TN Road Test Checklist: Tennessee Road Test Practice Sheets

Unofficial practice sheets: type 1 for each car item in order, then the errors you saw on each drive.

Tennessee Road Test Practice Sheet (unofficial)

Car checklist

Car checklist: a column for each check. Totals fill in as scores are typed.
Check 1
Check 2
Check 3
Check 4
Check 5
Check 6
Belts for driver and examiner
Foot brake and parking brake
High and low beams
Tail and brake lights
Wipers that clear the glass
Defogging the windshield
Rearview mirror, view clear
Sounding the horn
Clear view through all glass
Muffler fitted and quiet
Front doors open both ways
Bumper height in range
Speedometer reads speed
Valid tags on the car
Car ready, out of fourteen

Type a score and the totals fill in.

Scoring key

Unofficial practice sheet
Not the state's form. Rows are what its manual names on pages 22 and 23; how to mark them is our reading.
First eight rows
The applicant is asked to demonstrate the ability to use each of these eight items: manual p. 22.
Who is in the car
Only the applicant and the examiner, or other authorized personnel, and no animal: p. 23.
More than 5 minutes late canceled
Canceled, the manual says, and a new appointment must be made: p. 22.
Not in the dark
Road tests are not given in the dark, nor in heavy rain, thunderstorms or thick fog cover: p. 22.

Dates and marks stay in this browser until you press Start a new sheet.

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All 44 lines

Eight items you show: Tennessee driver license manual, p. 22 8

  • Belts for driver and examiner Safety belts: a passenger vehicle made or assembled in 1969 or later must have them, in good usable condition for the applicant and the examiner. Type 1 when both latch.
  • Defogging the windshield Windshield defroster and fan control: applicants need to be able to demonstrate how to defog the windshield. Type 1 when shown without help.
  • Foot brake and parking brake Brakes, emergency and regular: the manual says every automobile must have two separate ways to apply brakes. Type 1 when the learner sets and frees the parking brake.
  • High and low beams Headlights: at least two and no more than four white headlights. Type 1 when the learner switches from low to high and back.
  • Rearview mirror, view clear At least one rearview mirror that does not interfere with the driver's view of the rear. Two outside mirrors are also required for applicants with certain vision or hearing impairments.
  • Sounding the horn Horns: required on all motor vehicles, in the manual's one line. Type 1 after one short press.
  • Tail and brake lights A passenger vehicle needs a rear license light, two red tail lights and two red brake lights. Stand behind the car and type 1 when all five light.
  • Wipers that clear the glass Windshield wipers: two, unless one cleans to within 1 inch of the inside of the windshield. Type 1 when the learner runs them.
Show all 44 lines (36 more)

Also required on the car: manual pp. 22 and 23 7

  • Bumper height in range Bumpers: within 14 to 22 inches of the ground on a passenger car, and 14 to 31 inches on a 4x4 recreational vehicle.
  • Car ready, out of fourteen Adds the fourteen items for each inspection. Fourteen is every item shown or found in order. The manual gives the car no score; this one is ours.
  • Clear view through all glass Windows and windshields: clear vision to the front, rear and both sides, no tinting material on the windshield, and on a passenger car no window material that passes less than 35 percent of visible light.
  • Front doors open both ways Doors: the driver door and the passenger door must each open from the inside and from the outside. Try all four handles.
  • Muffler fitted and quiet Mufflers: every vehicle must have one, to prevent excessive or unusual noise and polluting smoke.
  • Speedometer reads speed Speedometer: every vehicle must have a working one in order to gauge its speed.
  • Valid tags on the car The first line of the inspection section: the car must meet Tennessee registration (valid tags) and safety law requirements, with equipment in proper working order.

What the examiner observes: manual p. 23 13

  • Attention in traffic Item 6: full attention to driving, careful scanning for signs, signals, pedestrians and other vehicles, and yielding or taking the right-of-way correctly.
  • Backing, straight and turning Item 8 asks four things: a look over the shoulder, a straight line, a safe turn while backing, and backing into or out of a parking space.
  • Courteous and watchful Item 11: how you share the road with others. The manual asks only whether you are courteous and watchful.
  • Distance from other cars Item 9: how you judge distance. Count each time the space kept from another car was not a safe one.
  • Errors this drive The twelve rows above added for each drive, one mark an error. Table 4.2 sorts a real test by its number of errors; what one error is in a row is our reading.
  • Gas, brake and steering Item 3: smooth acceleration, correct use of the gas pedal, brake, steering wheel and other controls, and curves handled properly.
  • Getting ready to drive Item 1: mirrors checked, safety belt fastened, any necessary lights or wipers turned on. Count each one left out before the car moved.
  • Intersections and both turns Item 4: the proper lane, a look left and right for approaching vehicles, a clear path, more than simple reliance on the traffic signal, and careful signaled lane changes.
  • No surprises for others Item 10, communicating: no sudden changes, signals neither too late nor too early, and slowing down as early as it is safe to do so.
  • Signals and posted signs Item 5, the shortest on the list: obeying the traffic signals and the signs posted along the way. Count each one that was not obeyed.
  • Smooth stop, right spot Item 7: stopping smoothly and at the right spot, and stopping quickly and safely in an emergency.
  • Speed to suit the situation Item 12: speed changed to take account of the speed limit, other cars, light, weather and road conditions.
  • Starting out into traffic Item 2: looking for other cars, signaling, and waiting until it is safe before entering traffic. Count each start that skipped one of the three.

Causes for immediate failure: manual p. 23 5

  • A dangerous action Third cause, in the manual's three words: any dangerous action.
  • Broke a traffic law First cause on the manual's list: violation of any traffic law.
  • Contributed to an accident Fourth cause: contributing to an accident.
  • Immediate failures The four rows added. The manual says the applicant is failed immediately for any one of them, so this number stays out of the error count.
  • Would not follow directions Second cause: lack of cooperation, or refusal to follow directions.

Scoring key 11

  • 1 to 6 errors Pass, no retest needed, in the words of table 4.2: p. 23.
  • 7 to 9 errors A retest is allowed the next day.
  • 10 to 12 errors Seven days of practice time before a retest.
  • 13 to 15 errors Fourteen days before a retest.
  • 16 or more, or a failure row Thirty days: the table's last line covers 16 or more errors and an automatic failure alike.
  • First eight rows The applicant is asked to demonstrate the ability to use each of these eight items: manual p. 22.
  • More than 5 minutes late Canceled, the manual says, and a new appointment must be made: p. 22.
  • Never the same day An applicant who does not pass may not take the test again that day: p. 23.
  • Not in the dark Road tests are not given in the dark, nor in heavy rain, thunderstorms or thick fog cover: p. 22.
  • Unofficial practice sheet Not the state's form. Rows are what its manual names on pages 22 and 23; how to mark them is our reading.
  • Who is in the car Only the applicant and the examiner, or other authorized personnel, and no animal: p. 23.

How this list was compiled: From the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, section A-4, Road Test, pages 22 and 23, read on 2026-10-04 at https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/safety/documents/DL_Manual.pdf. The manual's front matter says its information is the most current as of July 1, 2022, and that it is not copyrighted and may be reproduced or translated by the user as needed. The department's own page on a new Class D license, which uses the words road skills test, is https://www.tn.gov/safety/driver-services/classd/dlnew.html (opened 2026-10-04); a test is booked with the department, not here. Taken from the manual and restated, with its own short phrases kept where a row says so: the eight items an applicant is asked to show the ability to use and the six further things the car must have (Pre-Trip Vehicle Inspection, pages 22 and 23); the twelve things the examiner observes and the four causes for immediate failure (page 23); table 4.2, Guidelines for Retesting (page 23); and the appointment lines of page 22. Ours, not the state's: the layout, the row names, typing 1 for a car item in order, and what counts as one error in a row. The manual does not print the examiner's form and does not say what one error is, so this sheet does neither. Not read: Tennessee's statutes and the department's rules. This is not the state's form, and nobody at the department has seen it. Licence: own work

How it works

An unofficial TN road test checklist and score sheet, made from pages 22 and 23 of the state's driver license manual, read October 4, 2026. It is not the state's form, and this page books no test.

Read the full guide

The car first, then the drive

1. Press Print blank sheet with Car checklist showing, then pick Drive errors and print that too.

2. Parked, the learner shows the first eight items. Type 1 for each one shown, and 1 for each of the other six found in order.

3. On the road, the supervising driver your permit requires marks paper only at stops, and speaks up or takes over the moment it is needed.

4. Parked again, type each row's count. The total reads against the retest table printed in the key.

5. The row with the most marks is where the next drive begins.

Questions and answers

How many errors can you make on the Tennessee road test?

Table 4.2 of the manual (p. 23) reads: 1 to 6 errors, pass, no retest needed. From 7 errors a retest waits: the next day for 7 to 9, seven days for 10 to 12, fourteen for 13 to 15, thirty for 16 or more.

What is an automatic fail on the Tennessee drivers road test?

The manual lists four causes for immediate failure: violating any traffic law, lack of cooperation or refusing to follow directions, any dangerous action, and contributing to an accident. Its retest table puts thirty days after an automatic failure.

What does the examiner check on the car?

Eight items you are asked to show you can use: safety belts, both brakes, headlights, tail and brake lights, wipers, defroster, rearview mirror and horn. The manual also requires clear windows, a muffler, front doors that open, bumpers, a speedometer and valid tags.

Is this the Tennessee driving test score sheet examiners use?

No. The manual does not print the examiner's form. These are our own unofficial sheets: the rows restate what pages 22 and 23 list, and what counts as one error in a row is our reading.

Is the Class D road skills test the same as the road test?

Yes, in the manual's wording. It calls the same drive the road test, the driving test and the road skills test, and says the driving skills test is also known as the road test. Class D covers regular passenger vehicles, pick-up trucks and vans.

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