During unloading, if a school bus driver cannot account for a student outside of the bus, they should secure the bus and check for the missing student around and underneath the bus.

When asked to make a turn during the on-road driving test, you must check traffic in all directions and use your turn signal.

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.

When stopped at a railroad crossing while operating a school bus, do not rely only on signals to tell you if a train is approaching. You should silence all passengers, open the front door, and look and listen for trains. After a train has passed, you should check for another train approaching from either direction before you proceed across the tracks.

Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS) help prevent brake lockup when driving on slippery surfaces. If a driver brakes too hard on a slippery surface, ABS makes it easier for the driver to maintain control of their vehicle. A vehicle equipped with ABS should be driven and braked in the same way as a vehicle without ABS.

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.

At a stop, a school bus should be stopped with the front bumper at least 10 feet away from the students. This forces the students to walk toward the bus, allowing the driver to keep an eye on their movements.

When stopping to pick up students, a school bus should be put in park. If the transmission does not have a park shift point, the vehicle should instead be placed in neutral.

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

Once you have stopped as a part of the stop/start maneuver during the on-road driving skills test, you must activate your four-way flashers and shift into neutral or park. You must not block any driveways, intersections, fire hydrants, or signs.

During a vehicle inspection test, you must ensure that all lug nuts are present, free of cracks and distortions, and showing no signs of looseness, such as rust trails or shiny threads. Verify that all bolt holes are free of cracks and distortions.

When examining your tires during the vehicle inspection test, you should ensure that treads are evenly worn.

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.

A school bus driver should load and unload students only at designated stops that have been approved by appropriate school district officials.

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 load or unload students, a school bus should ideally be placed in park. If there is no park shift point, the bus should be placed in neutral and the parking brake should be set.

In most emergency or crisis situations, students on a school bus will be safer and more easily controlled if they are kept on the bus than if they are evacuated. However, if staying on a bus will expose the students to risk or injury, the bus driver should escort them to a safe location.

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.

If students are evacuated due to a school bus being in the direct path of a sighted tornado, the driver should lead them to shelter in a nearby building. If no such shelter is available, the driver should escort them to a nearby ditch or culvert. They should avoid areas that may be subject to flash flooding and should be far enough from the bus that it would not fall on them if it tipped over.

A school bus driver should not change the location of a stop without written approval from appropriate school district officials.