must wait at least 14 days, and you can take no more than six Class D road tests in 12 months. Under 18, you need 6 months on the permit with a clean record.
What the examiner checks
- Use hand signals
- Start the engine
- Start and stop
- Parallel park
- Back up about 50 feet
- Left and right turns
- Start, stop and turn on a hill
- Three-point turn between curbs
- Enter and leave intersections
- Obey signs, signals and rules of the road
- Good driving sense
Mistakes that end the test
- Driving in a way that may cause a crash or that the examiner considers dangerous
- Violating a motor vehicle law, rule or regulation
- Lack of experience operating safely
- Refusing to follow or driving contrary to the examiner's instructions
- Not knowing the hand signals
- Being at fault in a crash
Your car
- Safe, registered, inspected
- Seat for examiner beside you and sponsor behind you
- Parking brake accessible to examiner (tested at 1,200-1,300 RPM in lowest gear)
- No limited-use donut spare tire
After you pass
Drivers under 18 get a provisional or junior license first. Its restrictions:
- Junior Operator License (JOL), ages 16½ to 18
- First 6 months: no passengers under 18 other than immediate family unless accompanied by a licensed driver 21+ with at least one year of experience in the front seat
- No driving 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian (secondary enforcement 12:30-1:00 and 4:00-5:00 a.m.)
- No mobile electronic device use for any reason except to report an emergency
- Passenger/night violations: 60 days suspension (1st), 180 days (2nd), 1 year (later)
- Speeding: 90-day suspension (1st), 1 year (later); drag racing: 1 year (1st), 3 years (later)
- May not drive vehicles requiring a CDL
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.
Questions
How long do I need my permit before the Massachusetts road test?
At least 6 consecutive months (under 18) with a clean record before the road test, with 40 hours of supervised driving.
How old do I have to be to take the Massachusetts road test?
16½ for a provisional or junior license; restrictions end at 18.
What makes you fail the Massachusetts road test straight away?
Driving in a way that may cause a crash or that the examiner considers dangerous; Violating a motor vehicle law, rule or regulation; Lack of experience operating safely; Refusing to follow or driving contrary to the examiner's instructions.
Source: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (MassDOT), checked 2026-10-27.