Jambodj

Thats what i heard but they did it 10 years ago and i was thinking it may have become a bit more sophisticated since then.

Mrs J is worried as driving in the UK and not having driven on the right hand side wants to find out as much info first

Sally Redux

Just find a quiet place to practice I guess.

Jambodj

She will be absolutely fine, i think it is more a mental block and worrying. Once she gets to Austin she will be stuck in traffic anyway

I wouldnt want her to think the test is just driving to the car park and a round then it be a lot more challenging. Im sure she would rather over prepare!

Mr Weeze

You don't have to do it in Austin - you can pick a DMV location wherever you want in Texas - it can be really hicksville if you want. When I did it 4 years ago northeast of Houston it was the same style of test described earlier (lots about 16/17 year old limits) and a parallel park, reversing in a straight line, emergency stop, 1 mile drive with some stop signs and turns. 10 minute test, if that.

We did do the theory and the practical on different days though.

Sally Redux

Good luck to her.

Jambodj

Sounds simple enough, thank you! Reversing in a straight line

Cant believe how simple that all sounds! Thank you

Owen778

I did my test in Texas about two years ago, at the Grant Road location in Houston. I had some practice, but my last driving experience before that was failing my UK test 17 years earlier.

You have to parallel park between two poles. This is the hardest thing to do, and worth practising. Also reverse in a straight line, showing that you look where you're going. Then you drive around a couple of blocks, making sure you observe stop signs and school zones, use indicators and a few other very basic things.

Congratulations, you passed!

Springy6

We've just been told by IAS that we'll need to pass our driving tests in Maryland before we can take delivery of our new cars. I was hoping I'd have a bit more time to get used to driving on the right before I took it.

Also need to find an optician and get them to submit an online eye exam - my contact lenses are set up for mono vision which wouldn't pass the test at the center.

More stress!

Steve_

Never done it in Virginia but the only places that have a reputation of having an even slightly hard test are New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California and DC. However several of my relatives have taken the California test and strongly disagreed.

I've taken it in Georgia and Florida, in Florida words fail me for how easy it was. Easier than an easy thing. Perfunctory? In Georgia it was even easier, which blew my mind. In neither State did I actually go on a public road, it was all on a test track in the parking lot.

The worst thing about it is leaving the test centre and realizing the people on the road around you got their licence after ONLY taking that test.

Steve_

God yes. The traffic in Austin is appalling and the road system appears to be designed to kill you.

My experience was, sit in traffic on Hwy 183 from the airport, which barely moved and took me ages to get anywhere, so in long in fact I stopped to buy a meal, and then I nearly died trying to merge into the frontage road that runs on either side of Hwy 183, it's really dangerous. Then all of a sudden you get to the toll road and everyone seems to think because they've paid they have to drive at 100mph.

I was not very jolly when I arrived in Jollyville.

rpjs

Having taken the NYS test I'd say the same about there. If other states are "easier" what on earth can their test consist of? Turning the engine on?

petitefrancaise

This - exactly.
Do the practice questions for free online. Easy peasy.

Pflugerville DMV is the quickest place to get the practical done. Book online
https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/Driver...eforeyougo.htm

We're teaching our 18yr old at the mo. She's more than ready to pass the US test but hubby and I are insisting on our "UK" standards. We just want her to have more time behind the wheel before letting her loose on her own.

Pulaski

Likewise. My test in NY (Herkimer), wasn't much - less than 10 minutes, with the only notable manoeuvre being a parallel park, which I hadn't had to do in my UK test, ..... but into a space big enough for a bus!

dan_alford

I failed my UK test twice before passing and was very nervous about taking my test here (TN) until my wife/chauffeur said enough was enough.

I remember sitting and waiting for my practical test and every driver was coming back in 5-10 minutes and I was thinking "man they sure are failing them fast". When it got to my turn I learned that the "test" was just to make five right turns around the block and then park next to the curb. Ridiculously easy!

Pulaski

Welcome back. I wondered why I didn't recognise your name despite you posting over 1,000 times, but I see your second most recent post was in 2008 .... during my own hiatus from BE.