Texas Driving Test Requirements: Age, Documents, and Vehicle

To take the Texas driving test, you must meet the state’s education requirement for your age, hold a valid Impact Texas Drivers certificate, bring the right identity and residency documents, and show up in an insured, road-legal vehicle that passes a pre-test safety check. The standard application fee for a new license at ages 18 through 84 is $33, and the license is valid for eight years.¹ Everything else below is detail on those four requirements and what happens on test day.

Driver Education by Age

What you need to study before you can schedule the skills test depends on how old you are when you apply.

Ages 18 to 24

You must complete an approved six-hour adult driver education course before you are eligible to test.² It covers traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving fundamentals, and can be taken online or in a classroom as long as the provider is approved by DPS or the Texas Education Agency.

Age 25 and Older

The six-hour course is recommended but not required. You still have to complete the Impact Texas Adult Drivers video and pass both the written knowledge exam and the road test.³ Many first-time applicants in this group take the course anyway because it maps directly to what the written test asks.

Under 18

Teen applicants go through a longer graduated process. Before testing, a minor must complete a full driver education program with both classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training with a licensed instructor. Teens 15 to 17 watch the two-hour Impact Texas Teen Drivers video rather than the shorter adult version.³ After passing, drivers under 18 receive a provisional license with restrictions on nighttime driving and on the number of passengers under 21 in the vehicle.

The Impact Texas Drivers Certificate

No matter your age, you cannot take the skills test without a valid Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) completion certificate. The program is a free online video about distracted and impaired driving. Teens watch a two-hour version; adults watch a one-hour version.³

The certificate is valid for 90 days from the date you finish the video.³ If it expires before your appointment, you have to retake the video and generate a new one. DPS will not let you proceed without it. This is one of the most common reasons people get turned away on test day, so check the date before you leave the house.

Documents and Fee

Missing a single required item can get your appointment cancelled, so treat the list as a checklist.

Application form DL-14A, the standard Texas driver license application for adults 17 years 10 months and older. You can download it or pick one up at a license office.⁴
Proof of identity and lawful presence, such as a U.S. passport, birth certificate, or permanent resident card. Name and date of birth must match across all documents.
Your Social Security number, shown on your Social Security card or a document like a W-2 or SSA-1099.
Two proofs of Texas residency, such as utility bills, bank statements, or a lease.
Proof of insurance for the specific vehicle you will drive on the test. Texas law requires financial responsibility for every vehicle on public roads.⁵
Your ITD completion certificate, within its 90-day window.
Your driver education certificate, if your age group requires one.

Bring originals rather than photocopies whenever you can. The application fee at ages 18 to 84 is $33.¹

Vehicle Requirements

You bring your own vehicle, and it has to pass a safety check before the examiner will ride with you. A surprising number of applicants get sent home at this step. The DPS preparation guide lists what the examiner inspects:⁶

A functional horn.
Working turn signals, front and rear.
Brake lights that all illuminate when the pedal is pressed.
Seat belts for the driver and front passenger seats.
A windshield with no cracks blocking the driver’s view, and working wipers if conditions call for them.
Two license plates, one front and one rear, as Texas law requires.⁷
Current vehicle registration.
Valid proof of insurance for that specific vehicle.⁸

An illuminated warning light for the brakes or airbags, loose items near the pedals, or any condition that makes the examiner feel unsafe riding along will end the test before it starts. If you are borrowing a car, check everything the night before. Do not assume the owner’s vehicle is in compliance just because they drive it every day.

What the Road Test Covers

Once the vehicle passes the safety check, the examiner gets in the passenger seat and directs you through a route on public roads. You will not know the route ahead of time, but the maneuvers are predictable:

Parallel parking into a marked space. Required, not optional.
Backing in a straight line, with mirror checks and a shoulder look.
Turns and intersections, with proper signaling, yielding, and lane positioning at both controlled and uncontrolled intersections.
Lane changes, with signaling, a shoulder check for the blind spot, and smooth merging.
Speed control appropriate to residential zones and higher-speed roads, without riding the brakes or driving too slowly.
Complete stops at stop signs and red lights, with the vehicle fully behind the line.

Actual driving time usually runs 15 to 20 minutes, though check-in and processing can stretch the appointment past an hour.

Scoring and Automatic Failures

The examiner scores you on a standardized sheet throughout the drive. You need at least a 70 to pass. Minor mistakes like a slightly wide turn cost fewer points than serious errors like failing to yield. Some actions end the test immediately regardless of your running score:

Running a red light or stop sign.
Exceeding the posted speed limit.
Any situation where the examiner has to intervene for safety, such as grabbing the wheel or calling out a stop.
Causing or nearly causing a collision.
Driving without a fastened seat belt.

Most non-automatic failures come from weak observation habits: not checking mirrors often enough, skipping the blind-spot check on lane changes, and rolling through stop signs instead of coming to a complete stop. Those small deductions add up faster than people expect, so practice them during supervised driving along with the obvious maneuvers.

Scheduling and Where You Can Test

DPS runs an online scheduling system where you pick a date, time, and office location. Appointments at busy offices often book two to three weeks out. You can also test with an authorized third-party provider, which often has shorter wait times. Content and scoring are the same, but third-party providers set their own fees, which DPS does not regulate.⁹ If you pass with a third-party tester, you still need to visit a DPS office afterward to finish the application, pay the $33 license fee, and have your photo taken.

On test day, arrive early enough to check in. Staff verify your ITD certificate, education documents, identification, and vehicle paperwork at that point. If anything is missing or expired, the appointment is cancelled on the spot.

If You Fail

Failing is not the end of the process. You can reschedule and try again through the same online system or through a third-party provider. DPS does not charge a separate retest fee at its own offices.⁹ Confirm your ITD certificate will still be within its 90-day window at your next attempt; if not, retake the video first.

The examiner hands you a score sheet showing where you lost points. Use it as your study guide. If observation was the problem, exaggerate mirror checks and shoulder looks in practice until they are automatic. If parallel parking tripped you up, drill it in an empty lot until the geometry clicks.

After You Pass

The examiner gives you a results sheet. You take it to the DPS processing counter, or visit a DPS office if you tested with a third party, where staff finalize the application, collect the fee, and take your photo. You walk out with a temporary paper license that is legally valid for driving right away.¹⁰

Your permanent plastic card typically arrives by mail within two to three weeks.¹¹ If it has not arrived after three weeks, check the status on the DPS website. Keep the temporary license in your vehicle until the permanent card shows up.

1
Department of Public Safety. Driver License Fees
2
Department of Public Safety. Choosing a Driver Education Course
3
Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) Program
4
Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas Driver License or Identification Card Application
5
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 601.051 – Requirement of Financial Responsibility
6
Texas Department of Public Safety. How to Prepare for a Drive Test
7
Texas Public Law. Texas Transportation Code 504.943 – Operation of Vehicle Without License Plate
8
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 601.053 – Evidence of Financial Responsibility
9
Department of Public Safety. Third Party Skills Testing Program
10
Department of Public Safety. Apply for a Texas Driver License
11
Department of Public Safety. Where’s My Driver License or ID Card