Missouri DOR road test: what to expect

What the examiner checks

• Finding and using vehicle controls
• Starting and stopping
• Parallel parking in a space 25 feet long and 7 feet wide, within 2 minutes, no more than 18 inches from the curb
• Backing while looking over the right shoulder
• At least two right and two left turns
• Parking on a hill (wheels turned, parking brake set)
• Entering and leaving intersections; obeying signs and signals
• Following distance, speed, lane use, right-of-way

How it's scored

The examiner subtracts points for errors. Losing more than 30 points fails the test (you need 70% or better). Missing the parallel park alone is not an automatic fail; it counts for only a few points.

Mistakes that end the test

• At-fault crash with another vehicle
• Hitting a pedestrian
• Driving so dangerously a crash might have resulted
• Violating a traffic law
• Refusing to drive as the examiner asks

Your car

• Current plates and valid inspection sticker
• Working seat belts, doors, horn, parking and foot brakes
• Proof of insurance

After you pass

Drivers under 18 (full under-21 license) get a provisional or junior license first. Its restrictions:

• First 6 months: no more than one passenger under 19 who is not immediate family
• After 6 months: no more than three passengers under 19 who are not immediate family
• No driving alone 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. except to/from a school activity, job or emergency, unless accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older
• Driver and all passengers must wear seat belts
• To get the intermediate license: no alcohol-related convictions in the last 12 months and no traffic convictions in the last 6 months; 40 hours of instruction certified by parent/guardian; pass the driving test
• To get the full under-21 license: no alcohol-related offenses or traffic convictions in the last 12 months; pass vision and road sign tests
• Passenger limits may not apply to an intermediate driver doing agricultural work-related activities

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.