VORT or CBT&A: Your SA Practical Driving Test

Photo: Foraminifera, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

South Australia gives learner drivers two ways to qualify for a P1 licence: the Vehicle On Road Test (VORT), a single practical driving test, or Competency Based Training & Assessment (CBT&A), where an instructor signs off tasks as you learn. Both cover the same skills and end with a Certificate of Competency. This guide compares them so you can choose.

Key facts

Both methods need 75 hours of logged supervised driving (15 at night) and a Hazard Perception Test pass.
VORT: one test with a VORT instructor you have not had lessons with. If you fail, you wait at least 13 clear days before another practical test.
CBT&A: 30 tasks in The Driving Companion, each assessed and signed off by an accredited instructor.
You can switch from CBT&A to a VORT at any point.

VORT vs CBT&A at a glance

	VORT	CBT&A
Format	One pass or fail practical test	Ongoing assessment of 30 tasks
Who assesses	A VORT motor driving instructor who has not taught you	Your own accredited CBT&A instructor
Lessons needed	Optional	Training with an accredited instructor is part of the method
Pressure	Everything rides on one drive	Spread over many lessons
If it goes wrong	Wait at least 13 clear days, then retest	Keep practising the task until it is signed off
Cost	Test fee paid to the instructor	Instructor lesson fees across the course
Best for	Confident learners with plenty of practice	Learners who want structured lessons or get test nerves

How the SA VORT works

Booking

Book with a VORT instructor at least three days before your test date. My Licence says the examiner must lodge the booking at least two full days before the test, so a same-week request may not work. Your regular instructor can put you in touch with one.
You cannot be tested by an instructor who has contributed to your training in the last six months.
Tests run between 7am and 7pm, or sunset if earlier. There are no tests on Christmas Day or Good Friday, or before 10am on a Sunday or public holiday.
Pay the test fee to the instructor before the test.
Bring your current learner’s permit.

On the day

The test runs on an officially approved test route.
An Accreditation Auditor may come along to observe the instructor. They do not assess you.

How the VORT is scored

My Licence explains the scoring:

You demonstrate 5 slow-speed manoeuvres: parallel parking, angle parking, moving off, a U-turn and a 3-point turn.
Each correct manoeuvre scores 2 marks, so the manoeuvres are worth 10 per cent in total.
Your general driving can score up to 90 per cent.
To pass, your combined score must be 90 per cent or more and you must not breach any road law.
Any breach of a road law is an immediate fail, and the test ends.
Pass or fail, the examiner must give you a copy of the VORT recording sheet. It has separate sections for road law breaches, manoeuvres, general driving comments and the overall assessment, so go through it with your instructor.

Worked example: a learner gets 4 of the 5 manoeuvres right (8 per cent) and scores 83 per cent for general driving. The total is 91 per cent, a pass. If the same learner rolls through a stop sign, that is a road law breach and an immediate fail, whatever the score.

Older sa.gov.au pages list “move off on a hill” among the manoeuvres and describe the test as about 45 minutes. Confirm the current list and timing with your VORT instructor.

If you fail

The handbook says you must wait at least 13 clear days before another practical test, and My Licence puts the same rule as at least 14 days. Both mean the same thing: if you fail on a Monday, the earliest retest is the Monday two weeks later. Use the recording sheet to target practice on what went wrong. You can also switch to CBT&A instead.

How CBT&A works in SA

Find an accredited CBT&A instructor at a driving school.
The instructor uses your copy of The Driving Companion, which sets out the requirements for each of the 30 tasks.
You are assessed as you learn. When you show competence in a task, the instructor signs it off in the CBT&A section.
Between lessons, practise the tasks your instructor names with your qualified supervising driver.
The same tasks are assessed in a VORT, so nothing is easier or harder on either route.

The Certificate of Competency

Pass the VORT or finish every CBT&A task and the instructor issues a Certificate of Competency. Then:

You may be selected for a second driving test with a Government auditor. It is free, and you are told the details if you are chosen.
Take the certificate, your completed log book and the declaration to a Service SA customer service centre with the fee.
If you have also passed the HPT and met the age and time-on-permit rules, you receive your P1 licence.

The certificate does not let you drive without a supervisor. If you lose it or it is damaged, go to the examiner who issued it for a replacement.

Common questions

Is CBT&A easier than the VORT?

The skills are the same. The difference is that CBT&A spreads the assessment over many lessons instead of one drive.

Can my driving instructor do my VORT?

Not if you have had lessons with them. They can refer you to a VORT instructor.

Do I still need 75 hours with CBT&A?

Yes. Whichever method you use, you must record 75 hours of supervised driving, including 15 at night. See the SA 75 hour logbook.

What counts as a road law breach in the VORT?

Any breach of the road rules, such as speeding, failing to give way or not stopping at a stop sign. It ends the test immediately.

How much does a VORT cost?

VORT instructors charge their own fee, which you pay to them before the test. Compare prices between driving schools.

Can I change from CBT&A to a VORT halfway?

Yes. You can choose a VORT at any point during CBT&A training.

Sources

Government of South Australia, Department for Infrastructure and Transport, “The Driver’s Handbook (MR200, February 2026)” (mylicence.sa.gov.au)
My Licence, “The Driving Companion: Option 1: Vehicle On Road Test (VORT)” (mylicence.sa.gov.au)
My Licence, “The Driving Companion: Choosing the VORT” (mylicence.sa.gov.au)
SA.GOV.AU, “Practical driving test” (sa.gov.au)

VORT or CBT&A: Choosing Your SA Practical Driving Test