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Ditmas Avenue Road Test: What to Expect, Street by Street
The Ditmas Avenue road test site is where East Flatbush meets Canarsie (Brooklyn, NY 11236), on the industrial stretch of Ditmas Avenue between Ralph and Remsen Avenues. Tests start beside the National Grid facility and run on one-way residential blocks, two-way Avenue B and busy four-lane Ralph Avenue.
How the Road Test Works at Ditmas Avenue
Lining up
The DMV's instruction is to line up on Ditmas Avenue facing East 86th Street, alongside the National Grid building. That is the south curb by the National Grid (Brooklyn Union Gas) facility at 8424 Ditmas Avenue, starting from East 83rd Street. Join the back, move up as cars leave, and keep the National Grid driveway clear for utility vehicles.
Arrival and documents
Arrive up to 15 minutes early; if you are late, the examiner may not be able to test you. Bad weather can cancel tests, so check the DMV's cancellations and closings page before you leave.
You wait in the car until the examiner comes to check and photograph you, your documents, your permit and the car. Bring your physical photo learner permit, your original MV-278 (no copies; not needed after the online course or with an MV-285 on file), the MV-262 if you are under 18, and glasses or contacts if your permit requires them. A licensed supervising driver must come with you; with our car, that is your Coreway instructor. Bring no other passengers, and don't record anything during the test. Full requirements are on our Brooklyn road test page.
The drive and the results
After a couple of minutes of paperwork, the examiner, in the front passenger seat, tells you to pull out when you are ready. In our experience the drive takes roughly 7 to 10 minutes, depending on traffic; the DMV publishes no official length, so allow time for the line. Results are posted online after 6 p.m. on test day. Here is how to check your road test results.
The Streets of the Ditmas Avenue Test Area
The DMV does not publish routes; the examiner picks yours on the day. These are the streets tests from this line-up usually use, plus nearby blocks where you may be sent:
| Street | What it is like | What the examiner watches |
|---|---|---|
| Ditmas Avenue | Line-up and usual finish. Two-way with no visible center line at the line-up; steady, fast traffic, including vans and trucks. | Observation when you pull out; keeping right. |
| East 86th Street | Usually the first turn, a left. One-way toward Ralph Avenue, parked cars on both sides. Coventry Road joins from the left with its own STOP. All-way stop at Avenue B, plain STOP at Ralph Avenue. | Turning into a one-way street; full stops; right of way at Coventry Road. |
| Avenue B | Two-way, double yellow line, parked cars on both sides, B8 buses. All-way stop at East 86th Street; at East 87th to 89th the side streets stop. | The all-way stop, parallel parking, the three-point turn. |
| Ralph Avenue | Busy, four lanes, B47 buses. Signals at Tilden Avenue, about 65 feet past East 86th Street, and at Avenue A/East 87th Street. School zone by the Tilden Educational Campus and I.S. 285. | Judging the gap from East 86th; school-zone speed; taking the correct right. |
| East 87th Street | One-way back toward Ditmas. Speed bump (15 mph advisory) between Avenues A and B. STOP at Avenue B and at Ditmas, with a marked crosswalk. | Speed over the bump; yielding to pedestrians. |
| East 88th and East 89th Streets | Not on the usual loop, but possible. One-way in opposite directions, STOP signs at Avenues A and B, short dead-end blocks south of Ditmas. | Reading ONE WAY and DO NOT ENTER signs. |
| Dorset Street | Narrow, two-way, no center line, STOP at both ends. Some tests are reported to finish here. | Staying on your side when turning in. |
The Maneuvers You Will Be Asked to Perform
The DMV requires at least three left and three right turns, a controlled intersection, an intersection with no sign or signal, parallel parking and a three-point turn. Here is where each usually happens at Ditmas Avenue:
- Leaving the curb. Ditmas traffic is fast, and a car can slip into your blind spot. Signal, check the mirror, look over your shoulder more than once and wait for a real gap.
- The first left. In our instructors' experience, nearly every test here starts with a left onto one-way East 86th Street. Signal at least 100 feet ahead. At Coventry Road only Coventry has a STOP, so keep your right of way but scan.
- The all-way stop. At Avenue B, stop behind the line and go in order of arrival. Creep forward if parked cars block your view.
- Parallel parking. Usually on Avenue B just past East 86th Street, behind a parked car. Finish within one foot of the curb, look through the rear window when backing, then shift to Park. Automatic parking is not allowed.
- The three-point turn. Usually next, on the same stretch of Avenue B. Check both ways for cars and B8 buses, and use as few moves as possible.
- The STOP onto Ralph Avenue. It has no ALL WAY plate, so Ralph traffic will not stop for you. Stop at the line, creep up and stop again to see traffic from your left, then turn right, ready for the Tilden Avenue light just ahead.
- Signals. Usually straight at Tilden, then right at Avenue A/East 87th Street, where East 87th is the sharp right and Avenue A the shallow one.
- The finish. Slow down for the East 87th Street speed bump, stop at Avenue B and at Ditmas, let pedestrians cross, then turn right and keep right until told to pull over.
Road Signs and Signals Near Ditmas Avenue
| Sign or signal | Where | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| NYS ROAD TEST ONLY, MON-FRI 8AM-5PM | Ditmas Avenue, south curb, East 83rd to 87th Street | Reserved for test cars in those hours. |
| ONE WAY; DO NOT ENTER | Numbered streets at Ditmas (DO NOT ENTER at East 87th and 89th) | Check the arrow before turning. |
| STOP with ALL WAY plates; STOP AHEAD | Avenue B and East 86th Street | Full stop, then go in order of arrival. |
| STOP, DO NOT ENTER, NO TRUCKS EXCEPT LOCAL DELIVERIES | Coventry Road at East 86th Street | The STOP is for Coventry drivers. Never turn into Coventry. |
| STOP without an ALL WAY plate | East 86th Street at Ralph Avenue; East 87th Street at Avenue B | Cross traffic won't stop; wait for a gap. |
| Traffic signals | Ralph Avenue at Tilden and at Avenue A/East 87th Street; Ditmas at Remsen Avenue | No turn on red unless signed; don't block the intersection. |
| SCHOOL SPEED LIMIT, PHOTO ENFORCED; school crossing signs | Ralph Avenue near Beverley Road and Tilden Avenue; Avenue B near Ralph | Obey the number on the sign, 20 or 15 mph; NYC is lowering school zones to 15 mph. |
| BUS CORRIDOR PHOTO ENFORCED | Avenue B | Never stop in a bus stop. |
| SPEED BUMP, 15 MPH plate | East 87th Street, Avenues A to B | Slow down before it. |
Elsewhere the citywide 25 mph limit applies unless posted. At crosswalks without a signal, NYC rules require you to stop and stay stopped until pedestrians have crossed.
Common Mistakes at the Ditmas Avenue Site
- Pulling out on a mirror check alone.
- Drifting toward the middle of Ditmas, where there is no visible center line.
- Rolling through the all-way stop, or going out of turn.
- Treating the Ralph Avenue STOP as all-way.
- Taking Avenue A when the examiner said East 87th Street.
- Turning onto Ditmas with a pedestrian still in the crosswalk.
- Entering a one-way street the wrong way. The numbered streets alternate direction, and where only one way is legal, the examiner may not tell you which way to turn.
- Edging out blind past parked trucks and vans.
How Coreway Prepares You for the Ditmas Avenue Road Test
- Lessons on look-alike streets. Our 45-minute driving lessons drill pull-outs into fast two-way traffic, lefts into one-way streets, all-way stops, the two-step stop before a four-lane avenue, parallel parking and three-point turns between parked cars. We teach them on similar streets near our office at 590B New York Avenue, about two miles from the test site. More practice: our lesson packages.
- Feedback in the examiner's terms. We review your driving against the categories on the DMV score sheet, from leaving the curb to vehicle control, so you know what to fix before test day.
- A document check: your photo permit, an unexpired original MV-278 (valid for one year) or online-course completion on file, and the MV-262 if you are under 18. Need the certificate? Take our 5-hour pre-licensing course in Brooklyn.
- A test-day plan. Your instructor meets you 10 to 15 minutes before the test, at our location or at the line-up. With the warm-up option, you meet earlier for a 45-minute lesson in the same car right before the test, away from the test streets.
- A DMV-compliant car: our well-maintained Toyota Corolla. Book a car for your road test in Brooklyn, or let us book the appointment too, including a rush road test appointment.
No practice on the Ditmas Avenue test streets
New York DMV rules do not allow learner-permit holders to drive in a DMV road test area except to take their road test, and they do not allow driving instructors to teach there (15 NYCRR §4.1 and §76.16(c)). The DMV also states that practice driving is not allowed at road test sites.
The DMV publishes no maps of these areas, so we simply never teach on the streets described here: Ditmas Avenue from East 83rd Street to Remsen Avenue, East 86th through 89th Streets, Avenues A and B, Coventry Road, Dorset and Branton Streets, and Ralph Avenue between Ditmas and Snyder Avenues. We come here only on test day. The permit rule applies to you too, so please don't practice here on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where exactly do I line up for the Ditmas Avenue road test?
On the south side of Ditmas Avenue, by the National Grid (Brooklyn Union Gas) facility at 8424 Ditmas Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11236. The line starts at East 83rd Street and faces East 86th Street.
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What route does the Ditmas Avenue road test usually take?
The examiner decides on the day. The loop we see most often: left on East 86th Street, right onto Avenue B for parallel parking and a three-point turn, then East 86th Street to Ralph Avenue and right turns onto Ralph, East 87th Street and Ditmas Avenue.
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How long does the road test at Ditmas Avenue take?
In our experience the drive takes roughly 7 to 10 minutes, depending on traffic, plus your wait in line. Results are posted online after 6 p.m. on test day; here is how to check them.
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Can I practice on the Ditmas Avenue test streets before my test?
No. DMV regulations (15 NYCRR §4.1 and §76.16(c)) bar learner-permit holders from driving in a road test area except for the test, and bar instructors from teaching there. We train you on similar streets elsewhere.
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Can I get to the Ditmas Avenue site by public transit?
The closest subway station is more than a mile's walk away. The nearest bus routes are the B8 (stop at Avenue B and East 87th Street), the B47 on Ralph Avenue and the B17 (stop at Remsen and Ditmas Avenues). Or have your Coreway instructor meet you with the test car.