DriveTest

Friendly staff, not too crowded, very considerate knowledgeable instructors. The city is beautiful to drive in and to get tested in. The waiting time at this test center is much better than in other cities in Eastern Ontario

Very Unprofessional, very rude and very bias. The examiner name was JOHN. Though i was doing shoulder check, he said i was not doing and for matching the speed limit he gave me that I was not going along traffic! Lol i have to be at the speed limit or else that might be reason for failing.

He was rude to me from starting, he said I have to be there 30 mins early before test. Though i was 7 mins early and have checked in before my test time, he told me that I am late. Very unprofessional!

I WOULD JUST NOT GO WUTH “JOHN”.
I know no action will be taken, they will ignore the feedback as well.

I had John as my examiner, despite all of the negative reviews about him he was the complete opposite and I had a great experience. He was very professional, directions were clear and he was very polite and I felt comfortable my whole test. Overall great experience!

G2 instructor is completely unprofessional, unhelpful and only makes situations more anxious and dire. Definitely should consider another line of work less involved with the public.

I read all the reviews of John. I really wasn't afraid. However; this guy drew lines all the way through on my blind spots telling me I don't check when I merge. Example; I'm making a L onto an 80 road. I stopped and already checked behind me that no one is coming or around. No one coming from either direction. I merge, get to speed. Why do I need to still check my blinds spots? I felt sooooo pressured & not comfortable with this individual. He was constantly on his note board checking something. If I never check my blind spot I think I would have gotten into an accident by now on my life. I asked him before I checked the report; why he failed me. He was like; there was just too many. But when I downloaded the report he just marked lines down all the blind spot areas in every section! My instructor was annoyed that I failed on seeing the report knowing full well I do check blind spots; it just confirms stories I've heard from ppl taking their test- that they are failing ppl to make up for lost money.

I had my g2 today at smiths falls and my examiner was David. I must say he was a fine examiner, he made me feel so comfortable, gave me clear instructions. And guess what I passed. I must say that David very nice and definitely recommend this centre for other people.

We were absolutely appalled by the organization/treatment of this center. We recently went to get our G1 and the dysfunctional nature of this place was evident immediately. There was probably over 15 people waiting in a line, resulting in a long wait time. This obviously wasn't the workers' faults, but the way they handled it was super unprofessional. There was a total of two workers. This was the time for one of them to think- it's time to take my break! With only 2 hrs left before the place closed and a huge line, deciding to take a break then was crazy. Working customer service it is quite known that you don't take a break when it is rush hour and leave only one worker to handle the crowd (unless you want to get in a fight with management). This left the one worker in a stressed and quick tempered attitude.

Here's a few ideas to solve these issues:
Number one: don't leave your coworker to fend for themselves at the front desk during the busiest time.
Number two: have two separate areas/lines (one for taking computer tests and another for taking driving tests)
Number three: put up clear signage (no where did it say that you had to grab a ticket to be called on to take your g1. It only said that for g2. We went up to the front desk without a ticket and were condescendingly spoken to by the worker that we were supposed to have a ticket. Clearly there wasn't a sign saying that because we started a chain reaction of people running to grab a ticket for their g1).

Overall need better management, more workers and better attitudes.

I passed my G test at Smith Falls today. My examiner was John and he was polite and helped me calm down at first. I followed the rules strictly, no rolling stops, adhered to speed limits, mirror and blind spot checks and he was observing. He shared great feedback on areas that I can improve upon. Overall a great experience and I believe you can pass and focus on the industry standards expected for Ontario licenses. Do not get biased or prejudiced with what you read on websites. The Smith Falls drive test center is a great place to go get your license.

Passed my G2 test on my first try here today. Was a great experience. No line, no wait, driving test was simple and only took about 10 Minutes. My examiner was awesome, which helped cause i was nervous. I'd definitely recommend the Smiths Falls Location for road tests

Don't bother calling this place. They will not answer the phones. Be prepared to drive there if you need assistance

Not only did I fail at this location twice but I was given the wrong directions during a test. I was told to turn left when I should have continued straight/ do a slight left. Out of anxiety I turned right and got docked points. Wouldn't recommend this spot as a first choice but congrats to everyone who's passed here

If you have john as your examiner you’re going to fail, he’s rude, ignorant and will fail you over the most minor things.don’t understand how he still has this job after the hundreds of negative reviews

Surprised they don’t do anything about these instructors, that guy john is a real miserable guy

I wish I could give less than one star. John is by far the worst examiner I have ever dealt with. Very rude, contradicts himself and fails for minor errors. Please change your location or ask for a different driving examiner!

If you are a person of color you may want to looks somewhere else unless you want to waste your time. I was told to wait outside for instructor after 3 hours I went inside to be told me test had been cancelled.

The only reason I'm giving two stars is because of the woman behind the counter that greeted, helped and rooted for me. I had John as my evaluator, I didn't pass. I made some mistakes which I own but it's his delivery/how he talks to people and his energy. He had an attitude when I asked for clarification where he wanted me to turn because I couldn't fully hear him. It's obvious that he tries to intimidate people. I won't be going back here for my second attempt.

Drive test centres are usually full of stress but the staff here ride that out well and I’ve always seen them treat people well. I’ve always appreciated that extra bit when people are working in a busy environment.

Very organized team, the ladies at the front desk are lovely. John was my examiner for my G and he was also a delight. Thanks!

Smithsfalls location 110% would recommend, in tested and out in under 30 minutes, very friendly and nice staff.

Would love to give ZERO stars.
Awful examiner on G test. I must have had the infamous "John"

I passed my G2 even with minor faults- examiner was a nice women.

I did more in my G2 test- parking, parallel, 3 pt turns, parking on hill, etc- than I did on G. All I did was drive around a couple blocks.

Debating driving all the way to Brockville to redo test- reviews seem better there. Because I'm made of money to spend on all kinds of fuel and full price repeat tests, driving all over the place for no good reason.

Definitely ask for a different instructor!
I would and I do recommend this drive test facility to everyone I know. I've been to this site for every test I've taken, even though it's over an hours drive for me. The area is nice and quiet and the staff is usually great and quite fast. If you decide to take a road test though, make sure you ask for anyone except Lise. She is the definition of what you do not want when you take a drive test. Her very cold and non inviting personality is sure to make even an un-anxious person very anxious. I dont understand how someone like this gets into a profession like that. Dealing with people at one of the most nervous moments of their life you would think she could try and be a nice, easy going person but instead makes you feel worse and more tense then you imagined you would in the first place. I dont know if she was in a bad mood prior to starting that day or if shes generally just like this but if she sees this or a superior reads this comment maybe tell her to smile once in a while. Besides all that, this place is usually a great place to take book your test!

Very satisfied with the customer service and friendliness of both the testers and those at front desk. Thanks for calming my nerves!

Went there for my G2 road test. The staff members are very helpful, credit to my examiner who was a very nice lady, and all of the instruction given was very clear.

Well we all know who I’m writing this review about, the famous Mr. John. I cant even explain how rude of a person he is, the moment he hops in your car he slams your doors starts playing with all your heating settings and slapping vents up and down with great force, what happened to its Covid 19 don’t touch my stuff? Drops hand sanitizer on my gear selector and gives you a dirty smell. We start the test and also had some trainee in the back of my car, very quite no conversation just directions which I don’t mind. I feel as if he hates his job and life haha or he is just extremely racist when he sees someone coloured. Someone should just fire him already with his smelly A**. Well after the test we stopped and I passed. I’m not mad about the results of the test it’s more of how much of a rude and disrespectful human being he is. Avoid John at all costs and other then that it’s a very friendly place!

Took the G test here and unfortunately got John as my examiner. Very much like what other reviews mentioned, he was very rude and impatient from the beginning. The marking was unfair as I was shaking my head all the time to show that I'm checking the mirrors but he still marks me as "not checking mirrors". He also deducted mark for sharp braking when the car in front of me right turned WITHOUT SIGNALLING. I would have run into that car if I didn't sharp brake. Complete waste of time as I had to take a day off work to drive from Kanata. If you live in Ottawa and choose this site for easy roads, you should reconsider.

I am giving this place one star because of one specific employee. The front desk people were kind and helpful, my instructor was also kind for the most part. But there is an instructor which many of my friends and family members have gotten, who is unsafe and unfit for this job. Her name is Karen. (Ironic I know). She is unsafe because she doesn’t pay attention to the driver or the surroundings like she is supposed to. One driver I know saw a pedestrian around the vehicle and didn’t move because of them, and the instructor got upset over this, because “I didn’t even see them! ” Another time she didn’t notice a transport doing something illegal which almost caused the vehicle to get hit. This tester does not even look at the drivers to see if they are checking their mirrors; and then fails them for not doing it. She also has made distracting small talk and then got upset that people didn’t have their full attention on other noises and things. My advice, if you go to get your license and Karen comes to your vehicle, refuse to take the road test until someone a different examiner is assigned. If you say it’s for safety reasons, I doubt they can say much to dispute.

The morning of my G test I called to see if it had been cancelled because we had gotten 30cm of snow the night before and I was told yes, it was cancelled but to call back an hour before my test to confirm it had still been cancelled. Upon calling the second time I was told my test was no longer cancelled; nothing was said about needing to arrive 30 minutes prior to my test time. Upon arrival I spoke to a very rude and obnoxious male DMV employee. I believe his name was John. He then ended up being my driving instructor for my G test. Throughout my driving test I did not obtain any negative marks. At the end of my test I was told I failed because I did not check my mirrors every 10 seconds. Complete waste of my time and money. I would not advise anyone to go to this drive test centre. This man used and abused his power to fail me strictly because I did not show up a half hour early.even though I was never told to show up a half hour early. Do not test here. Also they say to park at the back of the building, THERE IS NO PARKING THERE. Employees and customers of the other businesses park there. Unacceptable.

Never posted a review ever in my life but I felt inclined to after my poor experience. The women at the front desk are extremely kind and helpful, no problems there. Just like the other reviewers, I had John as my driving instructor for my G test, and he was cold and curt right off the bat. This made me even more nervous, but I've been driving for years and years with 0 accidents or issues so I wasn't overly worried. He did tell me to check my blind spots very obviously before the test, and during the test, I made sure to be obvious with my checking, physically turning my head to look at my mirrors and checking my blindspots behind him (so he would have seen me looking over his shoulder) and on the other side. Still, I was failed for not checking thoroughly enough. I was also marked for "uneven speeds" which I think is bizarre, considering I had to change my speed at times because the area has a ton of bumps and potholes in the road, and I was trying to ensure neither of us were jostled. When I attempted to further discuss my test results with the instructor, he cut me off and got out of the car. I acknowledge I wasn't perfect on the test, but the instructors here seem to be more inclined to fail you for VERY minor errors. I do not recommend booking a G2 or G test here unless you believe you are extremely diligent.

I’m almost certain all of the negative reviews about John came from those bitter about failing. I had the complete opposite experience as all of the one star reviews on him. Instructions were clear from beginning to end. Very polite and welcomed conversation. Made an effort to reduce my anxiety. A wonderful Drive Test experience, overall. Check your mirrors and (very frequently) and blind spots while turning. Many bad habits accumulate over the years leading up to taking your G test. Practice and you’ll be fine.

John was awful. Awful for not being my examiner that is. I was hoping he would be my examiner. He sounds misunderstood. I had Karen today and she was just awful. She honked my horn, criticized my driving, made me drive the speed limit, made me check my blind spots often and wouldn't let me stop and get a drink at the bar. Shame on you Karen! She also passed me! That place is awful. Sean needs to step his game up and hire more people like John. Also, this is all sarcasm. Everyone was great. Even John, for not being able to fail me bahaha

There's an experiment called the "pitch drop" where a beaker of pitch (an Incredibly viscous fluid) with a hole in the bottom drips a drop of pitch every decade or so due to its flow being so slow. Even that moves faster than the lineup at this facility.

Terrible terrible experience.failing people because they didn’t feel the rims on the curb & didn’t feel a stop? I’d like to know where they get their trainings from.

We went here for out of country license swaps, and the amazing staff are nothing short of saints. They were so kind and upbeat even though between me and my spouse's license swaps things got a bit complicated, and then there were computer issues. They knew exactly what to do with multiple forms to jump my old Ontario license through a number of hoops to get to the correct end state. They have to deal with regularly disappointing people who have a lot invested in the outcome (either failed tests or missing some requirement), some of whom let their frustration out at them, and they still manage to keep smiling and show empathy for everyone. Kudoes to you, DriveTest staff!

Had my G2 test mid day with an examiner named Karen, she and the rest of the employees were super nice and very fast. I passed and Karen gave me constructive feedback for what to work on going into my full G test.

Only giving a one because I had to. John is super ignorant man who I beleive it is his mission to fail people as he gets off on it. This man needs to be fired, as there is nothing but complaints about him around town and online. He even smirks.yes its a big joke to him, but the person that needs that licence for survival, suffers. Formal complaint going in

I gave this centre 5 stars. This centre and all the staff there truly deserves it for the services I have received from here. And I am giving 7 stars to my examiner Susan - a wonderful lady. She's amazing as the way she treated me right from the beginning till the end. Thank you Susan for all the positive vibes that I did pass with flying colors.

Better than Ottawa but not well done they have the wrong months posted to take your test and have. Been denying people who have been inline over an hour. My son didn't pass on the first go and were now back in the long line for a second go.

Staff we very thoughtful and caring. Late getting in for appointment but understandable during these difficult times.

Considering that all Covid 19 protocol is being followed we had to wait a good hour and a half BUT we are grateful that the employees are taking the time to ensure their and our safety is first and foremost! Thank you to the employees

I have done everything from G1 to a D licence with Z endorsement and everytime has been a good experience i would reccomend here for new and commercial drivers.

I came in very anxious about doing my G test and John was fantastic about it. He reminded me that it’s okay to breathe and made conversation with me. It really helped me calm down and made me less anxious.
After the test he congratulated me and went over the mistakes I made which I really appreciated!
Overall the staff were very nice and welcoming.

I've been waiting for my license to come in the mail for 6 months and they took my purple card leaving me with no ID. Once I checked the progress, my license was cancelled. Straight up not having a good time.

The test went great! John saw that I was nervous and told me that I was allowed to breath All of the instructions were clear and calm. After the test was over he congratulated me then explained the minor errors then wished me a good day and that was it.

I don't care what anybody says about John he was amazing in the car and very supportive and encouraging during the entire drive.
If you are coming up to this area I strongly recommend you drive through the streets a few times.

Went to try and resolve an issue with my licence. And 2 of the 3 staff member seem to approach every situation in a very hostile manner.