Written by
Chamitha Lokuwithana — Ex-VicRoads Licence Testing Officer
1,800+ official drive tests conducted · Founder, Lessons2Drive
Most learner drivers think 120 hours means 120 hours of driving. It doesn't. I sat in the passenger seat for over 1,800 official VicRoads drive tests. The students who failed were not the ones with the fewest hours. They were the ones whose hours were spent in the wrong conditions — doing the same quiet streets over and over, never building the skills VicRoads actually tests. Here's what the criteria say, what examiners look for, and how to make sure your 120 hours actually prepares you to pass.
What VicRoads Actually Requires
Under Victoria's Graduated Licensing System (GLS), any driver who obtained their learner permit on or after 1 July 2007 and is under 21 when applying for a probationary licence must hold their permit for at least 12 months, complete a minimum of 120 hours of supervised driving (including at least 20 hours at night), and present a signed Log Book and Declaration of Completion at the time of testing. These are not optional — without them, VicRoads will not permit you to sit the drive test.
120 hours of the same streets produces a driver ready for those streets — not the test.
The VicRoads drive test is split into two stages. Each stage assesses specific tasks in specific traffic environments. Your practice hours must match those environments — or you will be underprepared for what happens on test day.
What the VicRoads Drive Test Actually Assesses
The drive test is divided into two stages. Understanding what each stage assesses tells you exactly what your 120 hours need to cover.
S1
Stage 1 — 10 Minutes · Quiet Roads · Speed Limits 60 km/h or Less
Designed to identify whether it's safe to proceed to Stage 2
Stage 1 uses relatively simple driving tasks in a lower-risk traffic environment. The purpose is not to assess whether you're a polished driver — it's to confirm you won't create a danger to yourself or others in Stage 2. If you fail Stage 1, you are not permitted to attempt Stage 2, and your test ends.
Tasks assessed in Stage 1 include:
Right turn — giving way to intersecting traffic
Left turn — giving way to intersecting traffic
Lane change right — with correct mirrors, signal, head check
Lane change left — with correct mirrors, signal, head check
Reverse parallel park — or three-point turn if no safe location available
Right turn giving way — to one lane of oncoming traffic
Important: At least 5 of the 7 tasks in Stage 1 (including the reverse park or three-point turn) must be completed before the test can proceed to Stage 2. If road works or other unforeseen issues prevent this, the test is incomplete and must be rebooked.
S2
Stage 2 — 20 Minutes · Busier Roads · Speed Limits 60–80 km/h
Assesses whether you're genuinely ready for solo driving
Stage 2 moves to medium to heavy traffic and arterial roads. It assesses whether you can drive safely and independently in real day-to-day conditions — not just quiet streets. There are at least 14 assessable tasks in Stage 2, and up to 21 on some routes.
Stage 2 adds these more complex tasks:
Right turns — giving way to one and two lanes of oncoming traffic
Left turns — one and two lane roads, and left turn with priority
Lane changes in preparation for a turn — both left and right
Merging lanes — adjusting speed to find a safe gap
Straight drives — medium speed and arterial road (assessed on speed, following distance, observation)
The complete test requires at least 17 tasks across both stages, including the reverse park or three-point turn, at least two lane changes, and at least one straight drive. If this minimum isn't met due to unforeseen circumstances, the test result is incomplete and must be redone.
⚡ LTO Insider — Chamitha Lokuwithana
"I assessed students every day who had completed their 120 hours honestly but still weren't ready for Stage 2. Why? Because their hours were almost entirely on low-traffic local roads at 50 km/h. Then the test moved onto an 80 km/h arterial road with two lanes of traffic each way, and they had no experience making right turns in that environment. The 120 hours weren't wasted — they just weren't targeted at what the test requires."
— Chamitha Lokuwithana, Ex-VicRoads Licence Testing Officer · Founder, Lessons2Drive
How to Use Your 120 Hours — Matched to the Real Assessment Criteria
Every task in the VicRoads drive test has specific assessment items the examiner records: Observation, Signalling, Gap Selection, Speed Choice, Following Distance, Lateral Position, and Control. Your practice hours need to deliberately develop each of these — not just general driving.
1
Observation — Practice on Busy Roads with Real Traffic Decisions
The criteria assess observation continuously: maintaining a lookout ahead, checking mirrors often enough to maintain awareness, looking in the direction you're about to turn before turning, performing a head check immediately before every lateral movement. This skill only develops in traffic — not in quiet streets where nothing is happening around you.
Practice target: At least 20–30 hours on multi-lane arterial roads (e.g. the Western Ring Road, Ballarat Road, Princes Highway) where you must constantly scan ahead, check mirrors every few seconds, and respond to real traffic decisions. Quiet streets do not build this habit.
2
Gap Selection — Practise at Real Give Way and Stop Intersections
Gap selection is formally assessed when you turn at intersections, merge, enter roundabouts, and change lanes. The criteria require that you select the first available safe gap after an initial period of observation — not the first gap you see, but the first safe gap after you've had time to properly assess the traffic. Both errors are penalised: taking an unsafe gap and missing a safe one.
Practice target: At least 15–20 hours practising right turns across two-lane oncoming traffic, entering roundabouts in moderate traffic, and merging on arterial roads. These are the exact scenarios in Stage 2 of the test.
3
Speed Choice — All Three Speed Zones, Including School Zones
The drive test assesses your speed throughout. You must drive at or close to the speed limit when conditions are suitable. Driving 10 km/h or more below the limit for a substantial part of the stage is a Critical Error. Exceeding the limit by 5 km/h or more at any time ends your test. In a school zone, any excess at all during operating hours ends your test immediately.
Practice target: Deliberately practise driving at 60, 70, and 80 km/h on appropriate roads. Identify school zones near your home and VicRoads test centre — know their operating hours. Practise downhill sections where speed can creep up without you noticing.
4
Night Driving — The 20 Hours You Cannot Skip
Victoria's GLS mandates a minimum of 20 hours of supervised night driving in your logbook. But beyond the requirement, night driving develops critical skills the test assesses: hazard detection with reduced visibility, managing headlight glare, judging distances and pedestrian behaviour in lower light. These are skills that only come from actually driving at night — you cannot simulate them in daytime practice.
Practice target: Spread night hours across different road types — local streets, arterials, and areas with pedestrian traffic. Driving around an empty suburban loop at 10pm every night does not build meaningful night driving skill.
5
Reverse Parallel Park — The Most Precisely Assessed Task in the Entire Test
The reverse parallel park has more specific measurements than any other task in the criteria. You must complete it in no more than 4 vehicle movements and within 2 minutes. You must not reverse more than 7 metres behind the vehicle in front. You must finish with both left wheels within 300mm of the kerb, and the front of your car between 1 and 2 metres behind the vehicle in front. Allowing one wheel to mount the kerb is a Critical Error. Two wheels mounting the kerb ends the test immediately.
Practice target: Practise the reverse park until you can consistently complete it within 4 movements on the first attempt. Use fixed reference points in the car. Also practise in different vehicles if possible — reference points shift with car size. This is one task where repetition until mastery is the only acceptable standard.
6
Adverse Conditions — Rain, Wet Roads, and Low Visibility
The VicRoads criteria explicitly account for adverse conditions. The following distance requirement increases from 2 seconds to at least 3 seconds on wet or unsealed roads. Speed choices below the posted limit are accepted without penalty when conditions genuinely make it unsafe to drive at the limit. These rules only benefit you if you've actually driven in rain and experienced what wet roads feel like — the reduced grip, the longer braking distances, the impact on visibility.
Practice target: Do not cancel practice sessions because of rain. Driving in light to moderate rain with your supervisor is some of the most valuable experience you can accumulate. You need to know how your car responds in wet conditions before you face it alone.
The Honest Truth About the 120 Hours
"Complete your logbook honestly. Not because VicRoads will check every entry — but because the hours exist to protect you. Every hour in the logbook is an hour of experience between you and a situation you've never faced before. Padding the logbook doesn't give you that experience. It just removes the protection the system was designed to give you."
— Chamitha Lokuwithana, Ex-VicRoads Licence Testing Officer · Founder, Lessons2Drive
A Practical Hour Distribution Guide
This is not a VicRoads requirement — it's a practical framework based on what the test actually assesses. Use it to structure your 120 hours with intention rather than just accumulating time.
| Driving Environment |
Why It Matters for the Test |
Suggested Hours |
| Local streets (50 km/h) |
Building basic control, stop sign compliance, pedestrian awareness |
25–30 hrs |
| Arterial roads (60–80 km/h) |
Stage 2 environment — multi-lane, speed choice, following distance, observation |
30–35 hrs |
| Complex intersections & roundabouts |
Gap selection, give way rules, signalling at roundabouts, lateral position on turns |
15–20 hrs |
| Reverse parallel park practice |
Most precisely measured task in the criteria — requires mastery, not familiarity |
10–15 hrs |
| Night driving (mandatory 20 hrs) |
Hazard detection, glare management, distance judgement in reduced visibility |
20 hrs minimum |
| Adverse conditions (rain, heavy traffic) |
3-second following distance rule kicks in; builds confidence for unexpected situations |
5–10 hrs |
Have your 120 hours — but not sure if they were the right hours?
Our Drive Test Readiness Assessment is designed exactly for this. We'll identify the specific gaps in your experience against the actual VicRoads assessment criteria — and tell you honestly whether you're ready to book your test.
See how we help →
What the Log Book Must Show
Under the GLS, your logbook and Declaration of Completion must be signed by you and your supervising drivers before VicRoads will allow you to sit the drive test. The requirements are:
✓
Minimum 120 hours total supervised driving recorded in your VicRoads log book
✓
At least 20 of those hours completed at night
✓
Learner permit held for at least 12 months before the test date
✓
Log book and Declaration of Completion signed and presented at the VicRoads Customer Service Centre on the day of the test
Make your 120 hours count
Train with the School That Knows Exactly What VicRoads Is Looking For
Lessons2Drive was founded by Chamitha Lokuwithana, who spent years as a VicRoads Licence Testing Officer — involved in the drive test route design and assessment process at Werribee, and in the training of new Licence Testing Officers. Every lesson we teach is built around what the criteria actually require, not general driving advice.
✓ Lessons on real VicRoads test routes
✓ Trained to the same standard as VicRoads examiners
✓ 304 five-star Google reviews
📞 0400 008 706
✉ Info@Lessons2Drive.com.au
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