Driving Test

Comprehensive guide to the exam courses at the Mie Prefectural Driver's License Center in Tsu.

Test Facts

Things to Keep in Mind

• Polite Japanese - passive, humble, super smiley
• Verbalize actions - Hai! Wakarimashita! Iidesuka?
• Dress for success: Professional clothes, ladies=NO high heels, but nice shoes
• Exaggerate - neck should be sore from checking so much
• Always wait for other cars to go first no matter how far away
• WALK THE COURSE BEFORE!! Read these instructions and practice walking

Instant Failure

• Hitting a curb, sliding against a curb, or going over a curb.
• Not stopping the full three seconds at stop signs and blinking red lights.
• Forgetting to look over your shoulder.
• Forgetting your turn signal or signaling too late.
• Going too fast around curves (and not pumping your brake beforehand)
• Going too fast through a construction zone or obstructed view
• Going over a triangle or a line when turning.
• Making left turns too wide.
• Not lining up with the pole at the end
• Not staying left enough
• Not going fast enough over the straight sections
• Forgetting to put on your seatbelt (yes, you do stupid things when you're nervous)
• Driving in the wrong lane (yes, you do stupid things when you're nervous)

Spontaneity

• Train Crossing - Come to complete stop and roll down windows to listen
• Obstructed View - Go very very very slow and look ridiculously hard

Step-by-Step Guide

Before Getting in Car

1. YOROSHIKU ONEGAISHIMASU!
2. Bend down and look under the BACK of the car (on passenger side)
3. Bend down and look under the FRONT of the car (on passenger side)
4. Before walking to driver’s side, check BOTH ways for "traffic"

Before Starting Car

1. Adjust your seat (even if it doesn’t need it)
2. Put on seatbelt and make sure there are no twists (exaggerate!)
3. Ask proctor to put on their seatbelt
4. Adjust rearview mirror and two side mirrors
5. Lock the door

Starting the Car

1. Check visual and with hand that emergency brake is on
2. Ask if it is ok to turn on car: “Ii desu ka?”
3. Press foot BRAKE in and turn ON car
4. Signal RIGHT
5. Release emergency parking brake
6. Put car into Drive and LOOK to make sure it is in drive
7. "Full Head Spin"
   • Over left shoulder
   • Passenger mirror
   • Rearview mirror
   • Driver’s side mirror
   • Over right shoulder
8. Slowly pull out- "Ikimasu!"

On the road: Stay LEFT! Left side of left lane (so cars can "pass" you)

Obstacle in the Road

Signal is on the whole time!

1. Right turn signal
2. Look in REARVIEW, DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR and over RIGHT shoulder
3. Move car into right lane and go around obstacle
4. Left turn signal
5. Look in PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR and over LEFT shoulder
6. Return to left lane
7. SPEED UP on straight part

Curve to the Right

1. Pump brakes to slow, obviously and dramatically, BEFORE entering the curve
2. Do no use gas at all if possible in the curve
3. Get ready to turn RIGHT- signal

Change Lanes and Right Turn

1. Signal right
2. Look in DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR
3. Look over RIGHT shoulder
4. Get in right lane
5. Stop before white triangle
6. Look LEFT
7. Look RIGHT
8. Look in DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR
9. Slowly go forward and turn into MOST LEFT lane

Crosswalk

1. Slow down, so as to be able to stop in a second
2. Look both ways before crossing
3. Get ready to turn LEFT- signal!!

The Crank

Do not go over curb

1. Check PASSENGER MIRROR and look over LEFT shoulder before turn LEFT
2. Start from a STOP, then go very very very slowly
3. Turn RIGHT signal on
4. Stay as far LEFT as possible, turn right at the last moment
5. Stay as far RIGHT as possible, turn left at the last moment
6. Turn LEFT signal on

Note: Can reverse up the 3 times if hit the curb, (look in mirrors before backing),back up STRAIGHT and try again

Left Turn: Careful of rear tires

1. Look RIGHT and LEFT
2. Look at PASSENGER MIRROR
3. Look over LEFT SHOULDER
4. Turn and go for straight for 2 seconds, then get ready to turn
5. Turn on LEFT signal

Left Turn into S-Curve

1. Look RIGHT and LEFT
2. Look at PASSENGER MIRROR
3. Look over LEFT SHOULDER
4. Turn into S-Curve

S-Curve

1. Take it very slow, intuitively, and stay toward RIGHT as you can see better
2. If signal pops out, put back on, halfway through signal RIGHT
3. Finish and signal LEFT, get ready to turn left

Left Turn

1. Look RIGHT and LEFT
2. Look at PASSENGER MIRROR
3. Look over LEFT SHOULDER
4. Turn and go straight for 2 seconds, then get ready to stop/turn at light

Course A

Stoplight Turn Left

1. Turn on LEFT signal
2. Pump brakes until stop
3. Stop BEFORE line
4. When light turns green, don’t go right away!
   • Look RIGHT and LEFT
   • Look at PASSENGER MIRROR
   • Look over LEFT SHOULDER
   • Turn LEFT and prepare to turn left again
   • Signal LEFT

Turn Left

1. Make sure to be stopped for 3 seconds before going
2. Look RIGHT and LEFT
3. Look at PASSENGER MIRROR
4. Look over LEFT SHOULDER
5. Turn LEFT and prepare to enter curve to LEFT

Curve to the Left

1. Pump brakes to slow, obviously and dramatically, BEFORE entering the curve
2. Do no use gas at all if possible in the curve
3. Get ready to turn LEFT - signal!!

Turn Left

1. Look RIGHT and LEFT
2. Look at PASSENGER MIRROR
3. Look over LEFT SHOULDER
4. Turn LEFT and prepare for crosswalk

Crosswalk

1. Slow down, so as to be able to stop in a second
2. Look both ways before crossing
3. Get ready to turn RIGHT at light - signal!!

Change Lanes and Right Turn at Light

1. Signal right
2. Look in DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR
3. Look over RIGHT shoulder
4. Get in RIGHT lane, very right so people can "pass" you
5. Stop BEFORE line at light
6. When light turns green:
   • look LEFT
   • look RIGHT
   • look in DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR
7. Slowly go forward and turn into MOST LEFT lane
8. Get ready to turn at stop sign - RIGHT signal

Obstructed view (cement wall) Right Turn at Stop Sign

Don’t go over white triangle

1. Look over RIGHT SHOULDER and DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR
2. Pull into RIGHT stop lane (make sure signal stays on)
3. Stop BEFORE the line
4. Stop for 3 SECONDS
5. Turn RIGHT
   • look LEFT
   • look RIGHT
   • look in DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR
6. Creep SLOWLY forward, and look RIGHT and LEFT again
   • repeat 2 times, REALLY craning your neck around the wall
7. Slowly go forward and turn into MOST LEFT lane
8. SPEED UP on straight part

Curve to the Right

1. Pump brakes to slow, obviously and dramatically, BEFORE entering the curve
2. Do no use gas at all if possible in the curve
3. Get ready for another right curve

Course B

Stop and Go Straight at Stop Light

1. Stop BEFORE the line
2. When light turns green, don’t go right away! Look LEFT and RIGHT then slowly pull through
3. After driving straight for 3 SECONDS put on turn signal-LEFT

Left Turn at Stop Sign

1. Stop BEFORE the line
2. Stop for 3 SECONDS
3. Turn LEFT
   • Look RIGHT and LEFT
   • Look in PASSENGER MIRROR
   • Look over LEFT SHOULDER
4. Turn left and get ready for left curve immediately!!

Curve to the Left

1. Pump brakes to slow, obviously and dramatically, BEFORE entering the curve
2. Do no use gas at all if possible in the curve
3. Get ready to turn LEFT - signal!!

Turn Left

1. Look RIGHT and LEFT
2. Look in PASSENGER MIRROR
3. Look over LEFT SHOULDER
4. Turn LEFT and get ready to turn right at the stoplight - Signal RIGHT

Right Turn at Stop Light

1. Stop BEFORE the line
2. When light turns green:
   • look LEFT
   • look RIGHT
   • look in DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR
3. Slowly go forward and turn into MOST LEFT lane
4. Get ready for pedestrian crossing

Crosswalk

1. Slow down, so as to be able to stop in a second
2. Look both ways before crossing
3. Get ready to change lanes- signal RIGHT

Change Lanes and Right Turn at Stop Sign

1. Signal right
2. Look in DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR
3. Look over RIGHT shoulder
4. Get in right lane
5. Stop before line for 3 SECONDS
6. Look LEFT
7. Look RIGHT
8. Look in DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR
9. Slowly go forward and turn into MOST LEFT lane

End of Test

Curve to the Right

1. Pump brakes to slow, obviously and dramatically, BEFORE entering the curve
2. Do no use gas at all if possible in the curve
3. SPEED UP on straight part
4. Get ready to exit course and park - signal RIGHT and Pump breaks before curving to right

Parking and Getting out

1. Proctor will say a number to park at, or a pole will be there (where you started)
2. Pull forward until your bumper is exactly in line with the pole - Not too far forward or too far before, do not hit curb!!
3. Put into PARK
4. Put on emergency brake
5. Turn off the car – Ask if it’s ok
6. "Otsukaresama deshita"
7. Leave the key in the ignition
8. Wait for instructions
9. Look in REARVIEW MIRROR and DRIVER’S SIDE MIRROR before getting out!
10. "Arigatou gozaimashita~!!"

Additional Tips

Starting Position

Take careful note of the exact position of your car when you first get into it. The test proctor will park the car next to a curb with several evenly spaced color-coded poles sticking out from the ground. At the end of the test, you will be expected to return the car to that exact position - close to curb, but not touching it and behind (but not too far behind) the line marked by one of the color poles. When you get out of the car at the end, the front bumper should be no more than the length of your test proctor's clipboard from the line of designated pole. I'm not kidding. The proctor will actually get out of the car and measure that distance with his/her clipboard at the end of the test. That being said, it is far better to be too far back than to make the much bigger blunder of overshooting the line...

Check for Non-existent Traffic

When getting into and getting out of the car, make an obvious show of checking for oncoming traffic, even though you know perfectly well there is no oncoming traffic on the test course. The same goes for the entire test. Check constantly for oncoming traffic, even though there is none. After getting into the car, adjust your seat, check and adjust the mirrors and fasten your seat belt. When you prepare to leave the curb, remember to signal and check for oncoming traffic.

Also, after you first turn onto main part of the driving course, take it slow at first - there is a blind crossing immediately after you make that first left. Crane your neck and make a show of checking to make sure that no pedestrians are coming as you pass this crossing.

Curves

Take the curves (on the outside track of the test course) slowly. This is how I got knocked out the first time and it's what ended up being the nail in the coffin for another guy who took his test for his second time on the same day that I did and drove an otherwise perfect test. The test proctor will deduct 15 points for taking a curve too quickly - too quickly meaning the testing vehicle leans in any way whatsoever...which means that you should probably slow down to 5, 10 maybe 15 km/h at tops when you hit them.

You encounter the curves a total of 4 times. Taking even just two of them too quickly will result in your failing the test (you need a minimum of 75 out of 100 points to pass).

Keep Left

You will have points deducted if you do not keep your car as far away from the center line of the road as possible (without driving on the curb or grass). Keep left. A tip driving instructors usually give is to try to keep the driver side of your car (i.e., you) situated in the middle of your lane.

Box Turns

Always use "box turns": I don't know how you were taught to drive, but I was taught that when you make a turn, you should (while staying within your turn lane) drift a bit to the opposite direction of whichever way you are turning to give yourself room to take the turn smoothly. So if I were turning right in the US, I would signal, check my mirrors, and drift to the left hand portion of the right lane and make the turn in a smooth arc.

This is exactly the opposite of how you are supposed to drive in Japan. In Japan, the ideal turn is one in which you signal, check your mirrors, then drift over toward the side you are turning (in order to prevent anybody on a bike or moped from slipping in between you and your intended direction of travel thus causing a terrible accident). You then cut the wheel hard to make the turn (of course checking your mirrors and blind-spot once again just to make sure).

For me, it took a little while to get this Japanese turn to come naturally so this is probably what you are going to want to practice the most(failure to do it properly was one of the reasons my test proctor gave for failing the other folks who took the test with me).

Checking the Blindspot

Check your mirrors and blindspot in an exaggerated fashion...but don't be too slow about it (the proctor will deduct points if s/he feels you make your checks too slowly).

For a left hand turn, the order is like this: rearview mirror, swivel head to look at left side mirror, then swivel around to check blind spot. Drift over to the left hand side of the lane. Check to the right for oncoming traffic, then check side mirror and blind spot rapidly again. Turn left.

For a right hand turn, it's basically the same: rearview mirror, swivel head to look at right side mirror, then swivel around to check blind spot. Drift over to the right hand side of the lane. Check to the right and left for oncoming traffic very quickly (swiveling head to the right and left in an obvious fashion), check right blind spot again rapidly and then proceed to make turn (being sure not to drive over or pass the marker in the middle of the intersection indicating by where you must turn).

Basically, this is a performance for your driving test proctor. The checking (and definitely the head swiveling) may not be necessary and it may be very unrealistic, but form is everything when it comes to this test and if you don't take it seriously, the test proctor will be more than happy to fail you.

Complete Stop

Come to a complete stop shortly before the line for 止まれ (tomare) signs and red lights. This is common sense, but most veteran drivers (myself included) seem to develop a nasty little habit of "rolling stops" that needs to be kept in check for this test. Stop completely and wait for a second or two so that you and your test proctor can sit and enjoy the sensation of being fully and completely at rest. "Rolling stops" or stopping over or past the line result in automatic failure for the test (A woman who was taking the test for her second time on the day I took the test got failed for this).

See also

• Written Test
• Getting a Driver's License

Links

• AJET Driving Book