The DMV Drive Test:
Understanding the Driving Performance Evaluation

The information contained on this, and following pages, comes from the DMV guide for examiners conducting the DPE "Drive Test". Items from the guide are in BLACK, QUOTED text, CDEA's opinions are in BLUE, to differentiate.

"The Driving Performance Evaluation (DPE) is an in-vehicle evaluation of an applicant's Class C driving competency."
NOTE: This is an EVALUATION, not a TEST! A "test" is used to determine the skills and knowledge level of an applicant; an "evaluation" is a determination of those same skills. As such, at least in this case, it is a determination of the NEGATIVE traits that an applicant shows. ALL applicants should try to wrap their mind around this simple fact: "They aren't looking at how WELL you drive, they are looking at how BADLY you drive."
     It is important that you twist your mind around that concept; don't try to do a GOOD job of driving, but rather, concentrate on NOT doing a bad job. Simple semantics, but it makes a difference on how you approach the test. If you work too hard at doing a good job, the basic skills, which is what they are looking for, will be easily overlooked. By concentrating on not "messing up" on these same basics, you will tend to remember them better, and your driving will be more precise, skillful, and comfortable for the examiner. This last is important, for the examiner is only human, and if he or she is uncomfortable with your driving (jerky stops and starts, leaning too much on turns), you can bet that you will be marked down, no matter how well YOU think you did.

It is suggested that you download our version of the DPE sheet. It is a PDF file, so you will need Adobe Acrobat to read it. Print it out, and you will be better able to follow the directions on the following pages.

Get
Acrobat
Reader

"OBJECTIVE OF THE DPE: The DPE determines whether the applicant:
     Has the ability to operate a vehicle safely.
     Has formed proper driving habits for safe driving.
     Can translate knowledge of traffic laws into actual practice.
     Compensates for any physical conditions that might be present, such as poor vision, poor hearing, or loss of limb.
NOTE: Another objective of the DPE is to call the applicant's attention to those deficiencies in skill or habit that are unsafe, but do not necessarily disqualify the applicant from obtaining a license."

Click on the spinning tire, to go to the next page:

If you have any questions, or comments, plese email us by clicking on the email icon to the left
or
Visit our Cal Driver Ed Association forum site.