Has anyone taken a drivers license roadtest in New York lately?

June 16, 2011 2:32 AM

Has anyone taken a drivers license roadtest in New York lately?

I live in the city and finally decided to stop paying for cabs and start driving--my Roadtest is scheduled for July 7th and I'm a bit anxious. Has anyone taken their roadtest in the boroughs lately?.. I'll be taking mine in Astoria and would like to know what to expect aside from what the dmv site says you'll be tested on..it's illegal in NY to drive around the area of the test prior to taking it so I can't really go practice there. Also, any tips are more than welcomed ...specially if you took yours in this area.


Thanks,

posted by Jokesta to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total)

This is all I've ever heard of it.
posted by cestmoi15 at 4:50 AM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's certainly not illegal to walk or bike around the area to scope it out. You might even spot some other test-takers making mistakes.
posted by mikepop at 5:33 AM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

I am not from New York, but in terms of general tips, I would suggest practicing. Although you can't practice on the actual course, you should be able to find out what maneuvers you will do and then go practice them in an empty parking lot somewhere (which I realize you may need to get out of the city to find). I did this before getting my motorcycle license and passed the test on the first try, even though it has a reputation for being hard.
posted by TedW at 7:08 AM on June 16, 2011

I took my road test in Red Hook. It's was a few years ago, but I had to retake the test because I let my license lapse for more than two years (don't do this.). It was very similar to the one I took at 18. I assume like the one in Astoria, it will take place in a highly industrial area, with very light traffic for obvious reasons. I almost failed the test (wtf?) because of so many bad "normal" habits I had ingrained in me for a decade of driving.

Things to remember. Make sure you make the effort to OBVIOUSLY check your mirrors before you pull out, fasten seat belt, etc. and keep turns controlled so you don't cross the double yellow line on the intersecting street.

My experience on this latest test was that there were no parked vehicles to park between, so the instructor told me to "pretend that trash can is the back of one car, and that hydrant is the front of the other," which did make parking difficult, as it was kind of a poor simulation and didn't have any of the usual visual guides to go by.

Also, funnily enough, one thing the 5 hour class teacher mentioned, was that if during the course of the test you face an obstacle in your path that makes you cross the double yellow or such, slow and ask the instructor first if it's ok before you proceed. Sure enough, during my road test, there was a crane in the street in my lane, so this came up. Weird.
posted by Debaser626 at 8:50 AM on June 16, 2011

Do you know someone with a car? It's not illegal for them to drive on the road course, is it? (and take you for a ride as the passenger?) I would note any tricky spots and then try to think where they are replicated so you can practice...I took my road test in syracuse and there was a notorious stop sign right after a turn, that people would always miss because they had just stopped before the turn (the so-called 'double stop sign' among my drivers' ed classmates). my grandma, of all people, took me for the most driving practice runs while I had my permit and scoped out another 'double stop sign' in the city. i was golden.

and i agree with all the suggestions from debaser -- and go crazy with the directionals; including when you are parallel parking.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 1:28 PM on June 16, 2011

If you register for a driving class done by a nearby driving school they will guide you through exactly what to expect on the test. In fact they will likely have you drive in the area of the test. It is definitely worth it to use a driving instructor because they know the weird things that you have to do on the test that no one does regularly on the road.

I've heard that inspectors will likely ask you things like "make the next available left turn' when the next turn is one way the wrong way to make sure you're paying attention and turn at the following turn which is legal.

Good luck!
posted by sciencegeek at 2:32 PM on June 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you everyone, passed ..did 2 wrong things
posted by Jokesta at 7:33 AM on July 7, 2011