Tips For Passing Your Connecticut Driver’s License Test from DMV + Internet

You're obviously a person who likes to be prepared otherwise you wouldn't be here.

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Whether you are 16 or 60, taking the driver's license exam is a big deal and a right of passage in America. The open road means a lot of freedom, freedom that can take you anywhere and give you self-reliance you've never had before.

You've already studied some of the rules of the road and now want to know what to expect going into the exam. I've compiled some information from the CT DMV and mixed it with helpful tips from social media to give you a reasonable idea of what to expect along with some "do's" and "don't's."

First, this is what the CT DMV says to be prepared for:

• You need to schedule a road test appointment.
• Bring the registration and insurance paperwork of the car you'll be testing in, to the test. Both documents need to be up to date.
• If you have aftermarket tint on the car, you'll need to go to a DMV inspection lane where the windows will be tested for legality before taking the road test.
• Bring your learner's permit with you to the test.
• Be prepared to pay a license fee should you pass.
• DMV says the test begins when you enter the vehicle and you'll be asked to do a pre-trip safety inspection, checking the blinkers, horn, windshield wipers and lights, including the high beams.
• Once you get going, the examiner will be looking to make sure you're observing posted road signs, especially speed limits.
• Be prepared to back into a parking space because they will ask you to do this at some point.
• Be prepared to perform a "K Turn" or a "3-Point turn."
• Be ready to parallel park
• If you encounter an emergency vehicle like an ambulance and don't pull off to the side of the road coming to a complete stop, you'll fail your test.

What the internet (CT Reddit) says to be prepared for: 

• A few people mentioned that you should check the Emergency Brake
• Many people mentioned the importance of the "K-Turn."
• Several people suggested going to the area where your test will be taken early and driving around to get a lay of the land.
• Michaelpb13 wrote: "If you still have contact with her driving instructor they may be willing to help you out as well. I took my class in Bristol and took my test in Torrington, but I reached out to my instructor and she was more than happy to email me some tips about what she knows about the driving tests/potential routes in Torrington. Other than hints about the route, the #1 thing she told me was that the more seriously you take it and the more things you remember to do before you start driving (check seat-belt, mirrors, lights, etc,) the less likely it is that the tester will make you do more difficult things like drive on busy roads, parallel park, etc." 
• Some people said, even if you have your mirrors set the way you like them before the test, pretend to adjust them because they will look to see you've done this.
• In certain testing centers in CT, you will be asked to get on the highway so make sure you are comfortable merging and exiting before test day.
• It is best to take the test in the car you've practiced in, if possible.
• Put your seat belt on, people get nervous and forget.
• Make sure not to test in a vehicle with a check engine light or any warning indicators illuminated on the dash.
• People suggested to practice using tips and tricks from a Youtube page called "Road Test Success." 
• Relax, you cared enough to do the research, which means you will probably do all the right things and pass the test.

One final note for parents helping their kids prepare for the test from Whiskey_Fiasco who said: "I would suggest sitting in the passenger seat and acting like you are a hairs length from death at all moments. Say Oh my God!!! And suck your teeth often. That’s what my folks did for me."