Watertown Road Test

Know the road

The two Watertown routes

Watertown runs two routes with two examiners, assigned when you arrive, so be ready for both. Both start and end in the lot behind the RMV.

Routes

Routes and examiners can change, and this reflects recent observations rather than an official map. The surest preparation is to drive both routes with your sponsor before test day.

Route A, toward Arsenal Way

Less certain, described in older accounts. Scout it yourself. Reports

  1. From the lot, drive straight out to Arsenal St and turn right.
  2. Drive forward, then turn right onto Arsenal Way.
  3. Maneuvers happen near the New England Sports Network (NESN) building.
  4. Return to the lot behind the RMV.

Route B, toward Berkley St

Recently observed and corroborated by multiple test-takers. Reports

  1. From the lot, drive straight to Arsenal St and turn left.
  2. Drive forward and turn left onto Elm St.
  3. Follow Elm St to Arlington St, turn right, then turn left onto Berkley St.
  4. On Berkley St you'll do the maneuvers: parallel parking, hill parking, and the 50-ft straight back-up.
  5. Continue along Berkley St (it curves). In front of the CrossFit Arsenal Fitness & Jiu Jitsu, pull right and make your three-point turn.
  6. Carry on down Berkley St, turn right onto Arlington St, then left onto Elm St.
  7. Follow Elm St to the road toward the mall at 550 Arsenal St; turn right and drive to the back of the RMV.
  8. Pull in close to where you started.

Speed & the right-on-red trap

  • Speed. Roughly 30 mph for most of the route, dropping to 10 mph in the parking lot, watch for signage. Reports
  • The right-on-red trap. You may face a red light where a right turn is legal. After a full stop and a careful look both ways, go, drivers who freeze and wait get marked down. Right on red is allowed unless a sign says otherwise. Official
  • The 3-second stop. At stop signs and before a right on red, make the stop visibly complete and look both ways before moving. Reports

Top reasons people fail

Drawn from real accounts of this test. Drill these first.

  1. Not making visual checks obvious enough
  2. Rolling through a stop instead of stopping fully
  3. Parallel parking too far from the curb
  4. Freezing at a legal right-on-red
  5. Forgetting to put the car in park at the end