1.4 MVA Testing and Required Instructor Courses

The Two Testing Gates

Maryland gates instructor credentialing twice, and COMAR 11.23.02.27 separates them cleanly.

Gate 1 — qualifying for the apprentice instructor permit (§A and §B)

An individual "shall successfully pass the knowledge test and the basic skills evaluation in both classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction conducted by the Administration to qualify for an apprentice instructor permit."

The applicant shall:

1. Pass the knowledge test before attempting the basic skills evaluation (§B(1)). The order is mandatory — you cannot demonstrate teaching skill first and sit the written test later.
2. Pass both the knowledge test and the basic skills evaluation for both the classroom and the behind-the-wheel instruction (§B(2)).
3. Wait at least 7 days, in the event of failure, prior to any additional attempts (§B(3)).
4. Wait at least 1 year after failing the fifth attempt to pass the test or evaluation, before reapplying for an apprentice instructor permit (§B(4)).

Gate 2 — qualifying for instructor certification (§C and §D)

An individual "shall successfully pass the final skills evaluation to demonstrate competency and proficiency in teaching both classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction conducted by the Administration to qualify for an instructor certification."

The applicant shall pass the final skills evaluation in both the behind-the-wheel and the classroom instruction (§D(1)), wait at least 7 days after a failure before another attempt (§D(2)), and wait at least 1 year after failing the fifth attempt before reapplying for instructor certification (§D(3)).

The symmetry is the memory hook

Both gates use the same two numbers: 7 days between attempts and 1 year after the fifth failure. What differs is the instrument — a knowledge test plus basic skills evaluations for the permit, and final skills evaluations for certification.

The MVA does not publish an item count, a time limit, or a passing score for the instructor knowledge test. Driving schools that train Maryland instructor candidates commonly describe it as a roughly 50-question test on teaching and curriculum knowledge, but that figure is not an official MVA publication and should not be treated as one. What COMAR does establish — the sequence, the 7-day wait, and the five-attempt ceiling — is what an exam can fairly test.

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The Course Ladder (COMAR 11.23.02.28)

§A: an individual shall successfully complete the following Administration-approved courses to qualify for an apprentice instructor permit and instructor certification.

Courses for the apprentice instructor permit (§B)

These are conducted by the employing certified school:

1. An introductory course providing a detailed review of:
   • (a) Maryland's Graduated Licensing System; and
   • (b) the driver education program;
2. A primary level classroom instruction course providing basic knowledge of how to teach and facilitate student learning activities in the classroom instruction of the program curriculum; and
3. A primary level behind-the-wheel instruction course providing basic knowledge of how to teach and facilitate student learning activities in behind-the-wheel instruction of the program curriculum.

Courses for instructor certification (§C)

These are conducted by an Administration-approved instructor trainer, not by the employing school:

1. An advanced level classroom instruction course providing comprehensive knowledge of how to teach and facilitate student learning activities in the classroom instruction; and
2. An advanced level behind-the-wheel instruction course providing comprehensive knowledge of how to teach and facilitate learning in behind-the-wheel instruction.

COMAR 11.23.02.29 governs those trainers: an instructor trainer is an individual approved by the Administration to conduct the approved instructor certification courses; approval must precede teaching the advanced courses; the Administration sets the approval criteria "including, but not limited to, the requirement that all courses shall be open to the public"; and an approved trainer must let the MVA review course and participant records during normal operating hours and monitor the instruction given in all instructor certification courses.

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Two Waiver Routes (COMAR 11.23.02.28D and E)

The teaching-certificate waiver (§D)

The Administration may waive the instructor certification course requirements in classroom instruction for individuals who possess a valid teaching certificate from a state department of education, if the individual meets all other requirements for instructor certification. Note the limit: this waiver reaches the classroom courses only. Behind-the-wheel course requirements survive it.

The out-of-state experience waiver (§E)

The Administration may waive the instructor certification course requirements for classroom and behind-the-wheel training for individuals who provide documented and verifiable training and experience as a driver education instructor from another state, if the individual:

1. Provides proof acceptable to the Administration that the training and experience is equivalent to the training requirements set forth in the regulation;
2. Successfully completes the introductory course outlined in §B(1);
3. Successfully passes the knowledge test outlined in Regulation .27; and
4. Successfully passes the final skills evaluations demonstrating competency and proficiency in teaching both classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction under Regulation .27.

The broader waiver still forces the candidate through the Maryland-specific gate. The introductory course is the one that covers Maryland's Graduated Licensing System and the Maryland driver education program, and both the knowledge test and the final skills evaluations remain mandatory. An experienced out-of-state instructor can skip the primary and advanced course sequence — never the Maryland orientation or the MVA testing.

Worked scenario

Case. A candidate fails the classroom basic skills evaluation on Tuesday. The school schedules a retest for Friday of the same week — three days later. Is that permissible?

Analysis. No. COMAR 11.23.02.27B(3) requires the applicant to "wait at least 7 days, in the event of failure, prior to any additional attempts." The earliest lawful retest is the eighth day. The same 7-day floor applies to the final skills evaluation under §D(2).