Is it difficult to schedule a retake for Subject 2?
4 Answers
Whether you can schedule a retake for Subject 2 depends on how early you apply for the retake and the number of people in your area scheduling the exam for the same day. If you apply early or if there are fewer people taking the exam on the same day in your area, the chances of successfully scheduling the retake will significantly increase; otherwise, it may take a while before you can secure a spot. Here’s an introduction to Subject 2: Subject 2, also known as the small road test, is part of the motor vehicle driver's license assessment and refers to the field driving skills test. For the C1 license, the test includes five mandatory items: reversing into a parking space (reverse parking), parallel parking, stopping and starting on a slope, right-angle turns, and curve driving (commonly known as S-turns). Some regions also include a sixth item: high-speed toll card collection. For the C2 license, the test includes four mandatory items: reversing into a parking space, parallel parking, right-angle turns, and curve driving.
As a driving school instructor, I've seen too many students dealing with retest appointments. Whether it's difficult to schedule a retest for Subject Two mainly depends on the number of candidates and the capacity of the test center in your area. In big cities, where candidates are concentrated, you might have to wait in line for two or three weeks; in smaller cities, you might secure a spot within a week. I advise everyone not to delay—register with the driving school to queue up on the same day you fail the test. Sometimes, the system releases slots at midnight, so having your instructor help monitor it can help you grab a good time slot. Remember to bring all the documents from your last test and pay the retest fee in full before making an appointment, or you might make a wasted trip. If you're in a hurry, you can also inquire about test centers in nearby towns—the drive might be longer, but there are usually more available slots.
I just retook the second driving test last month, so I can speak from experience. In our driving school group chat, everyone complains daily about the booking system crashing or freezing, with thousands of people trying to access it simultaneously during peak hours. After failing, you have to wait ten days to book again. The system updates available slots at midnight, so setting an alarm to grab a spot is the most reliable method. Using an iPhone's built-in browser has a lower success rate, while switching to an Android device is noticeably faster. Also, there are more test slots available on rainy days, but you need to be extra careful due to slippery roads. Remember to ask your instructor to do a couple of practice laps at the test site beforehand to get a feel for it—unfamiliar terrain can make you nervous and prone to mistakes.
From the perspective of examination center staff: There are no technical barriers to scheduling a makeup test for Subject 2, the main bottleneck lies in the quota allocation mechanism. Each test site is limited to 200-300 exam slots per day, with 30% reserved for makeup tests. It is recommended that students prioritize sessions from Tuesday to Thursday, as Mondays are fully booked by driving school newcomers, and Fridays are reserved for examiners to compile results. Last-minute cancellations release slots 48 hours before the exam, and persistent refreshing may yield surprises. If unable to secure a slot, consider signing up as a standby candidate—last year, our test site had a 45% success rate for standby candidates.
