Can I take the Subject 4 test directly at the DMV if I can't book an appointment?
3 Answers
You cannot take the Subject 4 test directly at the DMV without an appointment. The Subject 4 test must first be booked through the driving school or its official website. Only after a successful booking can you proceed to take the test. If you go to the test without an appointment, there will be no assigned seat for you. After the implementation of the Ministry of Public Security's Order No. 123, the Subject 3 test was divided into two parts: the road test and an additional safety and civics knowledge test, commonly known as "Subject 4," which assesses "driving ethics." Below are the details about Subject 4: Subject 4 test content: Depending on the type of driver's license being tested, 50 questions are randomly selected from the corresponding Subject 4 question bank at a certain ratio. For car licenses, questions are selected from a pool of 800, while for large vehicle licenses, they are selected from 1,023. The test includes animation questions, picture questions, scenario recognition questions, and text-based questions. The test duration is 30 minutes, and making 6 mistakes during the test will terminate the session. Notes for multiple-choice questions in Subject 4: For multiple-choice questions in Subject 4, points will be deducted whether you select too many or too few options, and it will be treated as a wrong answer. All correct answers must be selected for multiple-choice questions; selecting too many or too few options will result in no points.
When I was taking the Subject 4 test, I also encountered fully booked appointments and had to make a special trip to the DMV to inquire. The staff clearly told me that I must first successfully book an appointment on the Traffic Management 12123 APP before taking the test—walk-ins are not accepted. My advice is to frequently refresh the system to grab last-minute slots, especially around noon two days before the test, as many people cancel their appointments last minute. If you're really in a hurry, ask your driving school instructor to help coordinate with the test center—they have internal channels for scheduling. A friend of mine managed to take the test this way by jumping the queue.
Driving school instructors repeatedly emphasize: all subject exams must follow the official booking process. The DMV entrance now has turnstiles that automatically verify appointment records when scanning ID cards—no booking means no entry. Last week, one of my students didn't believe it and made a wasted trip; the guard just pointed at the notice board for him to read. But here's a tip: when choosing a test center, don't just focus on the ones near home. Test centers in neighboring counties usually have much more availability. After passing, remember to get a paper score report—you can still collect your license at your local DMV later.
