NJ is Changing the Written Driver Test – What You Need to Know

For generations of New Jersey residents, it was a right of passage: A trip to the MVC to take your "written" test. It was the first step toward being able to borrow the car and head down the shore.

The test has now moved entirely online and will be administered at high schools and driving schools around the state. It will also still be offered at some MVC offices by appointment only.

Officially called the Driver and Road Test Scoring System (DARTSS), NJMVC Chief Administrator Sue Fulton said in a news release, "We are always looking to modernize our processes so customers can be served more effectively."

All 665 New Jersey high schools that are licensed to teach driver education and administer knowledge tests have fully migrated to the online testing system.

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Fulton assured the test would be secure and would result in quicker processing amid record-high demand for testing. "Administering knowledge tests on a web-based application in proctored settings allows us to maintain the integrity of the test," Fulton said.

Plans are also in the works to migrate commercial driver license (CDL) knowledge tests online to be offered at 139 commercial driving schools as well as through the MVC's mobile testing units.

No matter where you take the test, you are urged to study your driver manual. Failure rates for first-time test takers is upwards of 50%.

That, Fulton says, further clogs the licensing process, "More drivers passing on their first attempt would reduce the overall demand for testing services and enable us to accommodate more applicants."

Here is a sample driver knowledge test.