(Found) Test story (but for what?)

[TomMazanec]

Probably 60s-70s short story. Man "is" driving along and strikes and kills a small child. Goes back and sees the bloody corpse. Just as he is about to go breakdown he "wakes up" with a helmet on his head. A man explains that he was being given a lesson in what happens if you drive recklessly, so he would never do it in real life. The man is relieved and asks for his license.
Suddenly "wakes up" again and is in a similar room and the man there calls in guards. He orders the guards to take him away. The protagonist asks why. The other man says "Anyone who could still drive after that would have to be a psychopath. You are too dangerous to be let free."
As they drag him away he calls out "Wait! Is THIS the test?"
Tester shrugs and says "Who knows?"

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

This is "Test" by Theodore L. Thomas, from the April 1962 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Title: Test

www.isfdb.org

Here is the complete text of this very short story, which fits exactly what you describe. (They call it "The Test" here, which is not the actual title.)

https://www.auburn.wednet.edu/cms/lib/WA01001938/Centricity/Domain/2205/The%20Test.pdf

 

[TomMazanec]

The "two grooves" at the end clinch it. Found.

 

[TomMazanec]

Odd. I noted this as 'found' before frare said his query (the Robert Reed book) was found, but his is marked and this one isn't yet.