Basic Control Skills test: the four exercises and how they are scored

The second skills test checks that you can control the vehicle and judge where it is compared to lines and cones. You do four exercises: Forward Stop, Straight-Line Backing, Forward Offset Tracking and Reverse Offset Backing. Points are given (and points are bad) for pull-ups, encroachments, looks and final position.

General rules

These exercises can be done off-road or somewhere on the street during the road test. The examiner explains each one first, and you may ask questions. You must do each exercise as directed.

• If the examiner raises a hand, stop, and bring the vehicle back inside the exercise boundaries.
• You may be allowed to get out to look during backing. Each time: set the parking brake, put the vehicle in neutral/park, and get out and in facing the vehicle with three points of contact (on a bus, face forward and hold the handrail firmly). Not securing the vehicle or getting out unsafely may be an automatic failure for an unsafe act.
• At the end of every exercise: set the parking brake, shift to neutral/park, and sound the horn. The horn tells the examiner you are finished.
• Not following instructions or an unsafe act (for example forgetting the parking brake, or opening the door while the vehicle is moving) can mean automatic failure. If you do not understand, ask. Some states let you ask the examiner to walk you through the exercise area.
• You must pass the Basic Control Skills test before you can take the Road Test.

How you are scored

Pull-up: pulling forward during a backing exercise to fix an encroachment or get a better position. Only the backing exercises (2 and 4) count pull-ups. Stopping without changing direction is not a pull-up. The first pull-ups are free; too many count as errors.

Encroachment: touching or crossing a boundary line or cone with any part of the vehicle. Exceptions: the mirrors (door or fender) and special parts at or above door-mirror height (like a bucket truck boom). Special parts below mirror height do count. Each encroachment is an error. If you encroach, the examiner stops you and you must bring the vehicle back inside — stop immediately when signaled.

Look: stopping and getting out to check the vehicle's position while backing. Opening the door or moving out of your seat counts as a look. On a bus, walking to the back to see better counts as a look. Opening the door while the vehicle is moving (not in neutral/park) can be an automatic failure.

Free looks: a maximum of 1 free look on Straight-Line Backing and 2 free looks on Reverse Offset Backing.

Final position: where the vehicle ends up in the backing exercises (2 and 4). The vehicle must be inside the final boundaries (mirrors and high special parts excepted). If you do not put the vehicle in the final position the examiner described, you are penalized and fail the Basic Control Skills test.

Exercise 1 — Forward Stop

This tests whether you can judge where the front of your vehicle is during a controlled stop. The examiner points out the front-most part of your vehicle first.

• Pull ahead down the alley and bring the front-most part of the vehicle to rest inside the stop box at the end, not beyond it.
• You may stop only once.
• Then set the parking brake, shift to neutral/park and sound the horn. You get points if the front-most part is not in the box.

Exercise 2 — Straight-Line Backing

• From where you stopped, the examiner asks you to pull forward and stop when they raise a hand.
• Reverse in a straight line down the alley until your front end is past the final pair of cones at the far end.
• Scored for pull-ups, encroachments and final position.
• 1 free pull-up allowed; you may get out to look only 1 time.
• Finish: parking brake, neutral/park, horn.

Exercise 3 — Forward Offset Tracking

This tests moving forward around objects without stopping.

• Move forward and turn left through the gap into the other lane, with your right-most rear tire tracking between the cone and the line — and do not stop.
• Scored for encroachments and forward tracking clearance (the rear tire between the cone and the line).
• You may NOT stop, back up, or get out. If you stop, the exercise ends.
• Stop when you are parallel to the outer boundary, before or at the cones at the far end. Then parking brake, neutral/park, horn.

Exercise 4 — Reverse Offset Backing

This tests offset backing and parking at the end of an alley. The examiner points out the rear-most part of your vehicle first.

• From the stopped position of Exercise 3, parallel to the outer boundary, back into the other alley and stop with the rear-most part of the vehicle within 3 feet of the rear of the alley — inside the 3-foot box.
• If you back past the rear boundary, you must pull straight forward past the alley entrance until the examiner signals you to stop, and then try again.
• When done, the vehicle must be straight in the alley and completely inside the boundaries (mirrors and high special parts excepted). You may not go past the outer boundary line.
• Scored for pull-ups, encroachments and final position. 2 free pull-ups allowed; you may get out to look up to 2 times.
• Finish: parking brake, neutral/park, horn.

Put it into practice

Educational questions with explanations. The answer review also works without the interactive quiz.