Driving LicenceThe driving test: what the officer checks and how to prepare
The test is not about speed or tricks. Rule 15 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules lists what you must show, and almost all of it is calm, safe, ordinary driving.
Before you can book it
You must have held the learner's licence for at least 30 days. The test is taken in a vehicle of the class you applied for, and it is conducted by the licensing authority or a person the state has authorised. Your instructor cannot sit with you. The Delhi Transport Department says an inspector tests you and you bring your own vehicle of the same category.
What rule 15 asks you to show
The rule has a long list. Put into groups, it comes to this:
Getting ready and moving off
- Adjust the rear-view mirror before anything else.
- Take the usual precautions before starting the engine.
- Move away safely and smoothly, and work up through the gears.
Gears, slopes and control
- Change down quickly when traffic needs it, and when going downhill.
- Stop and restart on a steep upward slope without rolling back, using the hand brake or the foot brake and throttle.
- Steer with confidence, and use the accelerator, clutch, gears, brakes, steering and horn properly.
Mirrors and signals
- Look in the mirror before signalling, before moving away, before changing course to overtake, before turning right and before stopping.
- Give signals in good time and clearly, by hand or with the indicators.
- Change lanes with a signal and with care.
Position on the road
- Keep well to the left in normal driving.
- Take the correct side when going straight, turning left, turning right and at junctions.
- At crossroads: adjust speed on the approach, check the mirror, place the vehicle correctly before and after the turn, do not cut right hand corners, and look right, left and right again before crossing.
Other road users
- Overtake, be overtaken and meet oncoming vehicles safely.
- Give way to people on a pedestrian crossing that has no signal or policeman.
- Expect what pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers may do next.
- Obey traffic signs, lights and the police, and respond to signals from other road users.
- Show courtesy and care for the safety of others.
Stopping, reversing and turning round
- Stop the vehicle in an emergency, and in normal stops come to rest at a proper place with a signal.
- Reverse into a limited opening, to the left or the right, under control and with reasonable accuracy.
- Turn the vehicle to face the opposite way using forward and reverse gears.
Two last items sum up the rest: match your speed to the road and traffic, and keep your mind on the driving without being distracted.
How to prepare
- Practise the set pieces. Reversing into a gap, a turn in the road, and a hill start are named in the rule, so they are the parts most likely to be set as exercises. Many test tracks build them in.
- Build the mirror habit. Mirror first, then signal, then move. The rule mentions the mirror more often than any other single thing.
- Drive the test vehicle beforehand. A borrowed car with an unfamiliar clutch is the commonest reason for stalling and rolling back.
- Revise signs and the dashboard. The Delhi Transport Department says candidates may be asked about road signs and simple questions on the vehicle's signals and indicators. Our road signs page covers the first part.
- Go slowly. Nothing in the rule rewards speed. Smooth and unhurried is what the list describes.
On the day
- Carry the learner's licence, appointment letter, fee receipt and the originals named on your acknowledgement.
- Bring a vehicle of the right class, with its papers in order.
- Check your name, date of birth and address when the details are shown to you for approval.
If you do not pass
- Parivahan says a re-test can be applied for after 7 days. Use the week to work on what went wrong.
- You pay the driving test fee again: Rs 300 for each class. It is paid on Sarathi under Fee Payments, as a re-test fee.
- After three failed attempts, Parivahan says the fee for another attempt can be paid only after 60 days from the last failure.
- Watch the learner's licence date. It lasts six months and cannot be renewed; if it runs out, a new one has to be issued.
Questions people ask
How many days after the learner's licence can I take the driving test?
After 30 days. Rule 15 says nobody may appear for the test without holding a learner's licence for at least thirty days.
What is checked in the driving test?
Safe, controlled driving: mirrors and signals, gear changes, keeping left, junctions, overtaking, pedestrian crossings, a hill start, reversing into a gap, turning the vehicle round and stopping safely.
Can my driving instructor sit with me in the test?
No. The Delhi Transport Department says an instructor cannot accompany you; an inspector conducts the test.
After how many days can I retake a failed driving test?
Parivahan says after 7 days. After three failures, the next attempt is allowed only 60 days after the last one.
Do I have to pay again for a re-test?
Yes. The driving test fee of Rs 300 for each class is charged for every repeat test.
Check before you go. These facts were read on the official Parivahan website and the Delhi Transport Department website on 11 November 2026. Rules and fees change, and states add their own charges and steps. Your state's page on sarathi.parivahan.gov.in is the final word. This is not a government site.