If your road test includes parking — and most state road tests do — these are the three maneuvers you must be able to perform smoothly: parallel parking, hill parking, and pulling in and backing out of a perpendicular space. The knowledge test also asks about curb colors and parking distances, which we cover at the end.
Parallel parking, step by step
Approach the empty space and stop alongside the vehicle ahead of it, with about two to three feet of separation between your right side and that vehicle. Your rear bumpers should be roughly aligned. Signal right, check your mirrors and over your right shoulder, and shift into reverse.
Back slowly while turning the steering wheel hard to the right. [Recommended driving resource] When your vehicle is at about a 45-degree angle to the curb and your front bumper has cleared the rear bumper of the vehicle ahead, straighten the wheel and continue backing straight until your front wheels are even with that vehicle's rear bumper.
Now turn the wheel hard to the left and continue backing until your vehicle is parallel to the curb. Stop. Shift to drive, pull forward to center your vehicle in the space, and check that you're within 18 inches of the curb.
Hill parking
Downhill with a curb: turn the wheels TOWARD the curb. If the brakes fail, the front tire rolls into the curb and stops the vehicle.
Uphill with a curb: turn the wheels AWAY from the curb. If the brakes fail, the right rear tire rolls back against the curb.
Uphill or downhill with no curb: turn the wheels toward the edge of the road. A runaway vehicle leaves the roadway instead of crossing into traffic.
In every hill scenario, set the parking brake before releasing the foot brake.
Curb colors
Red = absolutely no stopping, standing, or parking. Yellow = loading zone for active loading or unloading only. White = brief passenger pickup or drop-off only. Green = parking allowed for a short posted time limit. Blue = reserved for disabled placard or plate.
Distances to memorize
15 feet from a fire hydrant. 20 feet from a crosswalk at an intersection. 30 feet from a stop sign or traffic signal. 50 feet from the nearest railroad rail. 20 feet from a fire-station driveway. Never in a marked crosswalk, on a sidewalk, in front of a driveway, or in a designated bicycle lane.
Practice strategy
Find an empty parking lot with cones or use two trash cans set 25 feet apart. Practice parallel parking from both sides until you can do it without looking at the wheel. Practice the three hill scenarios on actual hills near your house. By test day, every maneuver should feel automatic.