How to Pass the Maryland Driving Test

Maryland road tests are administered by the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). You need 60 supervised hours before testing — 10 at night. The permit must be held for at least 9 months.

What the test covers

Maryland road tests run on public streets near the MVA location. The examiner uses a standard scoring form.

Skills tested:

• Left and right turns at intersections
• Stopping at signs and signals
• Lane changes
• Parallel parking
• Backing
• Speed management
• Following distance
• Mirror and observation habits

Maryland tests parallel parking.

What gets people failed

Not stopping fully at stop signs. The most common failure. Full stop, wheels stopped, before proceeding.

Parallel parking. Hitting cones, mounting the curb, or ending up more than 12 inches from the curb are common failures. Maryland allows a limited number of attempts to complete the park.

Not checking blind spots. Signal, mirror, head turn, move. In that order, every time. The head turn is what examiners watch for.

Right-of-way errors. Maryland has complex intersections, particularly in the DC suburbs. Examiners pay attention to failure to yield — to oncoming traffic when turning left, to pedestrians in crosswalks, and to traffic already in a lane you’re merging into.

Speed. Maryland residential default is 25 mph. Exceeding it during the test costs points.

Before the test

Maryland requires 60 hours over a 9-month hold period. The 60 hours must include 10 at night.

Bring:

• Valid Maryland learner’s permit
• Driving log showing 60 hours (10 night)
• Vehicle registration and current insurance
• Parent or guardian if under 18

Tracking your hours

Maryland’s night definition is sunset to sunrise. Sunset in Baltimore ranges from around 4:45 PM in December to 8:30 PM in June.

Moda tracks Maryland hours and applies the correct sunset for your location. Download on the App Store

Full Maryland permit requirements: Maryland permit hours

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