The Maryland MVA driving test is a two-part behind-the-wheel exam: a closed-course portion at the MVA facility, followed by a drive on public roads with an examiner in the passenger seat. You have to pass both to get a provisional or full license.1MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Teens & New Drivers Preparing well means more than practicing your driving. It means arriving with the right permit, the right paperwork, and a vehicle that will pass the examiner’s inspection before you ever pull out of the parking lot.
Before You Can Take the Test
Permit Holding Period
You must hold a valid Maryland learner’s permit for a minimum period before you’re eligible to test. The minimum age for a learner’s permit is 15 years and 9 months, and no one can receive a provisional license before age 16 and a half.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Transportation 16-103 – Persons Not to Be Licensed — Minimum Age Requirements Applicants under 18 have the longest wait; older applicants wait less. Completing a certified driver education program can shorten the required holding period.3MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Learner’s Permit
The permit has to stay free of moving violations throughout that window. A conviction during the holding period resets your timeline, which is one of the most common delays people don’t plan for.
Driver Education
Every first-time driver has to complete a state-certified driver education program before testing. Under state regulations, the program includes at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a certified instructor.4Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 11.23.02.34 – Behind-the-Wheel Instruction Requirements Classroom time covers traffic laws, hazard recognition, and the effects of alcohol and drugs on driving ability. The behind-the-wheel portion happens in a real vehicle on real roads.
Driving schools typically submit the completion record (Form DE-003) to the MVA’s database electronically. Confirm with your school that the record has been transmitted before your test date, because if the MVA doesn’t have it on file, the appointment cannot proceed.
Supervised Practice Hours
You also need to log supervised practice hours with an experienced driver who is at least 21 years old and has held a license for at least three years.5Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. New Driver & Coach Practice Guide Applicants ages 15 through 24 need 60 hours, with at least 10 at night. Applicants 25 and older need 14 hours, with at least 3 at night. You record all practice time in a driving skills log, and your supervising driver signs a certification page confirming you completed the hours. Bring both the log and the signed certification page to the MVA on test day.
Vision Screening
Every applicant has to pass a vision screening before the MVA will issue any license. An unrestricted license requires visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye and a continuous field of vision of at least 140 degrees.6MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Vision Tests & Requirements If your acuity falls between 20/40 and 20/70, or your field of vision is between 110 and 140 degrees, the MVA can issue a restricted license, which may require corrective lenses or limit when you can drive. Acuity between 20/70 and 20/100 goes through the Modified Vision Program for special review.
What to Bring on Test Day
Pack the night before. You’ll need:
- Your valid Maryland learner’s permit.
- Your completed practice driving skills log with the signed certification page.
- Confirmation that your driver education completion record is on file with the MVA.
If you’re applying for a REAL ID-compliant license, you also need one document proving age and identity, one proving your Social Security number, and two documents showing your Maryland residential address. Acceptable residency proofs include a utility bill, a bank statement, a vehicle registration card, a lease agreement, or government-issued mail, among other options.
Your Vehicle Has to Pass Inspection First
You provide the vehicle, and the examiner inspects it before the test begins. The vehicle must have functioning headlights, brake lights, turn signals, seatbelts, windshield wipers, a heater and defroster, and windows that fully roll up.7MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Prepare for a Driver’s License Test The windshield cannot have cracks that block the driver’s view, and tires must have at least 2/32 of an inch of tread depth.8Cornell Law Institute. Maryland Code of Regulations 11.14.09.06 – Wheels and Tires You also need a valid insurance identification card or proof of coverage, plus current registration plates.
If the vehicle fails the pre-test inspection, the examiner cancels the appointment on the spot. This is where people lose time they didn’t need to lose. Check every light, every belt, and every document the night before. Borrowing a friend’s car with a cracked windshield or an expired registration tag means you’re going home and rescheduling.
What the Skills Test Covers
The Closed-Course Portion
The test starts on a closed course at the MVA facility, away from traffic. You’ll perform low-speed control exercises, and the maneuver every applicant must complete is the reverse two-point turnabout. During the backing exercise, the examiner evaluates your use of mirrors and signals, your steering control, and your ability to maintain a slow, steady speed.9MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Behind-the-Wheel Tests You may also be asked to complete additional maneuvers like turning exercises. You have to pass the closed-course portion before you can move on to the road test.
The Road Portion
After clearing the closed course, you drive onto public roads with the examiner. The examiner watches how you handle real traffic conditions, evaluating your ability to obey traffic signs and signals, brake and steer smoothly, maintain proper lane position, make safe turns and lane changes, control your speed around curves, and demonstrate awareness of traffic at intersections.9MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Behind-the-Wheel Tests The examiner also checks whether you perform proper head checks before changing lanes or merging.
Two things end the test early. If you accumulate too many basic driving errors, the examiner stops the test, asks you to pull over safely, and then drives the vehicle back to the MVA facility. A single dangerous action, like running a red light or failing to yield to a pedestrian, also ends the test immediately.
Scheduling, Fees, and Retakes
The MVA recommends scheduling your skills test through its online appointment system, where you pick a branch, date, and time.10MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Appointments & Online Services When you arrive, you’ll check in, a staff member verifies your permit and documents, and then you’re sent to the testing area. The process runs from document check to vehicle inspection to closed course to road test in a fixed sequence.
Fees depend on your permit type. The Learner’s Permit Type I (GLS), for first-time drivers with no previous license, costs $65 and includes the eventual conversion to a full license. The Type II permit, for currently or previously licensed drivers, costs $45. For the license itself, drivers under 21 pay $11 per year, and those 21 and older pay $88 total (about $11 per year prorated). These fees took effect September 1, 2025.11MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. License & ID Fees
If you don’t pass, you have to wait at least one business day before retesting.9MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Behind-the-Wheel Tests Use the time. The examiner’s feedback after a failed attempt is specific enough to guide your next practice sessions, so don’t walk out without listening to it.
What Passing Gets You
Passing the skills test gets you a provisional license, not a full one. If you’re under 18, two restrictions apply for the first 151 days. You cannot drive with passengers under 18 unless they are immediate family members or a qualified supervising driver (at least 21 with three years of experience) is in the car. And you cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless a supervising driver is with you, or you’re traveling to or from work, a school activity, a volunteer program, or an athletic event.12MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Provisional Driver’s License
Regardless of age, every provisional license holder has to keep a clean driving record for 18 consecutive months before the MVA upgrades the license to full. A moving-violation conviction or probation before judgment during that window resets the 18-month clock from the date of conviction or the date your license is restored after a suspension.12MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Provisional Driver’s License A single speeding ticket can add a year or more to your time on a provisional license.
When You Don’t Need to Take the Test
If you’re moving to Maryland with a valid driver’s license from another U.S. state, you generally don’t take the knowledge or skills test. You have 60 days after establishing residency to transfer. Bring proof of age and identity, two proofs of Maryland residency, vision screening results, and your current out-of-state license (or a certified driving record from the issuing state, no more than 30 days old, if you can’t produce the physical card). You surrender your out-of-state license at the appointment.13MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. Get a Maryland Driver’s License or ID Card
If your out-of-state license has been expired for more than 12 months or is currently suspended, you cannot exchange it. You start from scratch and take the knowledge test, vision screening, and skills test. If you’ve been licensed for fewer than 18 months total, Maryland issues you a provisional license rather than a full one.
For international movers, the MVA waives the knowledge and skills tests for valid licenses from Canada, France, and the Yukon Territory. Licenses from South Korea, Germany, Taiwan, and Japan also receive some reciprocal treatment when still valid. Drivers from all other countries take the full battery of tests.14MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration. International Movers