How to Pass Your Minnesota Road Test
Here's a sobering number: Minnesota just hit a six-year high in road-test failures — nearly 40% of test-takers needed two or more tries, and among 18–20-year-olds, 45% fail. The good news? Almost every one of those fails is avoidable. Most kids don't fail because they can't drive — they fail on a handful of predictable mistakes. Let's make sure you're not one of them.
First, Know How the Road Test is built
The Minnesota road test has two parts:
A Closed Course with no other traffic, a private feel.
An Open or On-Road Course mixed in with other traffic like everyday driving.
The busy metro stations — including Eagan, where most south-metro families test — are Closed Course facilities. (Open vs. Closed Course Road Test.)
Before you drive: the Equipment Check
Before you leave the parking spot, the examiner asks you to demonstrate your knowledge of the vehicle controls: seat adjustment, seat belt, foot brake, parking brake, headlights (high and low beam), hazard flashers, turn signals, horn, windshield wipers, defroster and fan, mirrors, and the fuel gauge. Fumble too much of this and you don't even get to drive — so know all the controls on the vehicle you drive before anything else.
Parking
Minnesota still tests parking and yes you can use your back-up camera, it just can’t be your only source of observation. Which maneuvers you get can vary by station and examiner, so prepare for all three:
Parallel park — go slow, keep looking out the back window, position before you back, finish within 12 inches of the curb without touching it.
90-degree backing — back into a space, checking your mirrors and windows the whole way, no touching the cones.
Hill parking — wheels turned the correct direction, parking brake set. On a 2-way street and parking uphill with a curb, turn the wheels to the left. Let those wheels roll back and touch the curb, shift to park.
Two things families don't know: if your car has self-parking, you can't use it during the test. And you're allowed to reset as many times as you need — pull forward, straighten out, try again. Stopping and resetting is fine. Hitting a cone, curb, or car could be failure. So go slow and take your time.
On the Road: what the examiner is actually scoring
This is where points quietly slip away. Here's what they watch:
Observation — and it has to be visible. Constant mirror checks, scan every intersection left-right-left, and make obvious head checks over your shoulder before every turn and lane change. If your head doesn't turn, the examiner can't give you credit. Shoulder-check twice every time you turn or move sideways. Be obnoxious about that head turn.
Complete Stops. Stop fully before the line — no rolling. This is the single most common instant fail in the country.
Speed. Drive at the limit, not way under it. Too-cautious, too-slow driving gets marked down; over the limit can fail you.
Following Distance. Keep 2–3 seconds (more in bad weather) — you should be able to see the rear tires of the car ahead. You likely won’t be tested on this on a Closed Course because there won’t be traffic.
Signal Early — at least 100 feet before a turn or lane change.
Foot Control and Lane Position — smooth steering, gentle braking and acceleration, stay centered in your lane.
What your Eagan Road Test is actually like
The Eagan DMV Location on Cliff Road is the closest option for South Metro Families (Apple Valley, Lakeville, Farmington, Rosemount, Eagan). Always confirm the station's hours at dps.mn.gov before you schedule — it closed until October of 2026.
Here's what we and other local instructors consistently see on the Eagan Course (this is real-world experience, not an official state document):
The course roads are unusually wide — four lanes — including an unmarked two-way road and a one-way road.
There's a posted "NO TURN ON RED" on the course — turning right on red there is an automatic fail.
There's an uncontrolled intersection — slow down, look, and yield (first to arrive goes).
On the one-way: left turn from the left lanes, right turn from the right lanes — turning the wrong way onto a one-way is an automatic fail.
The things that End The Test Instantly
Any one of these and you're done: breaking a traffic law (speeding, running a stop or red, an illegal turn), dangerous or careless driving, needing the examiner to grab the wheel or brake, an avoidable crash, or refusing to follow instructions which is reported more often than you might think. Also: no passengers, no pets, no phones, and a smoke-free, clutter-free car.
The Two Mistakes that fail the most kids
If you fix nothing else, fix these:
Rolling sSops. Come to a full, unmistakable stop behind the line — every single time.
Invisible Head Checks. Turn your head so the examiner sees you check your blind spot and mirrors.
Master those two and you've eliminated the most common reasons people fail.
If it Doesn't Go Well
You can retest — but there's a 1-week wait after your first fail, 2 weeks after your second, a $20 fee from the third attempt on, and after four fails you're required to do 6 more hours of behind-the-wheel. So it pays to be ready the first time. Bring: proof of insurance, current registration/tabs, and — if under 18 — confirmation of your completion e-card, your 50-hour supervised-driving log (15 at night), and a permit you've held at least 6 months.
The single Best Way to Prepare
Practice on the actual roads around your exam station, and do a realistic mock road test before the real one. That's exactly what we do at South Metro — we run a full dress rehearsal, score it the way an examiner would, and show your teen precisely what to fix. Kids who rehearse the real thing are more likely to pass.
