If you’ve tried booking a road test over the past few weeks, you’ve probably realized that availability is extremely limited. During the pandemic, DriveTest was shut down for several months and eager students across Ontario had to postpone their road tests. Fast forward two years and DriveTest is still working through the glut of new drivers hoping to get their G2 and G licenses. If you’re one of those frustrated students that prepared for their road test in a timely manner, only to be told you’ll need to wait another few weeks before your test – we’ve got a few tips for you:
1. Check day and night
If you’re comfortable navigating DriveTest’s website, you can check the availability of road tests appointments at multiple DriveTest locations directly online. If you’re looking to take your road test urgently, you should consider at least 2-3 different test centres (check out DriveTest centre pass rates here).
People are canceling their road tests all the time, and when they do, their time slot is immediately posted on the website for others to book. Keep in mind that cancellations usually take place 48 hours prior to the appointment time to avoid cancellation fees. If you’re truly in a rush, you should be prepared to take the road test while you’re searching for canceled time slots – it could be the next day or the day after!
For those that are more comfortable calling DriveTest to book their road test appointment, you can call their customer service line on Monday – Friday from 8am – 5pm. Their customer service representatives are trained to help you book a road test appointment over the phone – all you need is your driver’s license and a list of your preferred DriveTest locations. These phone reps are allowed to search up to 5 DriveTest locations for available time slots; once they reach this limit, you will need to call back if you want to inquire about more DriveTest locations.
The best time to call is around 4-4:30pm, as most people are calling to cancel their appointments during that time. If you’re booking online, you can check any time of the day or night!
2. Be patient or flexible
Constantly checking the website or calling a service rep can get exhausting and demoralizing. But this is definitely a numbers game – the more often you check in, the higher your chances of booking an earlier appointment that you’re happy with. Try your best to check at least twice a day (once in the morning when you wake up, and once at night before you sleep).
If frequent checking isn’t possible for you, be prepared to adjust your schedule when you do find an earlier time. This could be late in the evening or early in the morning. Note that traffic could also impact your chances of success, so keep that in mind when booking a time slot during rush hours!
3. Use an aggregator (if you must)
Websites like bookroadtest.ca are called “aggregators” or “scalpers” and they help student drivers secure earlier road test appointments. From our knowledge, they work by artificially booking a time slot on the DriveTest website and holding that appointment slot until someone requests it. Some of them take a different approach and scan the DriveTest website multiple times a day to find cancellations and book on the student’s behalf. None of these aggregators can guarantee a slot, however, they do offer a full refund if they aren’t able to find your preferred time slot. We don’t advocate for going down this route, however, for some student drivers that need their license immediately (e.g., for work purposes), this may be a last resort.
Plan ahead if you can
The best approach to getting the road test appointment you want is to book a few months ahead. By doing so, you’ll be able to prepare accordingly and plan around it to avoid any conflicts. If conflicts do arise during the wait period, you could always cancel the appointment 48 hours in advance at no cost!
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