Published 14 March 2024
The "Theory Test Cheat Sheet" contains the essential information that you must know in order to ace your theory test on the 1st try.
Are you looking for a last minute theory test guide for your upcoming theory test? You came to the right place. If you've not yet studied, and your test is in 3 days, I suggest you to reschedule your test to a date 2 week aways. Save your time, money, and keep us all safe on the road incase you win the lottery on the day and pass.
There is a reason why the national pass-rate is under 50%. Check the 10 hardest theory test questions that could appear on the day. If you can't answer them, I suggest to keep reading this guide.
Before we start, learn the key information about the test. Your theory test is split into 2 parts:
Multiple choice questions (57 minutes to answer 50 questions)
Hazard perception test (14 CGI video clips totalling 75 points)
You will need to answer 43 questions correctly and get at least 44 points on your hazard perception test to pass the test. (See passmark information)
In this section, we cover how long you should study, and the 2 main ways to study.
Based on our data, it takes around 16 hours and 15 minutes to complete all practice questions. Add 1 hour for reviewing mistakes, and 1 more hour for hazard perception to get the approximate time of 18 hours to complete the revision kit.
You should give yourself around 2 weeks to prepare for the theory test. Revise over a number of days to better absorb and learn the highway code rules. Split your revision into bite-sized portions. For example, there are 14 topics you will be tested on - you could do one topic per day over 2 weeks.
Let's move onto different ways of studying.
The multiple choice questions are designed to test your understanding of the Highway Code. The questions are based on:
Highway Code (or the Better Highway Code, a more accessible and searchable version published by us)
It is recommended to read and study the contents of both, since it goes beyond the 'essential knowledge' required to pass.
It not as effective as studying by completing mock tests. We'd estimate your pass rate to stand around 60% if you read both. However, if used in combination with mock tests, it can really improve your understanding of the road.
Alternative to reading a lot of text, the vast majority of people pass their test by learning the contents of the Highway Code interactively by using an app that contains the DVSA revision materials.
You can:
explore the apps provided by the official government publisher, TSO or;
opt in for any other 3rd party app, as long as it contains the DVSA revision kit
Apps are an interactive and most efficient way to pass the theory test. Learning is more effective, compared to reading the Highway code, because mock tests make you recall the information from your brain in order to answer a question. This repeated process is what makes you learn.
Caution 1: Some apps have additional revision materials that do not match the real test environment. For example, some apps still have the old hazard perception video clips shot on a dash-cam, instead of being CGI videos that you will find on your real test. There are only 34 DVSA CGI (computer generated imagery) practice clips available from the DVSA. So if an app advertises more, it's likely using outdated content. Which could be good if you want additional practice, but counter-productive if your goal is to pass.
Caution 2: Mobile apps do not match the real test environment since you attempt the real test using a computer. Since the experience of taping differs from mouse clicks, you should try at least a couple of hazard perception tests on a big screen to familiarise yourself with the desktop experience.
The questions used in the preparation come from the DVSA - the official authority behind the test. In fact, all popular and bestselling apps are based on this DVSA question bank. That's right, most apps will contain the same information that comes from DVSA, presented in a slightly different way.
While you are completing mock tests (example given for car drivers), you will cover 59% of the Highway Code in an interactive form. It's expected not to reach 100% coverage, since the Highway Code contains information for other types of vehicles that you will not be tested on.
This is another reason to read the Highway Code. To complete your understanding and make sure that you are a safe and knowledgable driver, able to deal with a variety of dangerous situations that can potentially arise on the road.
Apps are highly effective. Completing the revision kit, will put you at around 80%. This can go up-to 90% if you learn from all of your mistakes, and brush up the weak areas by completing more questions from those topics. The remaining 10% is how you deal with your nerves on the test day.
Once you've prepared, you can:
Book your test if you haven't already
Find out what to bring and what to do at the test centre