People walk in believing a good overall mark will carry them. It will not. The test is scored in three separate sections and every one has to be passed on its own, so a strong total cannot rescue a weak section.
68 questions in total, for a Code 8 licence. Vehicle controls is 8 of them, with a pass mark of 6. Road signs and markings is 30, pass mark 23. Rules of the road is 30, pass mark 22. Motorbike and heavy-vehicle codes differ.
The 23 of 30 signs threshold is the harshest of the three, and it decides most people's test. Because sections are passed separately, the smallest section is also dangerous to ignore: eight questions leaves very little room to get any wrong.
If I do brilliantly on signs, can that carry a weak controls section?
No. That is the single most common misunderstanding about this test. The sections are not added together into one mark. You pass each one or you fail the test.
Before you move on
- Accept that you must pass all three sections, not just score well overall
- Work out which section you are weakest on and start there
- Practise on past papers so the wording stops surprising you
Check what you know
3 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.
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