Over the past month or so we have made several announcements regarding the MVD mandate that anyone seeking a learners permit and/or license must test for both at an MVD office. This means that all driving schools in the state will no longer have the ability to administer the test for either permit or license. So, what do you need to do to be ready to pass the test?

For the written portion, or for a learners permit a student needs to pass a 30 question multiple choice test. Usually the test is computerized. Students need to carefully read the question and choose the best answer. Often more than one answer will “seem” correct and they will need to discern what is the “best” answer to that question. What really throws students off is when they answer a question incorrectly, the computer program tells them they’ve answered incorrectly. Once that happens the student may start to panic and lose concentration. The current pass rate at the MVD is less than 50%. Make sure you download and study the Driver License Manual. Take our Rules of the Road class. We do a thorough review and will give students a comprehensive test that will also be an additional study guide for them. What is most important to remember is that it is the actual understanding of the rules of the road that is critical here, not “just passing the test!” In order to develop safe driving habits and good skills, the first step is knowing the rules.

What about the skills test? That will vary from one MVD office to another and may even vary within each office depending on the evaluator. It is important that the student is familiar with their vehicle and can maneuver it in different parking situations such as a T-turn, 3 point turn or a parallel park. The test at the MVD is cursory, at best. It is not an in-depth evaluation of a student’s ability to navigate roadways, so it becomes imperative that parents recognize this and know that the real evaluation comes from you. The actual test can be found on the backside of the application. If we are working with them, we evaluate them based on our comprehensive test and provide you with our assessment and recommendation. Driving is more than basic skills, it is a combination of attitude and maturity, basic and defensive driving skills, and decision-making and judgement.

How does this MVD change affect the way DrivingMBA does business?

The answer is – it won’t. We will continue to conduct our Rules of the Road course with the objective of helping students develop an understanding of the rules of the road as well as a prep for the permit test at the MVD. We will also continue to use our road test as our Safe driver evaluation during the last on-road lesson and will provide our students and their parents an honest evaluation of the students capabilities. We have never espoused to “teaching to the test.” We teach to reduce the likelihood that our students will be involved in a collision. The national statistic is – 50% of newly licensed teens will be involved in a collision during their first year of driving. DrivingMBA’s goal has and always will be to reduce that risk and to keep ALL motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians safe!