Park Blvd and University Ave
On Stage 2.
Heading south on Park Blvd
Left, straight, right
Heading north on Park Blvd
Straight, right
Heading south, the far-right lane is for turning right only.
California › Driving test routes › San Diego DMV
California DMV
San Diego DMVDriving Test Practice Routes
3960 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103
Within two miles of San Diego DMV there are 174 sets of traffic lights, 109 all-way stops and 4 railroad crossings. About 15 miles of streets are one-way. Cleveland Avenue runs close to the office, signed at 25 mph.
Start with the practice routes just below, then see how far a test can reach and how you'll leave the office.
San Diego road test practice routes
Practice loops that start and finish at the DMV, each built from San Diego's real streets and harder than the last.
These are practice loops we planned. They aren't official DMV test routes. Drive with a licensed supervisor, and follow the signs and conditions on the day, which may differ from the map.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Stage 1: Quieter streets
The quietest streets near the office, around Georgia St. This area is busy, so even this loop meets some traffic lights.
- Length
- 2.4 mi
- Approx. time
- 10 min
- Turns
- 13
- 3 sets of lights
- 7 all-way stops
- 5 stop signs
- 1.3 miles of residential streets
Open in Google Maps
Send it to your phoneScan to open this route in Google Maps, or open it here.
Google Maps can pick slightly different streets between our stops, so check it against the map here. It works best in the Google Maps app.
Turn-by-turn directions (14 steps)
- Leave the DMV and head east on Normal Street. 50 ft
- At the all-way stop, turn right onto Lincoln Avenue. 0.2 mi Straight through 1 set of lights and 1 all-way stop.
- At the all-way stop, turn right onto Georgia Street. 0.4 mi
- At the stop sign, turn left onto Cypress Avenue. 400 ft
- At the stop sign, turn right onto Florida Street. 0.2 mi
- Turn right onto Upas Street. 0.3 mi Straight through 1 set of lights.
- Turn right onto Herbert Street. 0.1 mi
- At the stop sign, turn left onto Brookes Avenue. 0.1 mi
- At the stop sign, turn right onto Richmond Street. 0.1 mi
- Turn left onto Pennsylvania Avenue. 0.1 mi
- At the stop sign, turn right onto Vermont Street. 0.2 mi Straight through 1 set of lights and 1 all-way stop.
- At the all-way stop, turn right onto Cleveland Avenue. 0.2 mi Straight through 1 all-way stop.
- Turn right onto Harvey Milk Street. 450 ft
- At the all-way stop, turn left onto Normal Street and return to the DMV. 0.1 mi
Stage 2: Stop signs and lights
Along El Cajon Blvd and Florida St, with 12 sets of lights and 8 all-way stops.
- Length
- 3.6 mi
- Approx. time
- 14 min
- Turns
- 15
- 12 sets of lights, with 3 left turns and 3 right turns at them
- 8 all-way stops
- 2 stop signs
- Multi-lane driving on El Cajon Blvd
Open in Google Maps
Send it to your phoneScan to open this route in Google Maps, or open it here.
Google Maps can pick slightly different streets between our stops, so check it against the map here. It works best in the Google Maps app.
Turn-by-turn directions (16 steps)
- Leave the DMV and head east on Normal Street. 50 ft
- At the all-way stop, turn right onto Lincoln Avenue. 400 ft
- At the all-way stop, turn right onto Centre Street. 0.2 mi
- At the stop sign, turn left onto University Avenue. 0.1 mi
- At the lights, turn right onto Park Boulevard. 0.1 mi
- At the lights, turn left onto Robinson Avenue. 0.2 mi
- At the stop sign, turn left onto Florida Street. 0.6 mi Straight through 1 set of lights and 3 all-way stops.
- At the lights, turn right onto El Cajon Boulevard. 0.3 mi
- At the lights, turn left onto Texas Street. 0.3 mi Straight through 1 set of lights.
- Turn right onto Monroe Avenue. 0.2 mi
- Turn right onto Oregon Street. 0.3 mi Straight through 1 all-way stop.
- At the lights, turn right onto El Cajon Boulevard. 0.7 mi Straight through 2 sets of lights.
- At the lights, turn left onto Park Boulevard. 0.2 mi Straight through 2 sets of lights.
- Turn right onto Centre Street. 0.2 mi Straight through 1 all-way stop.
- Turn right onto Harvey Milk Street. 400 ft
- At the all-way stop, turn right onto Normal Street and return to the DMV. 0.1 mi
Stage 3: Test-ready loop
Everything together over about 4 miles, including Robinson Ave and Washington St.
- Length
- 4.3 mi
- Approx. time
- 17 min
- Turns
- 14
- 17 sets of lights, with 2 left turns and 4 right turns at them
- 4 all-way stops
- 5 stop signs
- Multi-lane driving on Washington St
- 1.0 miles of residential streets
Open in Google Maps
Send it to your phoneScan to open this route in Google Maps, or open it here.
Google Maps can pick slightly different streets between our stops, so check it against the map here. It works best in the Google Maps app.
Turn-by-turn directions (16 steps)
- Leave the DMV and head northeast on Normal Street. 0.3 mi Straight through 1 set of lights.
- At the lights, continue onto El Cajon Boulevard. 50 ft
- At the lights, turn left onto Park Boulevard. 0.1 mi
- At the lights, turn right onto Mission Avenue. 0.2 mi
- At the all-way stop, turn left onto Monroe Avenue. 0.4 mi
- At the stop sign, turn left onto Cleveland Avenue. 0.5 mi Straight through 1 all-way stop.
- At the lights, turn right onto Washington Street. 0.7 mi Straight through 4 sets of lights.
- At the lights, turn left onto 4th Avenue. 0.2 mi Straight through 1 set of lights.
- At the lights, turn right onto Robinson Avenue. 350 ft
- At the stop sign, turn left onto 3rd Avenue. 0.2 mi
- At the stop sign, turn left onto Brookes Avenue. 0.1 mi
- At the stop sign, turn left onto 5th Avenue. 0.2 mi Straight through 1 set of lights.
- At the lights, turn right onto Robinson Avenue. 0.7 mi Straight through 3 sets of lights and 1 all-way stop.
- At the stop sign, turn left onto Centre Street. 0.2 mi
- Turn left onto Harvey Milk Street. 400 ft
- At the all-way stop, turn right onto Normal Street and return to the DMV. 0.1 mi
Where the San Diego DMV drive test can go
Every drive test starts and finishes at the office, so the closer a road is, the more likely you are to drive it. The shading shows how long each road takes to reach from the DMV.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Within a 6-minute drive
- 80sets of traffic lights
- 64all-way stops
- 11schools
Main roads in the area: Park Blvd, University Ave, Texas St, El Cajon Blvd, 6th Ave, Washington St, Utah St and 30th St.
Drive times are our estimates from speed limits, with time added for lights and stops. They aren't DMV figures.
Leaving and returning to San Diego DMV
The parking lot and the first junction are the only parts of the route you can be sure of. The office is on Normal Street.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
P
In the parking lot
The test sheet scores how you drive through the lot, so watch for people and cars, keep it slow, and take extra care reversing out of your space.
1
Northeast to Lincoln Ave
50 ft along Normal St to Lincoln Avenue, an all-way stop.
2
Southwest to Harvey Milk St
0.1 mi along Normal St to Harvey Milk Street, an all-way stop.
The roads around San Diego DMV
What you'll be dealing with near the office, counted from map data within 2 miles.
174
Sets of traffic lights
Most are on University Ave and Park Blvd.
109
All-way stops
Howard Ave has 12 of them.
22
Schools
The limit near a school drops to 25 mph when children are around.
1 mi
Horse trails
Expect riders near the road. Slow down and give them plenty of room.
15 mi
One-way streets
Check the arrows before every turn, and start from the correct side of the road.
4
Railroad crossings
Look both ways, never stop on the tracks, and wait if there isn't room on the other side.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, downloaded 2026-10-07. Counts cover public roads within 2 miles of the office.
Where to practice each part of the California drive test
The DMV's drive test score sheet (form DL 32) marks you on parking lot driving, backing, intersections, turns, lane changes, and business and residential driving. Here's where to practice near San Diego DMV.
- Every loop
Parking lot driving
The DMV lot itself, at the start and end of every test - Stage 2
Stopping at all-way stops
Florida St, 3 in a row - Stage 3
Lights you drive straight through
Washington St: 4 sets of lights in 0.7 mi - Stage 2
Left turn at lights
From Park Blvd onto Robinson Ave - Stage 3
Left turn without lights
From Centre St onto Harvey Milk St, giving way to oncoming traffic - Stage 2
Right turn at lights
From University Ave onto Park Blvd - Stage 1
Residential streets
Georgia St and the streets around it - Not on a loop
Freeway merging
Only scored on supplemental (referral) tests. For practice, the nearest on-ramp is on Washington St
Score sheet sections from California DMV form DL 32. Places from OpenStreetMap.
Which lane do I need near San Diego DMV?
Lane layouts at the junctions with lights on our practice routes, as you'd see them approaching. Arrows show which way each lane can go.
Indiana St and Park Blvd
On Stage 2.
Heading south on Park Blvd
Left, straight
Heading northeast on Park Blvd
Left or straight, straight
Heading south, there's no separate right-turn lane, so turn right from the right-hand lane.
El Cajon Blvd and Florida St
On Stage 2.
Heading east on El Cajon Blvd
Left, straight, straight, right
Heading west on El Cajon Blvd
Left, straight, straight, straight
Heading east, the far-right lane is for turning right only.
El Cajon Blvd and Texas St
On Stage 2.
Heading west on El Cajon Blvd
Left, straight, straight, straight, right
Heading east on El Cajon Blvd
Left, straight, straight, straight, right
Heading west, the far-right lane is for turning right only.
Lane layouts from OpenStreetMap. Road markings can change, so always follow the arrows painted on the road.
Booked your San Diego road test?
See routes from real San Diego tests
Once you're confident on these loops, the Driving Test Routes app has 6 routes recorded from real tests at San Diego DMV, with turn-by-turn voice directions on your phone.
On a computer?Scan with your phone's camera to get the app.
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San Diego driving test questions
Where does the San Diego DMV driving test go?
The DMV doesn't publish its test routes. Every test starts and finishes in the office parking lot, and the roads closest to the office are the ones you're most likely to drive, such as Park Blvd, University Ave, Texas St. Routes recorded from real San Diego tests are in the Driving Test Routes app.
Are these the real San Diego test routes?
No. Our practice routes are loops we planned from San Diego's street data to cover the skills on the test. They're for practice, not a copy of the DMV's routes.
What do you need to pass the California drive test?
The DMV's score sheet (form DL 32) says you pass with no more than 15 errors on the driving maneuvers and no critical driving errors. Before you set off, you also need no more than 3 errors on the parking brake, arm signals, wipers, defroster, emergency flashers and headlights.
What makes San Diego's roads tricky for learners?
Within 2 miles of the office, 15 miles of streets are one-way; there are 4 railroad crossings within 2 miles; there are 174 sets of traffic lights within 2 miles.
How do I book a drive test at San Diego DMV?
Book online through the California DMV appointments page, choosing San Diego as your office. Book on the DMV website.
San Diego DMV office information
Opening hours
| Monday | 8:00 am to 5:00 pm |
| Tuesday | 8:00 am to 5:00 pm |
| Wednesday | 9:00 am to 5:00 pm |
| Thursday | 8:00 am to 5:00 pm |
| Friday | 8:00 am to 5:00 pm |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours can change on holidays. Check the DMV's San Diego page before you go.
Nearby offices
- San Diego Clairemont DMV5.4 mi
- Chula Vista DMV7.7 mi
- El Cajon DMV11.9 mi
Services at San Diego DMV
- Behind-the-wheel drive tests
- Written knowledge tests
- Motorcycle driving tests
- Driver's license and ID applications
- Replacement documents
- Vehicle registration and renewals
- Title transfers
- License plates
- Disabled parking placards
- Driver and vehicle records