Driving Tests

Ohio Maneuverability Test: Cone Setup, Steps and Scoring

informational·how to guide·Published June 18, 2026

How is the Ohio maneuverability test set up?

The Ohio maneuverability test uses four markers that form a 9-foot by 20-foot box, plus a center marker 20 feet past the box. You drive forward through the box, steer to the side of the center marker that the examiner names, stop, then back through the box. Errors add points, and 26 or more points is a fail. Running over or knocking down a marker fails you at once.

Where the Ohio maneuverability facts come from

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) describes the test in the Driving and Skills Test section of its driver license page. Ohio Revised Code 4507.11 requires a maneuverability test and a road test, and Ohio Revised Code 4507.21 covers the abbreviated adult course. The cone distances, point values and practice tips come from Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) driver training guidance: the Ohio Abbreviated Adult Course Curriculum (February 2026) and the 50-hour practice guide Teaching Your Teen to Drive (DTO 0171). This guidance is for driver training; it is not law. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Ohio BMV (bmv.ohio.gov) before you drive.

How the Ohio maneuverability course is set up

The Ohio driving test has two parts: driving and maneuverability. For the maneuverability part, four markers form a 9-foot by 20-foot box, about the size of a normal parking space. Measurements are taken from the center of each marker.
A fifth marker, the center marker, stands in the middle of the course, 20 feet past the second pair of markers and 4½ feet from each 9-foot edge. Driver training material calls the markers cones and the center marker the point cone.

Ohio maneuverability test steps

1
Line up at the start
Put the front bumper even with the first two cones.
2
Step one: drive forward through the box
Drive slowly between the four cones in one continuous motion. The examiner tells you to go to the right or the left of the center marker.
3
Stop even with the center marker
Straighten the car and stop when the rear bumper is even with the center marker and the car is generally parallel with the course.
4
Step two: back past the center marker
From that stop, back past the center marker in one continuous motion. Turn the wheel so that the car lines up to back through the original four cones.
5
Back through the box and stop
Straighten the car and back through the box. Stop with the bumper even with the two rear markers (the first two cones where you started) and the car generally parallel with the course.
6
Drive out of the test area
Take the car out of the test area without running over a marker or doing anything else that disqualifies you.

What costs points and what fails you at once

The BMV takes points off for stopping, bumping markers, misjudging the stopping distance and not being parallel with the test area. Running over or knocking down a marker, or moving a marker out of its designated area, is an immediate failure.
The table gives the point values from ODPS driver training guidance. A total of 26 or more points is a fail, so it is better to stop and adjust than to hit a cone.

Ohio maneuverability points (ODPS guidance)

Ohio maneuverability points (ODPS guidance)
What happens	Points
Stopping to check progress	2
Asking to start over	2
Misjudging the stopping distance	5
Not stopping parallel to the course	5
Bumping a cone off of the square	10
Running over a cone, or knocking it down, completely over or completely off the square	Immediate failure
Total of 26 or more points	Fail

How to practice the maneuverability test

Find a large, level, mostly empty area, such as a parking lot. Lesson 9 of the state's 50-hour practice guide is the maneuverability lesson.
Practice both sides. Pull forward to the left or right in one continuous motion, then pull backward to the left or right in one continuous motion.
Control your speed with the brake. Keep your foot off the gas pedal and use only the brake.
Practice backing on its own. Lesson 2 of the guide covers driving backward in a straight line and while turning.
Log your hours if you are under 21. New drivers under 21 must log 50 hours of practice driving, with at least 10 hours at night.

What if you fail the Ohio maneuverability test?

You are under 21

Wait two days before you test again. The Ohio driving test guide covers the driving part of the test.

You are 21 or older, you apply for your first driver license, and you fail the maneuverability or road part for the first time

If you did not complete a driver training course in the 12 months before the test, take an abbreviated adult driver training course before your second try, and bring its certificate of completion. Check yourself with the free question on an adult retest after a failed drive.

You need the abbreviated adult course

Take a 4-hour class in person or a 4-hour state-approved online course. Then do 4 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a licensed instructor, or 24 hours of driving with a licensed driver 21 or older. With the 24-hour option, drive no more than four hours in one day and bring the notarized Twenty-Four Hour Affidavit (BMV 5789). See the abbreviated adult course options.

You are 21 or older and fail a second time

You do not need another abbreviated course, but you must wait at least two days before the next try.

What to bring on test day and what happens after you pass

Bring your temporary instruction permit identification card (TIPIC) and a vehicle in good condition. The vehicle is inspected before the test begins. If you are under 21, also bring the completed BMV 5791 Fifty-Hour Affidavit. If you are under 18, bring your Driver Education Certificate too.
After you pass both parts, buy your license at a deputy registrar license agency within 60 days of the test. Under 18, this is a probationary driver license. You give up the TIPIC at that time.

Key takeaways

The course is a 9-foot by 20-foot box of four markers, plus a center marker 20 feet past the box.
Step one is forward past the center marker. Step two is backward through the box. In both steps you stop with the bumper even with the markers and the car generally parallel with the course.
Running over or knocking down a marker is an immediate failure. In ODPS guidance, 26 or more points is a fail.
Under 21, wait two days after a fail. At 21 or older, for a first license, a first fail means an abbreviated adult driver training course before the second try, unless you completed driver training in the 12 months before the test.
Next step: practice on the free Ohio temps (Class D knowledge) practice test. Its questions are in English only.

Ohio maneuverability test: common questions

How many points fail the Ohio maneuverability test?

In ODPS driver training guidance, 26 or more points is a fail. Stopping to check progress or asking to start over adds 2 points. Misjudging the stopping distance or not stopping parallel adds 5. Bumping a cone off of the square adds 10. That guidance is for instructors and students; it is not law.

Can I stop during the maneuverability test?

Yes, but each stop costs points. The BMV lists stopping as a deduction, and ODPS guidance gives 2 points each time you stop to check your progress. A stop costs much less than a hit cone, so stop and adjust when you are not sure of your position.

What happens if I hit a cone on the Ohio maneuverability test?

It depends on what happens to the cone. ODPS guidance gives 10 points for bumping a cone off of the square. If you run over a cone, knock it down, or knock it completely off the square, you fail at once. The BMV also fails you if you move a marker out of its designated area.

How do I schedule the Ohio maneuverability test?

The maneuverability test is part of the driving test, so you book one appointment. Schedule it at BMV Online Services with the "Schedule a Driving or Skills Test" tile. The BMV does not schedule tests by email. Book only when you are ready and you meet all the requirements, driver training included.