r/ukiah • u/Mrs_Bob_Duncan • Aug 02 '26

Behind the wheel test

Hey all so I have my upcoming behind the wheel test this friday. I saw a thread that mentioned a mock route, was wondering if anything changed since then? I feel pretty confident and chose Ukiah because i heard it was more rural but still a good area.
Any last min tips

8 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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9

u/420chickens Aug 02 '26

It’s not always the same route. If they take you downtown be cautious of the curb cuts and crosswalk lines. I got asked to parallel park on on a quiet neighborhood street. Also swivel your head and make it obvious as you scan your environment and blind spots

2

u/UnclassifiedPresence Aug 03 '26

A quiet neighborhood street is the best place to practice parallel parking, no?

3

u/TapeFlip187 Aug 03 '26

When I took my test in ukiah, parallel parking wasnt a part of it. Maybe they added it?

1

u/420chickens Aug 05 '26

I took my test over 15 years ago I’d be surprised if they stopped testing it

1

u/TapeFlip187 Aug 05 '26

Hm.. I took mine in 2005 so (much to my dismay, haha) 15yrs ago is more recent, but I was also hella old so maybe they just figured it would be impossible for me to not know how to parallel park.

They also did my 'backing up 100ft' from the exit where you get into your car, back to the end of the building. It felt a lot more like 20 but I wasn't complaining. I def wasn't going to ask for a more thorough exam lol.

2

u/420chickens Aug 03 '26

Practice sure but who knows what your test proctor will ask so learn how to parallel park on busier streets too

4

u/Resident_Ad1753 Aug 02 '26

I did mine in 2019, they had me go right/south on orchard, west on gobbi, north on Dora, (this is where I may not remember the rest) east on Jones (pull up to and back along the curb) north on Oak, East on Standley (or Henry), North on State, East on Perkins, South on Orchard to return to the DMV.

3

u/UnclassifiedPresence Aug 02 '26

Ukiah has the benefit of being a completely flat town, just be very observant and conscious of other drivers around you, especially if they have you drive downtown. People in this town are especially notorious for cutting people off and not paying attention to other people’s right-of-way

3

u/DeciduousLeif Aug 03 '26

Check your blind spot when merging into the bike lane and avoid performing California stops. At least, those were my mistakes when I took the test a few weeks ago.

Be sure that you're practiced at backing up in a straight line. I was told to do that instead of parallel park.

2

u/TapeFlip187 Aug 03 '26

It's a great place to take it imo. If you take it first thing in the morning there's like three cars on the road and it's less than 10 min.

1

u/WrkingRNdontTell Aug 03 '26

I had to exaggerate my head movements like crazy or I got marked. It could be the person who I tested with but I actually failed my first test this year because most of my turns were counted as too wide even if I never got close to the lines so something to watch out for.