Ohio Driving Test Tips

To successfully complete the driver's test in Ohio, you must keep a few considerations in mind. The driving portion of the test, in which you will be graded by an instructor while operating the car on open streets and in traffic, requires a different level of preparedness than does the written portion of the test, which you take in the driver's exam testing station. You must pass both, however, before you can be awarded your driver's license, and text examiners take their jobs very seriously.

Get Plenty of Sleep

  • While it's important to study for the exam, overstudying can lead to test failure, particularly on the written portion of the exam. Getting plenty of rest the night before the exam will lift a dramatic burden off of your shoulders as you will be much more relaxed and attentive throughout the examination. If you are stressed out by having studied all night, you will find that the questions on the Ohio driving test will tend to blend together, when in fact several questions are similarly worded and meant to be trick questions.

Study for the Written Exam

  • In Ohio, prospective drivers get a booklet which contains all the pertinent information you need to become a licensed driver in the state. The information in the booklet covers road signs and road conditions, danger awareness and safety behind the wheel. Do not attempt to skim over the booklet prior to taking the examination. Instead, spend time absorbing each section of the booklet, reading over the sections twice if necessary to learn the information. Once you begin driving regularly, this information becomes second nature, but for now, it is extremely important to learn.

Practice for the Driving Examination

  • Practicing for the driven portion of the Ohio license examination should involve much more than simply driving around the block a few times after school. Much of the Ohio test is centered around safety awareness and maneuverability, with a much lessor portion devoted to being able to maintain your lane position. To practice this, go to a parking lot near your home and set up cones or soda bottles to practice parallel parking. Get to know the controls of the car as well, as you must remember to use turn signals. The test administrator won't tell you to do so, but you will get marked off for failing to properly signal while driving.

Look Over the Car Before the Test

  • Double-check all the safety systems and mirrors of the car prior to leaving home to get to the license test station. In Ohio, you cannot take the test in a vehicle with missing or inoperable safety equipment. The initial rundown for the car is to check the turn signals, brake lights, headlights, horn and mirrors. If any of these are inoperable, the test administrator will cancel the test before you even start the car's engine.