Practice and Preparation Will Ultimately Determine If You Pass The Exam

You must have a driver’s license or a learner’s permit to drive in Michigan.

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) requires Michigan residents and people who moved to Michigan from another country or state and have established residency to apply for a Michigan license.

Since you clicked on this article, it must mean you’re about to take the DMV written test to get your driver’s license. Don’t worry. Many people have already taken the test and passed the Michigan driving test. Practice and preparation will ultimately determine if you pass the exam. And if you follow these simple steps, you might be lucky enough to hurdle it, too.

Step 1: Find out if you even need it.

A written knowledge test is required for those who need an original operator or chauffeur’s license, a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), a Motorcycle Endorsement, a Farmer’s Endorsement, or a Recreational double “R” endorsement needed for recreational pick-up truck driver.

Passing a written knowledge test and a driving skills test is also necessary for everyone who wants to get a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Level 2 Learner’s License and a GDL Level 3 Full License. Also, anyone who is 18 and above and has never been issued a license must also apply for a TIP and pass both the written knowledge test and the driving skills test.

However, not everyone needing a Michigan driver’s license must take a written test to get one. The DMV offers exceptions to this requirement. Citizens from other US states and foreigners who have established residence in the US and Michigan from Canada, Germany, and South Korea are exempt from either the written knowledge test or the driving skills test. They can convert their existing driver’s license to a Michigan license.

The exception to these exceptions is if their foreign driver’s or out-of-state license has expired. In that case, they would have to apply for a TIP or Temporary Instruction Permit (TIP) and pass both a written knowledge test and a driving skills test. The same is true even if you’re a Michigan resident with an expired license for four years.

Step 2: Secure your other requirements.

You would want to focus on the written knowledge and driving test, so unburden yourself with the other requirements by preparing them beforehand.

If you’re under 18 and applying for a Level 2 Intermediate License, ensure you have completed Segment 2 of the Driver Education program. It would be best to have a log showing that you have clocked in at least 50 hours of driving while supervised, including 10 hours of night driving. You can get a log form through the “Parent’s Supervised Driving Guide” or the free RoadReady app.

Minors under 18 should also ensure they have held their GDL Level 1 Learner’s License for at least six months. They should also be free from crashes where the minor is at fault, convictions, civil infractions, or license suspensions 90 days before the Michigan driving test. Practice carefully so that you won’t get in trouble before the test.

On the other hand, if you’re older than 18 years old or precisely 18 years old, you would have to bring your TIP. Depending on your other requirements, you may also be asked to undergo a practice period of 30 days.

Those who have difficulty speaking or writing in English should also know that staff members in the Secretary of State branch office or the driver testing business staff will provide them with a list of foreign language interpreters available. They can help in all written tests except CDL knowledge tests. This list can also be accessed in advance through the Michigan Department of State Information Center.

Step 3: Know where you’re taking your test.

Again, you don’t want to leave anything up to chance. So, when getting the test, you must remember that only independent driver testing businesses approved by the Secretary of State can administer the test. You can check whether the driver testing business in which you plan to take the test is supported on the Secretary of State’s website or in all its branch offices.

For those getting an original operator or chauffeur’s license, the DMV requires explicit takers of the written knowledge test to be at the Secretary of State’s office at least one hour before closing. The one-hour rule allows enough time to complete the test.

Step 4: Read up

Several resources are available online that can help you acquaint yourself with the kinds of questions asked in the written knowledge test. The Michigan DMV even has a cheat sheet worth \$10 on its website.

But if you don’t want to spend ten dollars on the cheat sheet, remember that for a more efficient review process, all the items in the DMV written test are covered in the contents of the Michigan DMV Driver’s Manual. The topics included in the test are road signs, traffic laws, and safe driving rules in Michigan.

Step 5: Practice, practice, practice

The most important thing to do for the Michigan driving test is practice answering questions. Most of the items asked in the exam are pretty intuitive; some are even common knowledge. But what sometimes causes people to fail is either panic or lack of confidence.

You can be more confident in answering questions if you practice answering sample questions as much as possible, as often as possible. You can even try to repeatedly answer the same sample tests until you memorize the answers. Sample exams help you budget your time and familiarise yourself with the format of the test. They can also help you identify where you get confused and which items you will likely forget.

You can do it!

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Taking the written test could be the easiest as long as you have prepared your requirements and any other possible distractions that could hold you back. Remember that you only need to answer 80% of the items correctly. This means that of the 60 questions, you only need to get 48 questions correct. That’s why there’s no need to panic.