Whether you pass or fail, a driving test may have to do with where you take it. The Orange County Register in California found that there is a wide variance in pass/fail rates.
The Register reports:
There are huge discrepancies for pass-fail rates of behind-the-wheel tests at Orange County Department of Motor Vehicles offices.
For example:
- At the Santa Ana DMV office, 112,276 people took the test over the last eight years and 39 percent failed.
- At the Fullerton DMV office, 42,216 of 115,074 drivers failed. That’s 36-percent failure rate.
- Meanwhile, at the San Clemente office, an average of 23 percent of the 61,305 drivers who took the test over the past eight years failed. And, last year from January to October, just 17 percent of the drivers who took the test in San Clemente failed.
- Generally, the DMV offices in southern Orange County have lower failure rates. In Laguna Hills, an average of 25 percent have failed since 2000.
The Register analyzed DMV driving test records from January 2000 to October 2008.
The DMV has not done an in-depth analysis of its pass-fail rates since 1995, spokeswoman Jan Mendoza said, but added that the test is meant to weed out those who are not prepared: “If a person taking the test is not prepared, it’s going to be more of a challenge to get through the test. If someone’s prepared, they’re going to pass the test.”
The paper goes on to say:
Factors such as road conditions, traffic patterns and weather can all contribute to failure rates, Mendoza said.
“No two drive tests are alike,” she said. “Every single drive test is so unique it’s really hard to pinpoint what’s leading to fails.”
