The Randolph DMV road test is a closed-course driving exam given by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission at 160 Canfield Avenue in Randolph, NJ 07869.1NJ Motor Vehicle Commission. Facility Locations You’ll be scored on parallel parking, reversing, a K-turn, stops, yielding, and basic vehicle control on a dedicated circuit rather than on public streets. Appointments are required, and the examiner will refuse to start if your paperwork or your car falls short.
Booking Your Appointment
Schedule online through the MVC’s portal at telegov.njportal.com/njmvc, or in person at a driver testing center.2New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Basic Road Test Slots fill quickly, so book as early as your eligibility window allows.
If you’re under 21, you cannot test until you’ve held your examination permit for at least six months of supervised driving. If you’re 21 or older, that supervised period is three months.3Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 39-3-13
What to Bring on Test Day
The examiner checks your documents before anything else. Missing one item means you’ll be sent home to rebook. Bring:
- Your valid, signed examination permit.
- The same 6 Points of ID documents you used to get the permit — a combination of primary documents like a birth certificate or passport and secondary documents like a Social Security card or utility bill, totaling at least six points.4New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. 6 Points of ID
- An accompanying licensed driver who holds a valid New Jersey license, is at least 21, and has been licensed for at least three years.2New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Basic Road Test
- GDL decals if you’re under 21: red reflective decals measuring 1.5 inches by 1 inch, affixed to the upper left corner of both the front and rear license plates. A pair costs $4 at any MVC agency.5New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Reflectorized Decals
- A qualifying vehicle (see below).
Vehicle Requirements
You supply the car, and the examiner inspects it before the driving starts. The single most common reason people get turned away at Randolph is showing up in a car that doesn’t qualify.
Under N.J.A.C. 13:21-8.14, the vehicle must let the examiner reach either the foot brake or the parking brake from the passenger seat. If a center console or other obstruction blocks the foot brake, the parking brake must be mounted to the driver’s right where the examiner can access it.6Legal Information Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 13-21-8.14 – Vehicle Used for Road Test Many newer cars with push-button electronic parking brakes fail this requirement. Check before test day.
The MVC will also deny the test if the vehicle has any of these problems:2New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Basic Road Test
- Expired or missing windshield inspection sticker.7NJ Motor Vehicle Commission. Vehicle Inspections
- No registration card or valid New Jersey insurance identification card on hand.
- Safety defects such as poor brakes, a defective parking brake, unsafe tires, missing seatbelts, or an unreasonably dirty interior.
- Aftermarket window tint that obscures visibility.
- Autonomous parking capability.
- Missing GDL decals when the driver is under 21.
Backup cameras and factory-installed parking sensors are allowed. You just can’t rely on them as your only method of checking behind you.2New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Basic Road Test Rental cars are fine as long as the test-taker is named on the rental contract as an additional driver and meets the contract’s age requirement.
Practice Hours Required Before You Can Test
As of 2025, the MVC began implementing a law requiring under-21 permit holders to complete at least 50 hours of supervised practice driving, with 10 of those hours at night, before taking the road test.8New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. NJMVC to Begin Implementing Law Requiring 50 Hours of Practice This is in addition to the six-month supervised holding period.
Throughout that practice period, the supervising driver must be at least 21, hold a valid New Jersey license, and have at least three years of driving experience, and must sit in the front passenger seat. The permit holder can carry one additional passenger beyond the supervisor, unless a parent or guardian is in the car.9New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. First Driver License/ID Under-21 permit holders also cannot drive between 11:01 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., and cannot use any wireless communication device while driving, hands-free or otherwise.3Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 39-3-13
What the Examiner Tests on the Course
You drive to the designated road test area and wait in your car for a Safety Specialist. They inspect the vehicle and your documents, then take the passenger seat and give verbal instructions through a closed circuit designed to simulate common driving scenarios without actual traffic.
The MVC scores you on:2New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Basic Road Test
- Parallel parking within a marked space. This is where most people lose points or fail outright.
- Straight-line backing in reverse, typically around 100 feet.
- A three-point K-turn to reverse direction in a confined space.
- Full, complete stops at every posted stop sign on the course.
- Proper yielding at intersections and corners.
- Smooth, controlled steering.
- Correct seating position and hand placement on the wheel.
Use mirrors and signals at every transition even though there’s no real traffic. That’s exactly the habit being evaluated. Rolling through a stop sign, bumping a curb while parallel parking, or failing to check mirrors before reversing are the mistakes that add up fast.
If You Fail
The examiner hands you a results sheet listing the specific errors. You must wait at least 14 days before retaking the road test.10Legal Information Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 13-21-8.16 – Failure of Driving Test Use that time to practice the exact maneuvers you missed rather than logging more general driving hours.
If you fail multiple times without showing improvement, the unit supervisor at the testing center can recommend that the Chief Administrator prohibit you from retesting for six months. You keep your examination permit through that period so you can continue practicing.10Legal Information Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 13-21-8.16 – Failure of Driving Test Rescheduling after a failure works the same way as the initial booking.
After You Pass
When you pass, the examiner stamps your permit. Take that stamped document to the licensing window inside the Randolph facility and exchange it for a probationary driver’s license. The probationary period carries its own GDL restrictions, and violating any of them brings a $100 fine.11New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Graduated Driver License
Under 21, you must follow these rules during probation:
- No driving between 11:01 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
- Only one additional passenger beyond parents, guardians, or dependents, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- No hand-held or hands-free cell phones or interactive wireless devices while driving.
- Red reflective GDL decals must remain on both license plates.5New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Reflectorized Decals
These restrictions mirror the rules you followed as a permit holder. The difference is that you can now drive without a supervising adult in the passenger seat.