I-5 Driving School

Hi, we know it's disappointing to not pass a driving test, and it's our goal to always help someone pass the test on their first try. There are 119 technical errors on the driving test, and when we explain the errors, it's usually tough to absorb the advice in the moment. The best advice we can give you is to always stay to the right in residential roads where there are no painted lane lines, and to have your foot on the brake (not the gas) when shifting out of Park into Reverse or Drive. The errors that cost you the most points were ones where you were driving on the wrong side of the road, which ultimately caused the disqualification. We're glad you went to visit William for your next driving test; he is very friendly, took his instructor and examiner training with us, and we always recommend him. That route has a lot more painted lines (but more city traffic), and I can see why you would prefer that route.

Hello! Thank you for your kind words, and you're right that some of the drive exam courses can have more challenging elements like a roundabout. Out of the 8 different routes we have across our 3 locations, the easiest one is probably in Auburn. It still has a small roundabout in it, but has fewer pedestrians. For anyone who needs a super easy route, it's best to go out of King County and to a more rural area. That said, it's much easier to take the driving test with a relaxed and friendly examiner :)

Hi, I'm sorry that you feel this way, but we certainly don't want our students to fail. On a driving test, if you commit one of the 15 automatic disqualifications (such as speeding 6+ over the speed limit, not stopping at a red light or a stop sign, for example), the test ends immediately, and we are required to return to the school. This is not our rule but is one given to us by the Department of Licensing.

If it were up to us, we would continue the exam and use that time as an evaluation period to give you complete feedback on how to pass next time. We list a lot of videos on our website and give out a free tip sheet on how to pass the driving test, which no one else does. We also have the lowest price for driving tests and have no plans to increase it.

There are schools that are not scrupulous, and there are three signs that you’re at one. (1) They don’t provide help on how to pass the test, (2) They usually charge a little more than other schools, and (3) They encourage you to sign up for driving lessons and/or another exam. If you experience this, you should not use that school again.

We don’t encourage people to take private lessons with us, and they aren’t even offered at this location. As far as driver education, our entire curriculum is posted on YouTube for free. You don’t have to pay us a dollar to learn how to drive or to pass the test.

We'd really like to hear more specifics about your experience, including what you believe is racist behavior. We do record video in our offices and would like to investigate this further. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated here. Please email [email protected] with a few more specifics, such as when you were here, so we can review the video.