During the vehicle inspection test, you must ensure that any emergency exit warning devices are working. All emergency exits should operate smoothly, be undamaged, and close securely from the inside.

During the on-road driving skills test, you will be asked to pull your vehicle over to the side of the road and stop as if you were going to get out and check something on your vehicle. As you prepare to make this stop, you must check traffic; activate your turn signal; decelerate smoothly with even braking, changing gears as needed; and bring your vehicle to a full stop without coasting.

You must drive in a safe and responsible manner during the on-road driving test. This includes wearing your safety belt; obeying all traffic signs, signals, and laws; and completing the test without an accident or moving violation.

During the vehicle inspection test, you will need to show emergency equipment, including spare electrical fuses; three red reflective triangles, six fuses, or three liquid burning flares; and a properly charged and rated fire extinguisher.

On a school bus, the overhead inside rearview mirror is mounted directly above the windshield on the driver’s side of the bus. Its purpose is to allow the driver to monitor passenger activity inside the bus.

After students have exited a bus at a school, the driver should walk through the bus to check for any remaining students who are hiding or sleeping. Drivers should also look out for items that students may have left behind.

During emergency situations, it is usually safest for students to remain on a school bus. Evacuations are mandatory if the bus has stalled on railroad tracks, if the bus is on fire or there is a threat of fire, or if there is a hazardous materials spill. Students should be evacuated any time there is imminent danger of collision.

When checking the springs as part of the vehicle inspection test, you should look for missing, shifted, cracked, or broken leaf springs, as well as broken or distorted coil springs. If the vehicle is equipped with torsion bars, torque arms, or other types of suspension components, ensure that they are not damaged and are mounted securely.

If approaching a railroad crossing while driving a transit bus, school bus, or placarded vehicle, special procedures apply. Before crossing, stop your vehicle within 50 feet of, but not less than 15 feet from, the nearest rail. Activate your four-way flashers while crossing. Do not stop, change gears, or change lanes while any part of your vehicle is proceeding across the tracks.

When dropping children off at a school, the bus driver should secure the bus by turning off the ignition. The driver should remove the key if they leave the driver's compartment.

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 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 control skills test.

Proper mirror adjustment is vital to the safe operation of a school bus. A bus's flat mirrors should be adjusted so the driver is able to see 200 feet, or four bus lengths, behind the bus.

During the on-road driving test, you must drive in a safe and responsible manner; wear your safety belt; obey all traffic signs, signals, and laws; and complete the test without any accidents or moving violations.

When inspecting a trailer during a vehicle inspection test, ensure that its landing gear has no missing parts and that it is fully raised. The crank handle should be secure and the support frame should not be damaged.

Backing a school bus is strongly discouraged and should be done only if there is no other way to move the vehicle.

Students on a school bus should remain seated until they are told otherwise. It is unsafe for students to walk around the bus while it is moving.

Outside convex mirrors on a school bus are located below the outside flat mirrors. They are used to see a wide view of traffic, clearance, and students around the bus.

If a school bus needs to be evacuated in the event of an emergency, the driver must quickly determine which exit or exits will be safest for students to use and direct the students to that exit.

During the straight line backing exercise, you are permitted to exit your vehicle to check its position no more than one time.