Is a 74 a Good Driving Test Score? What Your Practical Driving Result Really Means

You pass your driving test, nervous as anything, the examiner says you got a 74. Your heart skips. Is that a good driving score? Should you be pleased, embarrassed, worried your mates will laugh? Or is a 74 a secret high score only strong drivers get? There’s a lot to unpack here—especially when you consider all the drama, sweat, and second-guessing that comes bundled with a driving test. That two-digit number is more loaded than most people realise, and it can be the difference between cruising out of the testing centre with freedom or heading back to book another round.

What Does a 74 Mean on the Driving Test?

Let’s set the record straight. In many countries, including New Zealand and the UK, the practical driving test is marked out of 100. The way the scoring works isn’t the same as school tests, where 74 out of 100 would mean a solid B. For the practical driving test, it’s less about nailing every skill with finesse and more about being good enough to hit the pass threshold—and that number is not as high as you might think.

The pass mark for the practical driving test in New Zealand is 80 out of 100. If you hit 80 or higher, you’re officially a qualified driver. But what happens if you land on 74? That’s just below the safety line. The simple answer: you didn’t pass.

Let’s imagine the marking sheet: the examiner ticks boxes for things like use of mirrors, correct indication, safe manoeuvring, handling speed, and control at intersections. Each slip-up is a deduction. Minor faults knock one or two points off; serious mistakes can result in a hefty loss or even immediate failure. So, a 74 means you lost 26 points—a number big enough to signal there were a few issues during the drive.

Here’s a typical marking table for practical tests:

One thing that catches people off guard—getting a 74 isn’t a disaster. It’s usually just a series of small errors, not a case of dangerous driving. You may have misjudged a gap, hesitated at an intersection, forgot a mirror check, or fumbled a parallel park. Every new driver has been there. Yes, it means more practice is needed, but it also gives you a benchmark for next time.

How the Driving Test Score Is Calculated

Examiners have a checklist that covers every single move you make once you turn the ignition. Tests are designed to cover a range of real-world road situations: city driving, roundabouts, traffic lights, lane changes, merging at speed, rural roads if you're out of the city, and handling cyclists or pedestrians popping out unexpectedly.

Points are lost for both small and big mistakes. Minor faults—think missing a mirror check or a slow indicator—will only cost a couple of points each. Stack enough of those up and you’ve lost a passing margin without ever having a single ‘critical error.’ Serious mistakes, such as missing a stop sign, failing to give way, or running a red, could fail you on the spot, depending on the country. But for those who end with a 74, it’s usually death by a thousand paper cuts, not one grave error.

The New Zealand practical test is scored by tallying up errors in real time while you drive. You might hear the examiner’s pen scratching as you nervously wonder what you’ve just done wrong. Experienced test-takers say you never really know what you’re getting until you pull back into the testing bay. Examiners don’t give hints. That score—74—is the sum of all faults marked down. It is not a percentage. It’s just your raw number, so don’t go calculating 74% and comparing to school grades.

People often want to know if there’s grade inflation, or if urban centres have harsher examiners. Anecdotally, results vary by test centre. Wellington reportedly has an average pass rate in the low 60% range, while some smaller towns boast pass rates above 70%. Those are pass rates, not scores—so remember, it’s possible to pass with an 80, even if you’re not perfect. The system is designed to ensure you’re safe and reliable, not a motorsport prodigy.

Ever heard stories of someone passing with straight 80, not a point lost? It’s rare. Most new drivers have nerves, encounter weird road situations, or blank out on a rule. If you land on 74, you’re not alone. According to NZTA reports, nearly 1 in 5 fail on their first go, and scores between 70 and 79 are incredibly common, especially for those who thought they were ‘ready’ but got hit by surprise nerves.

Here’s another truth: even examiners admit the driving test is as much about handling pressure as skill. People with great technical ability often lose points just by overthinking, hesitating, or freezing during a tricky manoeuvre like a reverse parallel park. Calm, steady confidence beats nervous precision almost every time.

On top of everything, the most important driving test score tip is to treat it as a learning tool, not just a verdict. The feedback helps you plug gaps before you hit the open road unsupervised. Your 74 is not a life sentence—just a checkpoint on the road to being a better driver.

How to Improve Your Driving Test Score and Pass Next Time

First off, don’t panic or sulk if you scored a 74. Loads of good drivers flunk once or twice. Stop, breathe, and go through the examiner’s feedback. This is pure gold: it’s specific, honest, and more useful than asking your parents or friends, who’ve probably picked up bad habits over years of driving anyway.

Step one is breaking your score down. Was it all minor errors, or did you bomb a particular section? Did you miss too many mirror checks, or was lane discipline the big issue? Be honest with yourself. Make a list of the fault patterns that appeared on your testing report.

• Work on weak spots: If you lost points on observation, get a mate or instructor to test you on mirror checks and blind spot safety. If parallel or angle parking was a nightmare, find an empty parking lot and practice until it’s muscle memory.
• Drill the manoeuvres: Most practical tests centre on basic tasks: hill starts, three-point turns, ‘turn abouts’, emergency stops. If you messed up any one of these, repeat it until you can do it with your eyes shut. Well, not literally – keep your eyes open, obviously.
• Mock tests matter: Simulate the test, nerves and all. Have someone act as a tough examiner. Do a full run in all kinds of traffic and weather. Try new test routes, not just your practice run.
• Know your local roads: Every area has its own quirks—tight roundabouts in Wellington, tricky merges on Auckland's motorways, unpredictable weather down south. Practise where you’re being tested so you’re not caught by surprise.
• Relaxation techniques: Nerves kill. Before your test, try deep breathing, listen to calming music, or visualise your route. Arrive early so you're not rushing in stressed, and remember that the examiner wants you to succeed. They’re not there to trip you up.

It’s also worth understanding mistakes that don’t actually cost you points: stalling the car isn’t an instant fail, so long as you restart calmly; crunching a gear might get you a sideways look but not a deduction if you recover quickly; checking your mirrors ‘too much’ just looks cautious, not incompetent. You lose points for safety risks, not mild awkwardness.

Another under-appreciated tip—watch other tests. If you have friends or siblings about to sit their test, ask if you can tag along and sit in the back. Seeing how an examiner does the check, which situations stress most learners, where people mess up, gives you a play-by-play on what to prepare for. Some driving schools offer this as a service, claiming it boosts first-time pass rates by up to 15%.

If you’re going for a retest, book it sooner rather than later. Statistically, candidates who retake the test within two weeks of their last attempt improve their scores by 10-15% on average. Leave it too long and the nerves return—or worse, the bad habits start to creep back in.

And remind yourself: the driving test isn’t a character judgment. A 74 doesn’t mean you’re careless, dangerous, or doomed. It’s just a nudge to practise more and get your skills up to scratch. You’ll get there, probably sooner than you think.