Vermont DMV road test: what to expect

What the examiner checks

• Stopping and starting on a hill (parking brake, neutral, signal)
• Turning around by backing into a side street on the right
• Parallel parking (may be with only a front vehicle)
• Following the rules of the road and examiner directions

Your car

• Registered and inspected (any state)
• Rental only with a letter from the rental company accepting responsibility
• No dealer plates (unless immediate family), agriculture, antique or exhibit plates
• Safety belts required

After you pass

Drivers under 18 (and no recalls, suspensions or revocations in the previous 6 months) get a provisional or junior license first. Its restrictions:

• First 3 months: drive alone unless a licensed unimpaired parent/guardian, driver ed instructor or person 25+ is in the front seat
• Months 4-6: may also carry immediate family (siblings and parents only)
• No more passengers than safety belts
• No driving for employment for 1 year (or until 18); no passengers for hire
• Recalls: passengers for hire or driving for employment 90 days; diversion board 30 days; points 90 days; texting 30 days plus at least $100 and 2 points

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.