Before you book
You need a valid learner’s licence for the code you are testing for. Book the driving test at a testing centre or online on NaTIS, the same way you booked the learner’s test.
You bring the vehicle. A car must be at least 3 metres long, and it has to be roadworthy, because the examiner checks it before you start.
What to bring
As with the learner’s test, centres add their own details. Ask yours.
- Your learner’s licence
- Your ID
- Four identical ID photographs, but confirm the number with your centre
- The booking receipt, and the fee to issue the licence if you pass
- A roadworthy vehicle of the right class
The pre-trip inspection
Before you drive, you check the vehicle is roadworthy, in front of the examiner. Practise it at home in the car you will test in, so the order comes without thinking.
The yard test
The yard test checks how you handle the vehicle, away from traffic. In a light motor vehicle it covers:
- Starting the engine and moving off
- Turning in the road, the three-point turn
- Alley docking: reversing into a bay and driving out
- Parallel parking
- Stopping and moving off on an incline
The road test
Then you drive on public roads with the examiner beside you. Where the route allows, you meet traffic lights, stop and yield signs, lane changes, turns at intersections, a traffic circle, a pedestrian crossing, a railway crossing, a freeway on-ramp and off-ramp, and an emergency stop.
All of it is marked against the K53 defensive driving system: your observation, signals and speed, not only whether you got through.
- No smoking and no cellphone use at any point during the test.
- Some mistakes fail the test on the spot, so ask your instructor which ones and drill them.
The signs still count
The road test uses the same signs, signals and markings as the learner’s paper. If you are rusty, go through them again before the day.
Short answers
- What is on the K53 driving test?
- A pre-trip inspection of the vehicle, a yard test (moving off, a three-point turn, alley docking, parallel parking and an incline start in a car), and a road test on public roads, all marked against the K53 system.
- What do I take to the driving test?
- Your learner’s licence, your ID, four identical ID photographs, the booking receipt, and a roadworthy vehicle of the right class. Confirm the photographs with your centre.
- Can I use any car for the driving test?
- It must be roadworthy, of the class you are testing for, and at least 3 metres long. The examiner checks it before the test starts.
Based on the K53 learner’s manual. Your centre has the final say on the day.
