How long should the interval be between each driving test subject?
2 Answers
For the small vehicle driving license test, there should be an interval of more than 10 days between passing Subject 1 and taking Subject 2, and more than 20 days between passing Subject 1 and taking Subject 3. For large vehicles, the intervals are even longer. Article 33 states that for the initial application for a motor vehicle driving license or applying to increase the permitted driving types, the applicant scheduling the Subject 2 test must meet the following requirements: 1. For small cars, small automatic transmission cars, low-speed trucks, three-wheeled cars, small automatic transmission passenger cars for the disabled, wheeled self-propelled machinery, trolleybuses, and tramcars, the test can be scheduled 10 days after obtaining the driving skill test permit; 2. For large buses, tractors, city buses, medium-sized buses, and large trucks, the test can be scheduled 20 days after obtaining the driving skill test permit.
When I got my driver's license last year, the interval between subject 1 and subject 2 was the shortest. Some driving schools allowed scheduling practice right after passing, but as a beginner, my instructor made me wait a week to build fundamentals. On the day I passed subject 2, the system automatically locked me out from registering for subject 3 for 10 days - that's the official minimum practice period. In big cities like Beijing or Shanghai, queues are longer and it might stretch to two weeks; smaller cities are faster. After completing subject 3, subject 4 can be scheduled immediately - some schools even arrange same-day continuation exams, though I had a three-day gap to brush up on questions during spare time. The whole process took nearly two months. Avoid peak holidays for testing as waits get longer. I recommend checking local policies in advance, monitoring queue status via driving school apps, and making productive use of intervals with more hands-on steering wheel practice.
