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• The day of your test
• How the test works
• Your test results

The day of your test

Bring your learner licence.

Arrive early – at least 30 minutes before your test is due to start. Let staff know you’ve come for the test.

If you’re late, you might have to rebook for another day.

You do the test in your own car, van or ute. Please make sure the vehicle has:

• a current licence (rego), warrant of fitness (WoF) and a road user charges (RUC) label if it’s a diesel or electric vehicle
• enough fuel for the test
• L plates on display
• a tidy passenger seat for the testing officer.

Wear any glasses or contacts you need for driving.

You may have 1 support person in the car during the test, if they meet the requirements – but no kids or pets.

You can’t drive to the test by yourself! You’re still on your learner licence until you pass, so you’ll need a supervisor to be in the car with you when driving to the test.

On the day of your practical driving test – NZTA

How the test works

The restricted licence test takes about 1 hour, including 45 minutes of driving. It includes:

• meeting the testing officer
• the officer checking the safety of your vehicle
• Stage 1: 10-minute relatively simple driving tasks
• Stage 2: 35-minute more challenging driving tasks
• getting your results with feedback.

Follow the testing officer’s instructions. They’ll tell you the route to drive, and when to do tasks like left and right turns, lane changes and entering a roundabout.

The officer marks your driving skills as you complete these tasks.

Stage 1 tasks: 10 minutes of driving

The testing officer checks you know the basics, while driving on roads up to 60km/h.

You’ll need to perform a number of tasks including:

• left and right turns at intersections
• reverse parallel park (or a 3-point turn)
• changing lanes on a multi-lane road (if there is a multi-lane road on your test route).

At the end of Stage 1, you pull over. The officer marks your driving and says if you can proceed to Stage 2.

Stage 2 tasks: 35 minutes of driving

You’ll drive on roads with speed limits from 50–100km/h.

You may get the tasks from Stage 1 again, plus:

• turning right at a roundabout
• going straight ahead at a roundabout
• turning right onto a road with 2 or more lanes each way
• turning right off a road with 2 or more lanes each way
• merging lanes
• changing lanes to make a left or right turn
• straight driving on medium speed and arterial roads.

Each task may come up more than once.

Driving skills you’re assessed on

When completing each task, you’ll also be assessed on:

• Observation: checking all around you for traffic and hazards.
• Signalling: using your indicators correctly.
• Gap selection: choosing a safe gap in traffic before manoeuvring.
• Speed choice: always staying at or below the speed limit and driving to suit the weather, traffic or road conditions.
• Following distance: using the 2-second or 4-second rules.
• Road position: keeping the vehicle positioned safely while driving, including using the correct lane.

The testing officer will ask you to do either a reverse parallel park or a three-point turn. The following skills are assessed:

• checking around you when parking
• moving correctly in a reverse parallel park
• leaving the park after parallel parking
• correct movement during a three-point turn.

Skills to work on before the test

Throughout the test the testing officer will also be looking for critical errors and immediate failure errors.

Critical errors

Immediate failure errors

Common mistakes

Your test results

If you pass the test:

• The testing officer will give you a temporary (paper) restricted licence. Keep it on you when you drive.
• Your new photo driver licence will be mailed to you.
• The testing officer may give you feedback on things you need to work on. This will help you prepare for the full licence test.

If you fail the test:

• The testing officer will return your learner licence to you.
• They will tell you why you failed and give written feedback.
• You get 1 free resit of the test.