Texas Road Test Requirements: Scoring, Vehicle, and Vision

Meeting the Texas road test requirements means showing up with the right paperwork for your age, a vehicle that passes an equipment inspection, vision that meets state standards, and the driving skills to complete a scored route with a Department of Public Safety examiner in the passenger seat. Everyone who wants a Texas driver license goes through this exam, and how much preparation you need depends mostly on how old you are.¹

Education Requirements by Age

Texas puts applicants into three brackets, and the bracket determines which certificate you carry into the DPS office.

Under 18

Teens complete a full driver education course, either through a commercial driving school (which issues a DE-964 certificate) or a parent-taught program (which issues a PTDE-964). Both count equally. You also need a signed practice log showing 30 hours of supervised behind-the-wheel time, at least 10 of them at night. A parent or legal guardian verifies the log.

Before taking the road test, you must hold your learner permit for at least six months. If the permit is suspended during that window, the clock adds the days of the suspension so you still complete a full six months with a valid permit.²

Ages 18 Through 24

A six-hour adult driver education course is required, and you bring the completion certificate to your appointment.³ There’s no practice log, and no minimum holding period for a learner permit.

25 and Older

No driver education course is required.³ You still take the written knowledge exam, the vision screening, and the skills test.

Impact Texas Drivers Program

Every road test applicant, at any age, must complete the Impact Texas Drivers program before the appointment. It’s a free online video course, about two hours, focused on distracted and impaired driving. The completion certificate is valid for 90 days, so time it against your test date, and print it. DPS instructs applicants to bring a printed copy, and a phone screenshot risks having the appointment canceled.⁴

What to Bring on Test Day

The paperwork side sends more applicants home than the driving does. Verify this list the night before:

Your valid Texas learner permit.
A completed DL-14A application. Applicants under 18 need a parent or legal guardian to sign it in front of a DPS employee.⁵
Proof of identity and lawful presence: one primary document (such as a U.S. passport or permanent resident card) or an accepted combination of secondary and supporting documents.⁶
Two documents proving Texas residency, such as a utility bill, bank statement, or lease.⁷
Your driver education certificate (DE-964 or PTDE-964 if under 18, adult course certificate if 18 through 24).
The signed 30-hour practice log, if you’re under 18.
Your printed Impact Texas Drivers certificate, dated within the last 90 days.
Your Social Security number, or your Social Security card as a supporting document.

Fees are $16 for applicants under 18 and $33 for those 18 and older. The under-18 license expires on your 18th birthday; the adult license runs eight years.⁸

The Vehicle You Bring

You supply the car, and the examiner inspects it in the parking lot before the test begins. A vehicle that fails inspection means an automatic reschedule. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 547 sets the baseline standards, and the examiner enforces them without much flexibility.⁹

Expect the examiner to check:

Headlamps, taillamps, and brake lights, all functioning. A burned-out bulb is a common reason applicants get sent home.
Front and rear turn signals on both sides.
An audible horn.
An interior rearview mirror and a working driver-side exterior mirror at minimum.
A windshield free of major cracks obstructing the driver’s view, with wipers that clear the glass.
Two valid license plates, front and rear, unless the vehicle qualifies for an exemption.
Current Texas registration and proof of insurance covering the specific vehicle.

Window tint is worth checking in advance. Texas requires at least 25% light transmittance on the windshield above the AS-1 line and on the side windows next to the driver. Windows behind the driver are exempt.¹⁰ Aftermarket tint on the front side windows that runs too dark can disqualify the car on its own.

If you’re borrowing a vehicle, confirm the owner’s insurance covers you and bring the documentation. Rental cars are risky because some DPS locations won’t accept them; call ahead if that’s your plan.

Vision Screening

DPS administers a vision test at the office before you drive. The standards from 37 Texas Administrative Code §15.51 work as tiers:¹¹

20/40 or better in each eye without correction: no restriction.
Worse than 20/40 but correctable to 20/50 or better: corrective-lens restriction, meaning you must wear glasses or contacts to drive.
20/60 or 20/70 in the best eye, with or without correction: restricted to daytime driving only, with a 45 mph speed cap.
Worse than 20/70 in the best eye with no further improvement possible: fail, and you can’t proceed to the road test.

If you wear glasses or contacts, bring them. Taking the screening with correction gets you a restriction on your license, not a failure.

What the Examiner Scores

The road test uses a standardized score sheet and typically runs around 20 minutes. The examiner marks deductions as you go and reviews the sheet with you at the end.¹²

Parallel Parking

You pull into a marked space without striking the markers. The examiner grades your distance from the curb and whether you signal on entry. Control matters more than speed.

Backing in a Straight Line

You reverse in a straight line while looking over your right shoulder. The examiner is checking that you can control the car without drifting and without relying entirely on a backup camera.

Intersections

At stop signs, come to a complete stop behind the white limit line and visibly scan for pedestrians and cross-traffic before proceeding. Rolling stops and stopping past the line cost points. The examiner watches your head and eyes, not just where the car ends up.

Turns and Lane Changes

Signal at least 100 feet before turning or changing lanes.¹² The examiner scores your lane position through the turn, your mirror and blind-spot checks, and how smoothly you complete the maneuver. Wide turns that swing into another lane and tight turns that clip the curb both draw deductions.

General Driving

Throughout the route, the examiner grades speed control, following distance, lane positioning, and overall attentiveness. Sudden braking, jerky steering, and drifting all generate deductions. Predictable driving is what passes.

Automatic Failures

Some mistakes end the test on the spot. Any dangerous or illegal maneuver ends the drive as an automatic failure, including situations where the examiner has to intervene verbally or physically to prevent a collision or violation.¹² Running a red light, causing an accident, or forcing another driver to take evasive action all qualify.

Point deductions give you a cushion; automatic failures don’t. You can accumulate several minor deductions and still pass, but one dangerous action makes the rest of the drive irrelevant.

Passengers and the Route

No additional passengers are allowed in the vehicle during the test. No pets, no friends, no parents.¹³ The examiner directs you through a predetermined route on public roads. If you pass, DPS issues a temporary paper license valid for 60 days while your permanent card is printed and mailed.¹⁴

Testing at a Third-Party School Instead of DPS

You don’t have to take the drive test at a DPS office. Certified driver education schools can administer the skills test for Class C (standard passenger vehicle) applicants under the Third Party Skills Testing program.¹⁵ The authority comes from Texas Transportation Code §521.165.¹⁶

The practical advantage is scheduling. DPS road test appointments often run multi-week waits, while third-party schools may have earlier openings. The tradeoff is price: third-party fees aren’t regulated by DPS and are typically higher than the DPS fee. Applicants under 18 cannot have the driving test waived through a third-party provider; they still complete and pass the full skills exam.¹⁶

If You Fail

Texas allows three attempts on the driving skills test within a 90-day window. Miss all three and the application expires, meaning you restart the process and pay the fees again. There’s no separate DPS retake fee beyond the original license fee, but a third-party provider charges its testing fee each time.

Waiting periods between attempts depend on where you test. DPS offices generally require a couple of weeks between tries because of scheduling, while third-party schools may turn you around faster. If you failed on a specific maneuver, focus practice there. If you failed for an automatic disqualification, the issue is judgment under pressure rather than a discrete skill. You can practice on your learner permit with a licensed adult in the passenger seat as much as you want before the next attempt.

1
Texas Department of Public Safety. Apply for a Texas Driver License
2
Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas Learners License as a Teen
3
Texas Department of Public Safety. Choosing a Driver Education Course
4
Texas Department of Public Safety. Impact Texas Drivers (ITD) Program
5
Texas Department of Public Safety. DL-14A Texas Driver License or Identification Card Application
6
Texas Department of Public Safety. Acceptable Identification Documents
7
Texas Department of Public Safety. What to Bring With You When Applying for a Texas Driver License or Identification Card
8
Texas Department of Public Safety. Driver License Fees
9
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 547.004 – General Offenses
10
Texas Department of Public Safety. Window Tinting Standards
11
Legal Information Institute. 37 Texas Admin Code 15.51 – Vision Tests
12
Texas Department of Public Safety. How to Prepare for a Drive Test
13
Texas Department of Public Safety. Schedule Your Driving Test Appointment
14
Texas Department of Public Safety. Section 3 – Issuing a Temporary Permit
15
Texas Department of Public Safety. Third Party Skills Testing Program
16
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 521.165 – Testing by Other Entities