Photo: kaboompics.com / Pexels. Illustrative photograph.
The Irish driving test is marked using three grades of fault: Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3. Your result depends only on Grade 2 and Grade 3 faults. One Grade 3 fault fails you. So do too many Grade 2 faults, whether in one line, under one heading or across the whole test. Here is how the RSA driver tester’s marking works and how to read your report.
How do you fail the Irish driving test?
Under the RSA driver tester marking guidelines, you fail if you get any one of these:
| Fail trigger | Example |
|---|---|
| 1 or more Grade 3 faults | Driving through a red light, or forcing a cyclist to brake hard |
| 4 Grade 2 faults for the same aspect (one line on the sheet) | Four serious mirror faults when changing lane |
| 6 or more Grade 2 faults under the same heading | Six serious faults spread across the lines of one heading, such as position |
| 9 or more Grade 2 faults in total | Nine serious faults anywhere on the test |
The RSA’s 2025 standard procedures describe the same thresholds as “Grade 3 X 1, Grade 2 X 4 in a single line or Grade 2 X 9”.
What the three grades mean
- Grade 1: a minor fault. It is recorded on your report but does not count towards any fail threshold.
- Grade 2: a serious fault.
- Grade 3: a dangerous or potentially dangerous fault, or a total disregard of traffic controls.
Very minor lapses that the guidelines do not treat as serious are not recorded at all.
What the tester marks you on
The Rules of the Road lists the areas your drive is assessed under:
- positioning the car correctly and in good time
- taking proper observation
- reacting promptly and properly to hazards
- using mirrors properly, in good time and before signalling
- allowing enough clearance to pedestrians, cyclists and other traffic
- giving correct signals in good time
- making reasonable progress without undue hesitancy, for example when moving off, at roundabouts and when changing lanes
- using the controls properly
- adjusting speed appropriately
- complying with traffic controls such as lights, signs and road markings
- yielding right of way
- reversing, the turnabout and parking
Within each heading the guidelines break things down further. For example, “Position” is split into turning right, turning left, stopping and following. Only one position fault is recorded for each complete manoeuvre.
Faults before you drive
- Rules of the Road questions and hand signals: 3 or more not answered or answered wrongly is a Grade 2 fault.
- Technical checks: not being able to lift or secure the bonnet is a Grade 1 fault in itself.
Details in pre-test checks.
How the manoeuvres are marked
- The tester waits until you finish the reverse or the turnabout before recording anything.
- Only one fault is recorded under each aspect of the manoeuvre.
- Steering while the car is stopped is not a fault.
- Handbrake faults are recorded only where not applying it has consequences, such as rolling back on a hill.
Worn or faded road markings are taken into account when the tester decides whether a fault applies.
Worked example
A learner’s report shows:
- 11 Grade 1 faults
- 3 Grade 2 faults for mirrors when changing lane
- 2 Grade 2 faults for progress at junctions
- 2 Grade 2 faults for road position when turning right
- no Grade 3 faults
Result: pass. That is 7 Grade 2 faults in total, under 9. No single line has 4. The Grade 1 faults do not count. One more mirror fault on that line would have been a fail.
After the test
You get your result and a report of your faults by email. Go through it with your ADI and practise the lines with the most Grade 2 marks. If you think the test was not conducted properly, you can appeal to the District Court. If the court agrees, it can direct the RSA to give you a free retest.
Common questions
How many Grade 2 faults can you get and still pass in Ireland?
Up to 8 in total, provided no single line has 4 and no heading has 6 or more.
Do Grade 1 faults matter?
Not for the result. They are worth fixing, because a habit marked Grade 1 can easily become a Grade 2 on another day.
What counts as a Grade 3 fault?
Anything dangerous or potentially dangerous, or a total disregard of traffic controls such as a red light or stop sign.
Does stalling fail you?
Not automatically. It depends on the grade the tester gives it, which depends on what happened as a result.
Can I see my marking sheet?
Yes. Your result email includes a report of the faults recorded.
Related: common reasons for failing, test manoeuvres, the test explained. Back to learning to drive in Ireland.
Sources
- Road Safety Authority, “RSA driver tester marking guidelines” (rsa.ie)
- Road Safety Authority, “Standard procedures and requirements for conducting driving tests 2025” (rsa.ie)
- Road Safety Authority, “Driving test terms and conditions” (rsa.ie)
- Road Safety Authority, “Rules of the Road”, Section 3 The driving test (Revision 5, hosted on garda.ie)