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What Fails You on the Road Test?
Official scoring rules and automatic fails, all 50 states · Updated July 12, 2026
Only 16 of the 50 states publish their actual road-test score sheet or point system; 24 more publish at least a list of automatic-fail criteria, and 10 states publish no official scoring rules at all. That last number matters: if a website quotes an exact point threshold for Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine or the other unpublished states, it isn't coming from an official source. (New York is the famous case — the "NY road test point sheet" circulating online is not a DMV publication.)
Whether the state publishes official road-test scoring rules, and what automatically ends the test.
The fails that are universal
Across every state that publishes criteria, four things end the test immediately, everywhere: causing a collision, violating a traffic law (running a light or sign, illegal turn), any dangerous action that forces others to react, and examiner intervention — if the examiner has to grab the wheel or brake, the test is over. Several states add their own: Nevada fails you for touching your phone, South Carolina for not wearing a seat belt, Arkansas for passing a stopped school bus, California for going 10 mph over or under the limit.
The full 50-state table
| State | Published rules | Passing threshold | Automatic fails (published) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Criteria published | — | involved in an accident; violates the law; drives recklessly or dangerously; fails to cooperate with the examiner; several safe-driving errors from habit or lack of practice |
| Alaska | Criteria published | — | violation of law; failure to perform a required action; unsafe act; contributing to a crash |
| Arizona | Score sheet public | 21+ total points = failed road test (max 20 points allowed) | major violation(s); dangerous action; refusing instructions |
| Arkansas | Criteria published | — | passing a stopped school bus with lights flashing; failure to yield for an emergency vehicle using flashing lights; improperly passing a stopped law-enforcement vehicle with lights flashing; improper parking in a handicapped space; applicant drove the vehicle to the testing site without a licensed driver present |
| California | Score sheet public | zero critical driving errors; up to 15 errors allowed in the scoring-maneuvers section; up to 3 errors allowed in pre-drive items 9-14 | examiner intervention (any physical or verbal intervention required); strikes an object/curb/vehicle/pedestrian/bicyclist, or drives over curb/sidewalk; disobeys a traffic sign or signal; disobeys safety personnel or vehicles (e.g. school bus, emergency vehicle); dangerous maneuver causing others to take evasive action |
| Colorado | Criteria published | — | — |
| Connecticut | Criteria published | — | — |
| Delaware | Criteria published | — | — |
| Florida | Score sheet public | max 30 penalty points (31+ points = fail) per Fla. Admin. Code 15A-1.015 | crash; dangerous action; traffic law violation; lack of cooperation/refusal; climbs onto or over curb / jumps curb |
| Georgia | Criteria published | 75% minimum score | — |
| Hawaii | Nothing published | — | — |
| Idaho | Criteria published | no more than 12 total errors, and no critical driving error (5 errors of the same skill = automatic fail) | dangerous action; disobeys emergency/safety vehicle; disobeys police or safety personnel; disobeys traffic sign/signal; drives up onto curb or sidewalk |
| Illinois | Score sheet public | max 36 points for standard Class A/B/C/D non-CDL road test (36 points for 1st-division school bus permit, 40 points for 2nd-division school bus permit; 11 points for ALMOST/off-street motorcycle test; 7 points for the 5-dot motorcycle test) | a violation for which the applicant receives a traffic ticket; a dangerous action; lack of cooperation or refusal to perform; an accident the applicant could have avoided or prevented |
| Indiana | Score sheet public | Accumulation of 11 points or more equals failure (points assessed per listed error; items marked ** are automatic failure regardless of point total) | Disobeys yield, stop, school zone, or no turn on red sign; Disobeys traffic signal (red light); Fails to stop at stoplight; Fails to stop at stop sign completely; Excessive speed for conditions |
| Iowa | Nothing published | — | — |
| Kansas | Nothing published | — | — |
| Kentucky | Criteria published | — | Any collision, traffic violation, or dangerous act during the test; Failure to follow the examiner's instructions two times during the test |
| Louisiana | Score sheet public | 80/100 or higher; each road skills test begins at 100 points and each maneuver has an assigned point value deducted on failure | Various or repeated minor mistakes causing score to fall below 80/100; Clear violation of a traffic law (e.g., speeding 5+ mph over limit, not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, running a red light, driving on the wrong side of the road, not yielding to an emergency vehicle); Dangerous action or unsafe behavior (accident prevented only by another motorist's defensive driving or a pedestrian dodging; examiner takes hold of the wheel/brake or drives the vehicle back; contact with another vehicle, pedestrian, or fixed object); Accident where applicant is deemed at fault; Lack of cooperation or refusal to perform an instructed maneuver |
| Maine | Nothing published | — | — |
| Maryland | Criteria published | — | Failure to wear glasses or contact lenses, if required; Failure to properly fasten safety belt (shoulder & lap belt, if equipped); Exceeding three minutes to complete the closed-course exercise; Making contact with and moving a cone or flag on the course; Failure to come to a complete stop at a stop sign |
| Massachusetts | Nothing published | — | — |
| Michigan | Score sheet public | On-road test: cannot accumulate more than 25 points, or receive an automatic failure. Basic Control (off-road) Skills Test: must be completed with six errors (encroachments/repositions) or less to continue to the on-road test. | Disregarding instructions or refusal to perform an instructed maneuver (after one documented warning, repeat failure results in termination); Offering the examiner a bribe or gratuity; Refusal to wear a safety belt, unless the applicant has a physician's statement or waiver; Any accident (may result in failure); Hazardous action: accident prevented only by others |
| Minnesota | Score sheet public | Class A/B/C/D road test: fails upon a point deduction of more than 20, or more than 3 "perceived risk errors." Motorcycle road test: fails upon a point deduction of more than 10. Motorized bicycle: fails upon more than 3 scored errors. Class D vehicle equipment demonstration: test discontinued upon missing 3+ items. | Accident or crash that could have been prevented by the applicant; Traffic law violation for which a driver might normally be ticketed or arrested; Operating the vehicle in a way that may endanger people or property; Requiring the examiner (commissioner) to intervene to avoid an accident; Non-cooperation or refusal to perform an instructed maneuver |
| Mississippi | Nothing published | — | — |
| Missouri | Score sheet public | If you lose more than 30 points, you will fail the test | In a crash with another vehicle and it is the applicant's fault; Hits a pedestrian; Drives so dangerously they might have caused a traffic crash; Violates a traffic law; Refuses to drive as the examiner asks |
| Montana | Score sheet public | — | Accident, however slight: any contact with another car except slight bumper-to-bumper, any contact with a pedestrian except caused by the pedestrian's own intention, or any contact with a fixed object except a slight bump; Dangerous action: any action causing a driver or pedestrian to take defensive action, stalling the car in the middle of a busy intersection, or driving one or more wheels over a curb or onto a sidewalk; Clear violation of any traffic law: any action for which a driver must be arrested; Lack of cooperation or refusal to perform: offering a bribe or gratuity, refusing to attempt a maneuver or stating 'I cannot do that,' accusing the examiner of discrimination; Various or repeated minor mistakes causing the deduction of more than the permitted number of points on the road test score |
| Nebraska | Score sheet public | 15 marks (points) or less; more than 15 points/marks is a fail | avoidable accident or incident; speeds 6 mph or more over the speed limit; improper vehicle; failure to wear seatbelt; stalls vehicle within intersection due to inexperience or lack of skill |
| Nevada | Criteria published | — | use of a cellular phone during the drive test |
| New Hampshire | Nothing published | — | — |
| New Jersey | Criteria published | — | — |
| New Mexico | Score sheet public | 70 (test starts at 100 points; more than 30 points deducted is a failing grade) | passing another car on a blind curve, crest of a grade, or in a no-passing zone; excessive speeding (15+ mph over posted limit); running a red light or stop sign; failure to wear seatbelt before putting vehicle in gear; dangerous driving requiring examiner to grab the wheel / near-accident |
| New York | Nothing published | — | — |
| North Carolina | Criteria published | — | — |
| North Dakota | Criteria published | — | failure to follow examiner instructions; failure to keep in proper lane; failure to give proper signals; failure to parallel park vehicle; failure to demonstrate good driving posture |
| Ohio | Criteria published | minus score not exceeding 25 points (standard vehicle); not exceeding 10 points (motorcycle maneuvering test) | — |
| Oklahoma | Criteria published | — | too many errors; dangerous driving; law violations; traffic collisions; refusing to perform a maneuver |
| Oregon | Score sheet public | 76 or better (out of 100 starting points) | collision involving any property damage or personal injury; refusing to perform a required maneuver; driving/backing over curb or sidewalk in a dangerous way; passing a car stopped at a crosswalk for a pedestrian, or passing a stopped school bus with red lights flashing; turning from the wrong lane in a dangerous manner |
| Pennsylvania | Score sheet public | on-road test: accumulation of 11 or more errors = failed; basic skills test: 3 or more errors in either exercise = failed; safety inspection: 12 or more correctly inspected items = passing | committing any traffic offense; running over a curb or sidewalk; causing an accident; inability to perform certain basic-skills-test items (clauses A(III),(V),(VII),(X)); inability to correctly perform the air brake check (safety inspection portion) |
| Rhode Island | Criteria published | — | violation of any vehicle/document requirement checked before the test; collision; any motor vehicle violation under Title 31 of the RI Motor Vehicle Code; dangerous actions; leaving the designated roadway |
| South Carolina | Criteria published | — | not wearing a seat belt during the skills test |
| South Dakota | Nothing published | — | — (state site unreachable during verification) |
| Tennessee | Criteria published | — | — (state site unreachable during verification) |
| Texas | Criteria published | — | any dangerous or illegal maneuver performed during the drive test |
| Utah | Criteria published | — | receiving a traffic citation for a moving violation, disobeying signs/signals, speeding, rolling through stops, or ignoring traffic laws; not yielding to pedestrians or other roadway users; involved in an avoidable crash, or vehicle has physical contact with other vehicles, objects, or pedestrians; committing any unsafe act, or forcing another driver to take evasive action; putting the vehicle over sidewalks or curbs unnecessarily |
| Vermont | Nothing published | — | — (state site unreachable during verification) |
| Virginia | Criteria published | — | second instance of prohibited communication between applicant and a translator/interpreter during the skills test |
| Washington | Score sheet public | — | — |
| West Virginia | Score sheet public | Road Test Score Form: 10 points or less = Passing (points not cumulative across rows; highest circled value per row counts). Basic Control Skills Test (parallel parking): 4 points or less = Passing (all attempts combined). | did not use safety belt; moving violation or disobeyed signs/signals; did not yield to pedestrians, other road users, etc.; avoidable accident or incident, dangerous act; put vehicle over sidewalks or curbs |
| Wisconsin | Criteria published | — | — |
| Wyoming | Criteria published | — | failure to obey state law |
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How we verified this
Every row comes from an official source: the state's published score sheet (Michigan's Driving Skills Test Study Guide, Oregon's Form 41, Florida's HSMV 71110, West Virginia's handbook score form), its administrative code (Illinois §1030.85, Pennsylvania §71.4, Minnesota R. 7410.5320), or its official driver manual. Where a state publishes nothing, we say so instead of repeating the point systems that circulate on prep sites — for 10 states, no official scoring rules exist publicly, and scoring is documented only as examiner judgment. Three state sites (South Dakota, Vermont, Tennessee) blocked automated verification; those rows are marked accordingly.
Common questions
What automatically fails you on a driving test?
In every state that publishes criteria: a collision, a traffic-law violation, a dangerous action, or the examiner having to intervene. State-specific additions are in the table.
Is the road test scored on points?
In 16 states, officially yes — e.g. Louisiana passes at 80/100, New Mexico fails past 30 deducted points, Michigan at more than 25. In 10 states no official point system is published at all, whatever prep sites claim.
Does parallel parking fail you automatically?
Usually not by itself — hitting the curb hard or striking another car can, and a few states score parking sections with their own limits (Pennsylvania's basic skills test fails at 3+ errors per exercise). Check your state's row.
How do I even get to the road test?
Pass the knowledge test first — see your state's passing score and take a free practice test.