His car was missing the registration. We switched to mine. He passed anyway.

We met in Winnetka about an hour before Murilo's scheduled test and ran a simulation. He was sharp — composed, precise, genuinely ready.

Then the DMV flagged that his car was missing its registration. Without it, the test can't proceed. Full stop.

We didn't panic. We switched to my car — registration and insurance current, dual controls in place — and headed back in.

Murilo had never driven my car before that moment. He passed with flying colors anyway.

That's what preparation actually looks like. The vehicle is secondary — the skills transfer. Congratulations, Murilo.