Experience of Taking the Driving Test in San Diego
This content was automatically generated by gpt-4o-mini (No human review). The original post is in Chinese.
In San Diego, you can definitely take the driving test on your own without enrolling in a driving school. First, you need to make an appointment for the written test on the DMV website (or do a walk-in for the written test). After obtaining your permit, you need to schedule the driving test, which might be a bit difficult to book; sometimes you can only get an appointment a month or two later, so you need to check frequently. This blog shares some experiences regarding the DMV driving test, focusing on the test routes at several DMVs around San Diego.
Personal Experience
I obtained my driver’s license in my home country and then enrolled in a driving school in San Diego, where I took three lessons, each lasting two hours, and the experience was very poor. First of all, the driving school here always scheduled my classes around 5 PM, when the sun is very low in the sky, making it hard to see. This time also coincides with heavy traffic. Additionally, I had to either take a taxi or use public transport to get there, which costs money and time. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to enroll in a driving school.
For my first driving test, I went to the Clairemont DMV and encountered a particularly strict examiner. I was driving well at first, but when I returned to the DMV, I failed in the parking lot. There was a car in front of me backing up, and I intended to let it go first. However, the examiner thought I hadn’t noticed the car and directly pressed the brake on the passenger side (since it was a training car, there was a brake on the passenger side), which led to my failure. For my second test, I was still at the Clairemont DMV, with the same test route but a different examiner. I borrowed a friend’s car for the test and practiced 1-2 times beforehand, managing to stay within the lines during practice. Later, I successfully helped two friends pass their driving tests. One is an experienced driver with over ten years of driving experience, but he also failed his first test. I took him to practice on the test route for half a day and explained the key points of the test, and he passed on his next attempt, also at the Clairemont DMV. The other is my husband, who had never learned to drive or had a license in his home country. Initially, I took him to practice in a parking lot near our school, and then gradually we went on the road. We practiced for about 4-5 weekends, driving for half a day (2-3 hours) each weekend, and in the end, he passed his test on the first try at the Downtown DMV.
Whether or not to enroll in a driving school, I think it’s not necessary. If you already have a driver’s license from your home country, all you need to do is understand the testing rules and routes here. If you have your own car and can find a friend to help you practice, then you don’t need to look for a driving school. Practicing on your own can be more flexible and possibly quicker than going to a driving school. If you don’t have a car, you might consider renting one (like Zipcar) or borrowing a friend’s car, making sure to have someone with a California driver’s license in the passenger seat while you practice. If you can’t find a car or someone to practice with, then consider enrolling in a driving school. If money is not an issue, you can freely choose a driving school. If you do decide to go to a driving school, I recommend finding one that offers pick-up services; being picked up from your place to go to the DMV will greatly improve your experience. If you have a driver’s license from your home country, taking just 1-3 lessons at a driving school should be sufficient!
General Tips for Road Test
What to Bring for the Road Test
It is recommended to check the official website yourself, the important items are:
- Permit
- Vehicle registration information
- Vehicle insurance information
Exam Scoring Sheet
It is advisable to print a copy in advance and study the scoring criteria for the exam: driving performance evaluation score sheet. Carefully read this scoring standard sheet and bring it along when practicing with friends to simulate the test!
To pass, you must have no more than 3 errors marked for Items 9-14 under PRE-DRIVE CHECKLIST, no marks in the CRITICAL DRIVING ERROR section, and no more than 15 errors marked for the Scoring Maneuvers.
In summary, to pass the test:
- No more than 3 mistakes on the Pre-Drive Check List
- No more than 15 minor mistakes
- No serious errors at all
Explanation Video of the Exam Process
Check out this video to understand what the exam process looks like: DMV Behind-the-Wheel Road Test, San Diego Test 2018
The route in this video is the Clairemont DMV exam route, and more details about the exam route will be discussed later.
Exam Precautions
Common mistakes:
- Changing lanes without signaling
- In the DMV parking lot, not stopping when encountering other cars backing up
- Maintaining a speed that is too high or too low for too long
Sharing the Road Test Route
Practicing the exam route in advance is very important! If you enroll in a driving school, the instructor will basically take you to practice on the exam route and inform you of the precautions. If you already know the exam route in advance, it may not be necessary to find a driving school. It is recommended to schedule time to practice the exam route 3-4 times before the test, asking a friend to guide you along the route. Have your friend give you instructions like the instructor in the video, and you drive according to those instructions while your friend scores you based on the exam grading sheet.
Note: The exam route is in use from Monday to Friday, so do not practice during those days (otherwise, if the examiner sees your car practicing the exam route, they might remember your license plate number, and you could be caught during the actual test). It is recommended to practice the exam route on weekends, preferably Sunday morning. During weekend practice, you can drive into the DMV to practice (definitely do not do this from Monday to Friday), and you will find other cars, mostly instructor vehicles, also practicing the exam route with their students. If you follow their cars, you can confirm whether the following road test route is correct.
The following road test route is based on information from late 2019; I am not sure if there have been updates since then, so it is for reference only.
Clairemont DMV
Clairemont mainly has 2 test routes, one of which has 2 small variations, but generally, there are 2 routes.
The first test is basically this route, and note that the driving direction is clockwise. Pay attention to the video shared earlier that explains the testing process; the route in the video is the one that Clairemont DMV often tests.
One variation of this route is Clairemont DMV Route 1B.
As for the other test route, I’m not sure, but it will pass by a tall building, and there is a merge in front of this tall building. Be sure to remember to signal when changing lanes or look to the right to check for merging vehicles.
San Diego Downtown DMV
There are two routes, one easy and one hard. Check the Google Map route for details. The hard route has a higher probability of being chosen, so practice a few times!
Poway DMV
Test route Google Map: Poway DMV Route
Also, check out this YouTube video
You can also refer to this Quora answer
I took my test there, and the route is a pretty simple route. I got Route 1 which took me on Hilleary Rd, to Midland and then to Poway roads. All the roads except the neighborhood are 35 mph. The neighborhood is 25 mph and the route is where you loop around the neighborhood. I would say in the area around Standish and Acton but I know I had to enter the neighborhood via an unprotected intersection and you have to use the bike lane to enter it (hint). On Garden road you will want to use the far left turn and then the examiner (Michael or Stephanie) will tell you to make a lane change and the route basically goes back to the DMV in the opposite direction to where you start. Then you go to Hilleary Road and make sure you use the gap marked by broken yellow lines to make your turn as if you do not, you will make a critical error and fail. I passed with 9 errors, which not perfect is still a passing grade (can miss 15 errors). Just be confident, and with a little practice, you can pass this no problem. Not as bad as from what I have seen from Hillcrest.
Which DMV to Choose
Regarding the choice of DMV, I think any of them is fine, depending on where you can make an appointment. I’ve learned that different driving schools have different areas of influence; generally, driving schools tend to prefer certain DMV locations for tests, possibly due to familiarity with the routes or other reasons. However, from personal experience, they are all pretty much the same, and there isn’t one that is particularly easier than the others. As for the examiner, it really comes down to luck; if it doesn’t work out, taking the test 1-2 more times will definitely lead to passing.
PS: I just discovered a YouTube channel (DMV Road Test Videos) that has many test routes, and they seem to match some of the ones I shared. Everyone can check it out.
