You should finish each exercise with your vehicle in the exact position described by the examiner. You can be penalized for failing to complete an exercise exactly in the manner described by the examiner, potentially resulting in failure of the basic control skills test.

When stopping to pick up students, a school bus driver should ensure that all surrounding traffic has stopped before opening the door and signaling for the students to approach the bus.

The danger zones of a school bus are areas in which children are most likely to be hit, either by another vehicle or by the bus itself. Such areas are located to the front, sides, and rear of a bus. Danger zones can extend 10 feet from every side of a bus.

A school bus driver should not attempt to move a student who has suffered a neck or spinal injury unless the student's life is in immediate danger.

When checking your vehicle's pedals during a pre-trip inspection, you should ensure that there is nothing under or around the pedals that will obstruct their use. Make sure the pedals are in proper working condition and that the surfaces of the pedals are grooved, if applicable.

If you are asked to complete an offset back/right parking maneuver, you should first pull straight forward, then back up to the right. Your vehicle must be parked completely within the boundaries of the parking space.

School bus drivers should approach stops slowly and cautiously.

A driver is allowed to exit their vehicle to check its position during any basic vehicle control skills test exercise. This action is called a "look." During the straight line backing exercise, a driver may not exceed one look. During any other exercise, a driver may not exceed two looks.

A school bus driver should always approach bus stops slowly and cautiously.

Official school bus routes and stops are established by the local school district. Drivers should never change a stop location without the written approval of an appropriate district official.

Properly adjusted crossover mirrors on a school bus should allow the driver to see the entire area in front of the bus, from the front bumper at ground level to a point where direct vision is possible. The mirrors should also display the right and left front tires touching the ground, as well as the area from the front of the bus to the service door.

Maneuvers that may be included in the basic vehicle control skills test include straight line backing, offset back/right parking, offset back/left parking, driver side parallel parking, conventional parallel parking, and alley docking.

A driver uses a look when they open their door, leave their seated position, and walk to the back of the vehicle to check its position. During the straight line backing exercise, a driver may not exceed one look. During any other exercise, a driver may not exceed two looks.

If a school bus becomes stalled or trapped on railroad tracks, the driver should immediately evacuate everyone from the bus. If the bus is struck by a train, to avoid any flying debris, the students should be led far away from the bus at an angle that is in the direction of any oncoming train.

More students are killed each year during loading or unloading of school buses than while riding on school buses. Therefore, it is critical that school bus drivers follow appropriate safety procedures during loading and unloading.

If a school bus is on fire, or if there is a threat of fire, it is mandatory for a bus driver to evacuate the students from the bus.

After evacuating a school bus, students should be led to a safe place at least 100 feet away from the road in the direction of oncoming traffic. This will keep them safe from flying debris if another vehicle hits the bus. Students should be upwind of any fires and as far away from railroad tracks as possible.

After students unload at school, a school bus driver should walk through the bus to check for sleeping students, hiding students, and items that students may have left behind. Students should exit the bus in an orderly fashion with the driver supervising.

When exiting your vehicle during the basic vehicle control skills test, you must face the vehicle and maintain three points of contact at all times. If your testing vehicle is a bus, you must maintain contact with the handrail. Exiting the vehicle incorrectly may result in automatic failure of the basic vehicle control skills test.

Students should not occupy the back row of a school bus unless the bus is full. The closer to the front of a bus that students are seated, the safer they will be in the event of a rear-end collision. Students with special needs should sit near the driver.