Why 1/3 of drivers taking California’s road test fail. Here are some tips on test

A study found that about a third of California residents failed the road test portion of their driver’s license exam over the past 10 years.

The analysis by Zutobi, a driving education platform, looked at 10 years of data from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

About 3,286,146 people of the 10,164,062 drivers who took a road test from 2016 to 2025 failed to pass, Zutobi said.

That’s a 32.3% failure rate.

On a year-to-year basis, about 400,000 of the 1 million test-takers each year fail the exam.

The DMV data does not distinguish between first-time test takers and those retaking the test, Zutobi said.

Here’s what to know:

Is California’s road test more difficult than other states?

“There is no such thing as an ‘easy’ test route in California,” Zutobi said.

Testing centers in some cities, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, feature “some of the most complex driving environments in the country,” the analysis said.

Prospective drivers may have to contend with 8-lane streets, short freeway merges, dense pedestrian traffic, roundabouts and other challenges.

Even in smaller cities, testees may face challenges such as high-speed roadways, four-way stop signs and signal-heavy streets.

“The cognitive load on a California road test is higher than in less congested states, and the pass rate simply reflects that,” Zutobi said.

What were the most common reasons for failing the test?

Some of the most common reasons people failed their road test involve failing to properly check their mirrors and over their shoulders before lane changes or turns, Zutobi said.

Other common problems include errors at intersections, especially four-way stops; improper speed control, lane change mistakes and errors while parking.

Test anxiety may play a role in many of these errors, Zutobi said.

Tips on passing the road test

Zutobi offered the following tips for passing the road test:

• Practice on freeways and busy streets so you are used to driving in traffic, simulating real-world test conditions.
• Master maneuvers examiners score highest, such as properly changing lanes, parallel parking and three-point turns.
• Learn California’s rules on right of way.
• Practice in focused 30-minute sessions focusing on a particular skill.

This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Why 1/3 of drivers taking California’s road test fail. Here are some tips on test."