Minnesota Driving Test Routes

Find your exam station

Minnesota driving tests are run at local DVS exam stations, and every one uses different streets, intersections, and parking spots. Pick your city below for turn-by-turn practice routes built around your exact station, delivered straight to your phone with no app required.

16 locations

Minnesota driving test practice routes

Booking your road test is only half the job. The real edge on test day comes from already knowing the streets, intersections, and turns your examiner is about to take you through. Below you'll find practice routes built around actual Minnesota DVS exam stations, so you can rehearse the same roads before you ever get in the car with an examiner.

Real routes, delivered straight to your phone

Every route in this collection is built from a mix of first-hand feedback from Minnesota driving instructors and recent test-takers, GPS data collected near each exam station, and, where available, footage of real driving tests that's been manually reviewed and mapped for accuracy.

Unlike some route providers, we don't lock this behind a separate app. Buy a route package here and you'll get an instant digital download you can open directly in Google Maps on any phone, Android or iPhone, and follow turn-by-turn, the same way you'd navigate to a friend's house. No app store install, no account, no subscription.

How Minnesota's graduated licensing system works

  • Instruction permit: Available from age 15, with a parent or guardian's co-signature if you're under 18. You'll need 30 hours of classroom instruction and to be enrolled in a 6 hour behind-the-wheel course. Supervision has to come from a certified driving instructor, parent, guardian, or licensed adult 21 or older, and cell phone use, hands-free included, is off-limits entirely.
  • Provisional license: Available once you've held your permit 6 months, completed 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction with a professional instructor, and logged 50 hours of supervised driving with 15 at night. That drops to 40 hours if a parent or guardian completes a 90 minute Parent Awareness class, one of the few real incentives a state offers for parent involvement. For your first 6 months, you're limited to one non-family passenger under 20, and you can't drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless you're with a licensed adult 25 or older, commuting to or from work, or driving for work itself. Cell phone use of any kind, including hands-free, stays banned until you turn 18.
  • Full license: Available at 18, with every GDL restriction lifted at once.

What's actually tested on the road test

The test runs about 20 minutes and includes an equipment demonstration, the driving portion itself, and a short conversation with the examiner both before and after. DVS preapproves the exact testing routes used at every exam station, and examiners assign you one of these set routes rather than improvising, confirmed directly in a state legislative auditor's review of the program.

How much it costs to test

Your first two road test attempts are free. From the third attempt on, each one costs $20. Third-party testing in Minnesota is limited to the written knowledge exam only: road tests happen exclusively at DVS exam stations, a distinction the DVS commissioner has specifically defended on public safety grounds.

Why practice by exam station?

Because DVS assigns you a preapproved route tied to the specific exam station you test at, the roads you'll actually drive depend entirely on which station you're scheduled with. A route built for a station in Minneapolis looks nothing like one built for Duluth or Rochester. That's why every route package is built around one specific exam station.

Tips for passing your Minnesota driving test

  • Take the Parent Awareness class if you can. It cuts your required supervised hours from 50 to 40, a genuine shortcut most teens don't know about.
  • Don't burn your two free attempts on an unprepared run. Every attempt after your second costs $20, so treat your first shot seriously.
  • Expect a real conversation with your examiner. The pre- and post-test conferences are part of the process, not small talk.
  • Log your night hours specifically. Fifteen of your required hours need to happen after dark, not just whenever is convenient.
  • Leave your phone alone completely. Minnesota's ban covers hands-free use too, so there's no workaround while you're under 18.
  • Drive smoothly and confidently. Hesitation at intersections is marked the same way poor decision making is.

Useful resources for Minnesota learner drivers