Metro East G2 Road Test: Free Guide Brought To You By G1 Genius

Metro East DriveTest Centre Contact Information:

What Makes Metro East DriveTest Centre Different?

In our discussions with real DriveTest examiners about the effectiveness of route training, they emphasized the importance of selecting a test centre close to where you typically drive. That makes Metro East the natural choice for drivers from Markham, Scarborough, East York, and the eastern side of North York and Thornhill.

The Metro East DriveTest Centre is notable for several reasons:

• The Plaza Parking Finale: Metro East is known for ending some G2 tests with a reverse (back-in) parking maneuver right in the plaza parking lot, sometimes in place of parallel parking on the street. Practice backing into a spot before test day, because most new drivers never do.
• One of Ontario's Busiest Centres: Metro East ran more than 37,000 road tests in a single year (2022 Ministry data). The plaza is moving the whole time you are in it: test traffic, shoppers, and TTC riders. Give yourself extra time to park and check in, because arriving flustered is how the first two minutes go wrong.
• Low Pass Rate: 2022 Ministry data shows a 63% G2 pass rate, tied for fourth lowest in Ontario, roughly six points below the provincial average.
• Plaza Driving Counts: Your test starts and ends inside a busy shopping plaza with tight two-way lanes and sharp corners. Examiners are grading you from the second you leave the parking spot.

The G1 in that list is the computerized knowledge test, and Metro East runs more of them than almost anywhere in Ontario: over 133,000 in 2022, third most in the province. It is offered here in 32 languages, with free audio at every kiosk. Worth knowing if you are bringing a family member along for theirs.

With a pass rate this low, familiarity counts. Greenhorn runs driving lessons in Markham, so the heavy Lawrence Avenue traffic, transit routes, and school zones that make Metro East tough are patterns you will have already practiced long before test day.

3 Things to Look Out for During Your G2 Road Test at Metro East

When taking your G2 test at Metro East, there are specific challenges you should be aware of to improve your chances of success:

The Plaza Itself, at the Start and the Finish

Drivers who test here mention Victoria Terrace Plaza more than anything on the road. The lanes are narrow and curving, shoppers and other test cars are everywhere, and you are being graded the whole time. Stay in your lane, keep tight to the curb on right-hand corners, and come to a full stop at the stop sign by the No Frills.

The finish can catch you too. Some examiners skip on-street parallel parking and end the test back here instead: pick a spot and back into it. Practice backing into a painted spot until it feels boring.

The Lane Change on Lawrence Avenue East

The return leg puts you on Lawrence Ave E, a wide multi-lane arterial with TTC buses, and the examiner will ask for a lane change on it. Mirror, signal, shoulder check, and move only when the gap is real. Rushing the change because a bus is closing in behind you is one of the most common failure points here.

The limit here is 50 km/h. A MAXIMUM 50 BEGINS sign stands just past the Esso on the corner, right after you turn back onto Lawrence. West of Underhill the road is posted 60, which is why you will see both numbers online, but your test does not drive that part.

Watch your speedometer through here, not just your mirrors. Lawrence runs downhill on part of this stretch and it will carry you over 50 while your attention is on the lane change. Drivers have failed at Metro East for exactly this: a clean lane change, several km/h over, on the hill. Cover the brake and let the hill do nothing for you.

The School Zone Right After Your First Turn

Seconds after you turn onto Underhill Drive, the limit drops to 40 km/h. The MAXIMUM 40 BEGINS sign comes up on your right, along with a school safety zone sign and a flashing beacon, and then St. Catherine Catholic School. Examiners expect visible caution here: eyes moving, speed down, ready for kids and crossing guards. Two more schools sit further up Underhill if the examiner extends the loop.

This stretch is also a Community Safety Zone, where speeding fines are increased.

Google Maps Route For Metro East G2 Road Test

To help you prepare for your Metro East G2 road test, we mapped the route turn by turn. This gives you a visual guide of the test route, so you can familiarize yourself with the area and the key turning points before your actual test.

Route Overview: The Underhill Loop

The Other Routes People Have Been Given

We have not mapped these turn by turn, so we are not going to draw you a picture of them. But you should know they exist, because being sent somewhere you have never seen is the thing that rattles people at this centre:

• The Curlew loop. Right onto Lawrence, then right onto Curlew Drive at the first lights past the rail bridge, left onto Victoria Park Avenue, and the maneuvers happen on Greylawn Crescent and Babson Road instead of Cornerbrook. This one is not new: it has been reported for at least four years.
• Out to the left. Some 2026 tests leave the plaza turning left rather than right, and pick up Victoria Park Avenue from the other side. Drivers who prepared only from the videos have been caught out by this one.

Whichever way you are sent, two things hold. The maneuvers are the same set, and the finish can be a back-in parking spot at the plaza rather than a curbside maneuver.

Important Notes

• You will get parallel parking or reverse parking, not both. Drivers who tested here consistently report one or the other, never the pair. You do not get to pick which, so both have to be solid.
• Expect a front park at the end, behind the test centre, after you come back into the plaza. The test is not over until the car is stopped and off.
• The plaza roadways are two-way with sharp corners. Drive them like a road, not a parking lot, because you are being graded there too. People have failed here for a pedestrian by the speed bump before the test even reached the road.
• Right turn on red is allowed at the Underhill light after a complete stop, and examiners do expect you to take it when it is safe.
• Watch for TTC buses pulling in and out along both Lawrence and Underhill. Yield and keep your following distance.
• We checked every speed on this route against the posted signs: 50 km/h on Lawrence Avenue East and 40 km/h on Underhill Drive. Cornerbrook Drive has no speed sign of its own, which confuses a lot of people. Drive it no faster than the 40 zone you just left on Underhill: it is narrow, lined with parked cars, and it is where your maneuvers happen.

Practice the Test Route Directly on Your Mobile

For those looking to get hands-on practice, we went ahead and linked this exact test route from the Metro East G2 road test into Google Maps. By clicking the link below, you can access and drive the actual test route directly on your mobile device! Access the Route Here: Drive the Metro East G2 Test Route If you happen to be in the area, or you plan to familiarize yourself with the area prior to your test, using this and acting as if you were taking the test can help build your confidence and increase your preparedness.

Watch a Real G2 Road Test in Action

Check out this dashcam video of a real G2 test at Metro East from the spring of 2023, with the examiner's instructions audible the whole way. It drives the same Underhill loop we mapped above, so you can watch every turn, the school zone, and the maneuvers on Cornerbrook before you drive them yourself.

Pro Tip: Click on the timestamps below to jump directly to key moments in the video.

Video Highlights:

• The examiner’s vehicle check – 0:00 – Signals, brake lights and horn in the back lot, before you are allowed to move.
• Out of the plaza, right onto Lawrence – 1:20 – The plaza roadways first, then a right at the lights onto Lawrence Avenue East, heading west.
• Right onto Underhill Drive – 3:37 – Queued at the Underhill lights, then straight into the 40 km/h school zone.
• Left onto Cornerbrook Drive – 4:57 – “First street, turn left.” The quiet street where the maneuvers happen.
• Three-point turn – 5:23 – Pull over by the big tree, then a three-point turn using the roadway only.
• Downhill parking – 6:25 – Pull over and park as if on a downhill slope with a curb.
• Back down Underhill – 8:43 – A full stop at Underhill, then south past the school again.
• Left onto Lawrence, heading east – 10:00 – The left turn at Underhill, past the Esso, where the limit is 50 km/h.
• Back into the plaza and the final park – 11:40 – Waiting at the plaza lights, the plaza roadways again, and the last parking maneuver.

TL;DR: Metro East G2 Test Cheat Sheet

Didn't read the whole blog? Zoned out halfway? No worries, we got you! Check out the visual guide below that sums up everything you need to know about the Metro East G2 road test in one quick glance.

Pro Tip: If the image looks too small, click on it to view a larger version!