How To Prepare for The Ontario Road Test

Do you want to acquire an Ontario driver’s license? Unless you have an out of province license from an exempted country where you can exchange it for an Ontario driver’s license, you will probably have to take the road test at some point. In addition to that, if you’re a beginner you must take the G1 and G2 road tests.

In this article, we’ll tell you how to prepare yourself for the Ontario road test. Let’s get down to it. 

Read The Official Driver’s Handbook

The Ontario official driver’s handbook contains all the rules of the road and traffic signs you need to familiarize yourself with to pass the road test. Besides that, all the questions you will be asked during the knowledge exam are derived from the official driver’s handbook. Also, do this practice G1 test.

Keep in mind that there are different handbooks relevant to your category of license if you’re driving a motorcycle, truck, or bus.

Prepare For Road Test

Enroll in a driving school

In Ontario, you’re not legally mandated to enroll in a driving school. However, if you enroll in a driving school after acquiring your G1 license, you will be permitted to take the G1 road test after 8 months. This is because a driving school will offer you a training program approved by the government to prepare you for the road test. Not to mention, you will have access to experienced instructors who will tell you what to expect during the road test.

Sharpen Your Parking Skills

During the G1 road test, your parking skills will be evaluated by the examiner. This means you will be asked to complete 3-point turns, U-turns, reversing, and parallel parking maneuvers. For that reason, you should prioritize sharpening your parking skills before the road test; especially doing proper observation, and keeping a safe distance so you don’t hit an obstacle.  

Get Highway Experience

The second road test before you acquire a full driver’s license in Ontario mostly involves driving on the highway or expressway. Of course, once you acquire a G2 license you will have plenty of time to drive on major highways in Ontario. However, don’t book the road test until you’ve completely familiarized yourself with the highway routes and speed limits close to the test center.

Do a Mock Road Test

How about you do a mock test a few days before the level one or level two road test with an instructor by your side? While you’re doing the mock road test, make sure the person accompanying you is using a marking sheet to evaluate your driving skills. After the mock road test, you can use the marking sheet to identify your mistakes and work on them before the appointment.

Please note that if you make a safety mistake or break a traffic law, it could lead to an automatic failure. Some of those mistakes include:

  • Distracted driving.
  • Rolling stops.
  • Disobeying the speed limit.
  • Poor blind spot observation.
  • Improper lane changing.
  • Poor steering control.
  • Not yielding to passengers.

Inspect Your Test Vehicle

Obviously, if you show up to the appointment with a vehicle that doesn’t meet the Ministry of Transport standards, the examiner will declare it out of order. Since you don’t want that to happen, we recommend you inspect your test vehicle in advance to make sure all the basic parts such as the headlights, mirrors, seatbelt, signal lights, brakes, and windshield wipers are in mint condition.

It would also be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the pre-trip inspection process that happens before the road test.

Prepare Your Documents

Before you book the road test appointment, you will be required to submit original documents at the test center or travel point to prove your identity and signature.

Some of the documents that you can submit include:

  • Passport
  • Citizenship card with photo
  • Temporary immigration documents
  • Permanent immigration documents
  • Birth certificate (if you’re a U.S or Canadian citizen)
  • Out of province driver’s license
  • Student card with signature
  • Marriage certificate (if your name has been changed)
  • Change of name certificate

Please note that you will also be asked to fill out a form about your health. This is because applicants with certain medical conditions are disqualified from the road test.  

Book a Convenient Time for the Road Test

Here is a secret; the best time to book a road test in Ontario is between 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. If you book the road test too early in the morning, it could be inconvenient especially if you live in a town or city with too much traffic congestion. Similarly, booking the road test in the evening during rush hours wouldn’t be an ideal time slot. Not to mention, you could avoid sun glare if you take the road test during noon hours.

The driving test should take about 20 to 40 minutes depending on the level.