Passing Your Driver’s Test: How Hard It Is In Maryland

MARYLAND — Handing the car keys to your teen is a frightening rite of passage for parents no matter where they live, but some states are more rigorous than others in driver’s license tests. Maryland ranked third in terms of overall difficulty among all the states.

The study by the personal injury law firm Siegfried & Jensen reviews the variations in the minimum knowledge states require on written tests, how drivers are judged in road tests, whether applicants over 18 are required to get learner permits, and the cost of licenses and tests. Each area was weighted, with 100 possible points.

Here’s what the study showed about Maryland:

There are only two states where it is harder to get a driver’s license than in Maryland, according to the study. Drivers over the age of 18 must have a learner’s permit for a minimum of 18 months, license fees are only $9 and applicants can take three passes at the test, which requires 85 percent proficiency. Driver tests concentrate on 15 elements — Washington, which has the toughest standards, tests skills in 19 areas — and the state’s overall score was 75, compared with 80 points for Washington State.

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Joining Washington among the top five states with difficult driver licensing standards are Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina and Kansas, respectively. On the other end, just above South Dakota were Ohio, Arkansas New York and Nebraska.

The study used information from driver handbooks issued by each state’s Department of Motor Vehicles or equivalent agency and from comparison websites Driving-Tests.org and DMV.org. The study’s authors said the information about licensing, driving tests, and associated requirements was collected on the assumption the applicant is 18 years old and doesn’t have any mitigating circumstances, such as a veteran status or disability.

Read more about the methodology here.

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