Choose a space you can actually fit in
A safe parallel space is roughly one and a half times the length of your car. If the space is exactly your car length, skip it on the test — examiners will not penalize you for choosing not to attempt an impossible space, but they will deduct heavily for hitting another car.
Pull alongside the car ahead of the space, leaving roughly two feet of clearance. Align your rear bumper roughly with the rear bumper of the car in front of the space. This is your first reference point.
The two-turn entry
Begin reversing slowly with the wheel turned all the way toward the curb. Watch the car behind you in your right side mirror. When the car behind appears centered in the right mirror, straighten the wheel and continue reversing.
Once your front bumper clears the rear bumper of the car ahead, turn the wheel all the way away from the curb and continue reversing slowly until your car is parallel to the curb. Stop, shift to drive, and pull forward to center the car in the space.
Distance from the curb
Most states require the wheels to be within 6 to 12 inches of the curb. If you ended up wider, pull forward, turn the wheel toward the curb, reverse a foot, then straighten and pull back into the space. Two small corrections look smoother than one giant one and lose fewer points on the test.
Common failure points
Hitting the curb hard is the most common scoring deduction. Going too slowly is fine; rushing the maneuver causes the wheel turns to overshoot. Forgetting to look over your right shoulder before reversing is also commonly cited.
If you genuinely cannot complete the parking on the road test, calmly pull out, signal, and re-attempt. Many examiners pass students who recover composedly from a poor first attempt; very few pass students who freeze.