Parallel parking is the most-feared part of any Canadian road test. The good news: it is pure muscle memory. Practise the same six-step sequence ten times in a quiet street and you will pass.

The 6-step sequence

  1. Pull up alongside the car in front of your spot, about 50 cm away, rear bumpers aligned.
  2. Signal right. Reverse slowly while turning the wheel fully right.
  3. When your car is at a 45° angle to the curb, straighten the wheel and continue reversing.
  4. When your front bumper clears the back of the car in front, turn the wheel fully left.
  5. Reverse until parallel with the curb, 30 cm away.
  6. Straighten the wheel and centre yourself in the spot.
If you mess up: It's fine to pull forward and try again — examiners watch how you recover. What fails the test is hitting the curb hard or ending up more than 50 cm from it.