The knowledge test

By the end of this topic you can

• You can find and study your province's official driver's handbook.
• You can describe the main subjects the knowledge test covers.
• You can state the format and pass mark for your province where it is published.
• You can plan what to bring and what happens if you fail.
• You can use practice questions to find and fix weak areas.

What you need to know and understand

• Every knowledge test covers road signs and rules of the road; many also cover licence rules, demerits and impaired driving.
• BC's test has 50 questions and you need 40 correct.
• Alberta's Class 7 test has 30 questions and you need 25 correct.
• Nova Scotia gives a 20-question signs test and a 20-question rules test, and you need 16 on each.
• Quebec's SAAQ test has three sections, and you need 75% on each one.
• BC lets you take the knowledge test online or at a licensing office; check what your own province offers.
• A vision test is part of getting a learner's licence everywhere.
• Many provinces offer the test in several languages, and some offer audio or oral versions.

What the questions cover

Questions are drawn from your own province's handbook, so numbers such as default speed limits, parking distances and school bus rules must come from that book.

• Signs and signals: shapes, colours, regulatory, warning, school, construction and guide signs, and traffic lights.
• Rules of the road: right of way, speed limits, passing, parking distances, school buses, emergency vehicles and railway crossings.
• Your licence: graduated licence conditions, demerit points and zero alcohol rules.
• Safe driving: following distance, winter driving, impairment and distraction.

How the format differs

Some provinces mark signs and rules separately. In Nova Scotia and Quebec, a high score on one part cannot make up for a low score on another, so practise each part as a separate test. In Saskatchewan and Quebec, a fail on one part means rewriting only the part you failed.

Retest rules vary too. Alberta and Saskatchewan allow one attempt per day, BC asks you to wait one day, Manitoba asks learners in its graduated program to wait seven days, and Quebec asks you to wait at least 28 days. Expect to pay a fee for each attempt. Check your province's rule when you book.

A study plan that works

1. Get the free official handbook for your province and read it from start to finish.
2. Make a list of every number in it: speed limits, distances, points and time periods.
3. Learn signs by shape and colour first, then by meaning.
4. Take practice questions, note every one you get wrong, and re-read that part of the handbook.
5. On test day bring the ID and fees your licensing office lists, plus glasses if you need them for the vision test.

Common mistakes

• Studying another province's handbook. Questions and numbers come from your own province's book.
• Learning only signs or only rules. Where the parts are marked separately, a weak section fails you.
• Relying on memorized practice answers. Understand why each answer is right.
• Forgetting ID or documents. Check your licensing office's list before you go.
• Rushing. Read each question fully; one word such as 'not' can change the answer.

Test yourself: The knowledge test

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.