# History of driving tests in the US

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-driving-tests-in-the-us/671150>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-driving-tests-in-the-us/671150 "2013-10-13T17:51:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tmoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@tmoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tmoh)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-of-driving-tests-in-the-us/671150/1 "2013-10-13T17:51:07Z")

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I’ve read that the first drivers’ licenses issued in the US (around the turn of the 20th century) didn’t require the licensee to take any kind of exam–all you had to do was pay a fee and fill out some paperwork. When did road tests start becoming a requirement?

(I’d like to find a list of dates for every state, but right now I’m particularly interested in Maryland.)