Martin, who was next in line, took the news stoically. She'd been through it before.

Twice before she had arrived at testing stations before the doors opened and did not have an opportunity to take the test.

"I'll just come back next week, maybe a little earlier," Martin said.

Even with the city's hiring of six temporary driver's license examiners this summer, getting a chance to take the road test on any given day can be a matter of determination and chance.

"On some days there are people waiting in line; other days you can just walk in and take the test right away," said Dennis Kamimura, city licensing administrator.

Thursday was particularly bad since all the new hires were on an enforced one-day break from work to ensure their temporary-duty status, Kamimura said. A day earlier there were openings as late as 2:30 in the afternoon at the city's testing facility on Dillingham Boulevard, he said.

Those waiting in line Thursday in Wahiawa said some days are worse.

"Try coming on a Monday or Friday and the line wraps all the way around the building," said Al Pasco, a Wahiawa resident who had let his old license lapse and was among those who went home unhappy.

Then there were the lucky ones who got to take the test.

They numbered about a dozen, arriving between 2:15 and 4:30 in the morning and spending the dark hours before the office opened sleeping on mats, playing cards, listening to CDs, watching DVDs on portable players. Many were youngsters whose parents were sleeping in nearby cars.

"What else are you going to do?" said Chris Scovell, a Foster Village resident who brought his daughter Paula to the station at 2:15 a.m. and was first in line when the office opened.

"The way I look at it, if you're going to get up at 5 a.m., you must as well get up at 2. What's the difference?" Scovell said.

Many others in line said they knew from previous experience or stories from friends to come very early, while those who arrived later said they were surprised by the length of the lines.

Kamimura said the best way to avoid the lines was to make an appointment for a road test, which guarantees a test at a particular day and time. The appointments must be made in person at the licensing station, not by phone.

"We always dedicate one examiner at every station to appointments every day," Kamimura said. "That way there's no disappointment."

Many of those waiting in line, however, said they didn't want to wait the weeks it would take to get an appointment. At Wahiawa on Thursday, the first available appointments were for Aug. 12.

"Who knows what you're going to be doing six weeks from now?" Scovell said.

After all the appointments are accounted for, remaining testers are assigned to handle the walk-in traffic, Kamimura said. Each one handles a minimum of 12 road tests a day, but the number of available testers at each station varies from day to day, Kamimura said.

"We're hoping that the extra testers will get us through the busy summer period," he said.

For Paula Scovell, though, there was no more waiting.

After sitting sleepily in line for nearly six hours, she finally got to drive away in her family car with an examiner.

"Is everybody's heart pounding as fast as mine?" her father asked when the car pulled back into the parking lot about 15 minutes later.

The signs didn't look good. The examiner was gesturing broadly and Paula looked liked she was ready to cry.

But then the two got out of the car and Paula flashed a big smile and a thumb's up sign to her father. She was getting her license.

It was worth the wait.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5460.