About 1 in 4 Indiana Driving Tests Now End in Failure, an 11-Year High

This report draws on Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles driving-test records from 2015 to 2025 to track a failure rate now at its highest in more than a decade. It breaks down what the test actually involves, the mistakes that trigger an automatic fail, why so many capable drivers fall short, and the steps that help new drivers pass with confidence.

What Indiana’s driving skills-test data shows (2015 to 2025)

Indiana’s driving skills-test record from 2015 to 2025 tells a clear story of rising demand and rising failure. The table below shows the results year by year, followed by the three numbers that matter most: how many people take the test, how many pass, and how many fail.

How many people take the test?

Demand has reached a record high. Indiana administered 126,870 driving skills tests in 2025, the most in the 11-year record and well above the 103,695 carried out in 2015. The only sharp dip came in 2020, when testing fell to 77,461 during the pandemic before climbing back. Across the full period, the state administered more than 1.14 million tests. These figures count tests rather than individual drivers, so anyone who retakes the test is counted each time.

How many people pass?

Most drivers still pass, but the margin has narrowed. The pass rate peaked at 84 percent in 2020 and fell to its lowest point, 74.94 percent, in 2024. In 2025, 95,102 of the tests taken ended in a pass, a rate of 74.96 percent. Recent years sit near the bottom of the 11-year range.

How many people fail?

Failures are the clearest trend in the data. The share of tests ending in failure dropped to about 1 in 6 in 2020 and 2021 (16 percent and 16.02 percent), then climbed almost every year to about 1 in 4 in 2024 (25.06 percent) and 2025 (25.04 percent). 2024 holds the highest failure rate in the record. In raw numbers, 31,768 tests ended in failure in 2025, the most of any single year, and more than 252,000 failed across the full period.

What the Indiana driving skills test involves

Indiana is one of the states that calls its licensing agency the BMV rather than the DMV, and the BMV runs the driving skills test in the applicant’s own vehicle. That vehicle must pass a quick safety inspection just before the exam, with working brake lights and turn signals, operating doors, and no cracked windshield blocking the driver’s view.

Any driver-assistance technology has to be switched off, and only the examiner and the test-taker may be in the car. Appointments are required between 48 hours and three weeks in advance, applicants must arrive at least 15 minutes early, and a passed test is valid for two years or until the learner’s permit expires.

During the test, an examiner scores how safely the driver handles real traffic. The BMV says examiners pay particular attention to lane position and markings, signaling before lane changes, following di stance, speed control for conditions, defensive-driving habits, and how the driver approaches intersections, backs out of parking spaces, and parks. Smaller slips also add up, such as failing to signal, not checking a blind spot, reversing too quickly, or leaving a turn signal on after a lane change.

Some actions end the test on the spot. According to the BMV, automatic failures include disobeying a stop, yield, school-zone, or no-turn-on-red sign, disobeying a traffic signal, failing to yield the right-of-way, failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign, crossing a solid yellow

line or driving left of center, passing a stopped school bus with its arm out, failing to wear a seat belt, and causing a collision during the test.

How drivers can prepare with more confidence

Most reasons for failing are learnable. Experts recommend a mix of reading the state manual, drilling test-style questions until the rules feel automatic, rehearsing the maneuvers an examiner will score, and logging plenty of supervised time behind the wheel.

This is where digital study tools have grown popular. Zutobi, a gamified driver education app available in Indiana, condenses the official handbook into short, illustrated lessons and a video-led handbook in which certified instructors demonstrate each rule in real traffic, so learners can see how it looks on the road. It pairs these with a Parent-Teen Training Guide that lays out a structured plan for the supervised hours Indiana requires. The app is available at this link.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate for the Indiana driving skills test?

In 2025, Indiana’s driving skills-test pass rate was 74.96 percent, meaning about 25 percent of tests ended in failure. Over the 2015 to 2025 period, pass rates ranged from 84 percent in 2020 to 74.94 percent in 2024, according to Indiana BMV data.

How many times can a driver fail the Indiana driving test?

There is no fixed limit, but waiting periods apply. The Indiana BMV requires a 7-day wait before retaking the driving skills test, and a two-month wait after a third failed attempt. The learner’s permit must remain valid in order to keep testing.

What causes an automatic failure on the Indiana driving test?

The BMV lists several automatic failures, including disobeying a stop, yield, or traffic signal, failing to yield the right-of-way, failing to stop completely at a stop sign, crossing a solid yellow line, passing a stopped school bus with its arm out, not wearing a seat belt, and causing a collision during the test.

What does a driver need before taking the Indiana skills test?

Indiana requires at least 50 hours of logged supervised driving practice, including 10 hours at night. Applicants under 18 must also hold a learner’s permit for at least 180 days and meet a minimum age of 16 years and 90 days with driver’s education, or 16 years and 270 days without it. The test is taken in the applicant’s own vehicle, which must be properly insured, registered, and able to pass a brief safety inspection.

Can an app like Zutobi help someone prepare for the Indiana driving test?

Zutobi, which is available in Indiana, includes a video-led handbook in which certified instructors demonstrate each rule in real traffic, so learners can see how safe driving actually looks before they get behind the wheel. It also offers a Parent-Teen Training Guide, a structured plan for the supervised driving practice Indiana requires.

Methodology

Figures are drawn from Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles driving skills-test records for calendar years 2015 through 2025. The counts reflect the number of tests administered, passed, and failed, not the number of individual drivers. A driver who takes the test more than once is counted each time. Percentages appear as recorded in the source data.