In general, school buses manufactured after 1998 or 1999 must be equipped with an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS). Many older buses are equipped with ABS as well.

During the on-road driving test, the examiner will be scoring you on specific driving maneuvers, as well as your general driving behavior.

The overhead inside rearview mirror of a school bus should be mounted directly above the windshield on the driver’s side of the vehicle. It should be used to monitor passenger activity inside the bus.

Crossover mirrors are used to help a driver see the danger zone area directly in front of a school bus. The mirrors should also display the danger zone areas to the left and right sides of the bus, including the area from the front of the bus to the service door.

When picking up passengers, a school bus driver should park with the vehicle's front bumper at least 10 feet away from the students. This is the safest parking option because it forces the students to walk to the bus, making it possible for the driver to watch their movements.

The purpose of an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) is to help prevent wheel lockup and help a driver maintain control of their vehicle when braking on a slippery surface.

Backing a school bus is strongly discouraged and should only be done if there is no safe alternative. If you must drive in reverse, be sure to follow all proper safety protocol.

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.

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

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 brakes are meant to keep a vehicle's wheels from locking up during hard applications. If your vehicle's Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) malfunctions, its standard braking functions should still be in place. You should continue to drive and brake in a normal manner.

If you are stopped at a railroad crossing and a gate fails to return to its open position after a train passes, call your dispatcher. Do not attempt to drive around the lowered gate.

The doors of a school bus must be kept closed any time the bus is moving, except when it is crossing railroad tracks.

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.

Railroad crossings that do not have any kind of traffic control device are known as passive crossings. The decision to proceed across tracks at a passive crossing is entirely up to the driver.

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.

You may be asked to complete a conventional parallel parking maneuver into a parking space that is to the right of your vehicle. You should drive past the parking space before backing into it while bringing the rear of your vehicle as close to the rear of the space as possible. Your vehicle should be completely within the boundaries of the space.

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.

When unloading students at a school, a bus driver must secure the bus by turning off the engine. If they must leave the driver's compartment, they should remove the key from the ignition. The driver must supervise the unloading process.

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.