- Take our quiz and answer the same five questions from the official test
It’s a debate between older drivers and those who have just got their driver’s license: the theory test has become more difficult over time, meaning those who have been on the road for years could struggle to pass if they take it today had to take it again.
This is something that has recently been put to the test with a quiz to discover whether established motorists need to brush up on their road rules before taking the theory test in 2024.
Carwow presented five multiple-choice questions from the official DVSA driving theory exam to a panel of 2,000 drivers – and less than 1 percent answered them all correctly.
How much of this could you get right?
Would you pass your theory exam if you had to take it again today? A new survey has found that only 1% of license holders answered five questions on the official test correctly. Now you can try it…
The results of the survey showed that only 18 of 2,000 drivers answered all five questions correctly – a dismal pass rate of just 0.9 percent.
Incredibly, the ‘pass rate’ for each of the five questions was less than half, with one in particular proving to be very tricky as only 10 percent of the panel got the question right.
Take the quiz below to see how many of the questions you can answer correctly:
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Will the driving theory exam become more difficult? What the statistics say
While old and new drivers will forever debate the suggestion that the theory test will become increasingly difficult over time, official figures published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency indicate that it is becoming increasingly difficult.
The official pass rate for theory exams has gradually declined over the past fifteen years; in 2009 this was 65 percent, while this year it is only 45 percent – a record low.
To successfully pass the test today, students must score at least 43 out of 50 on the multiple-choice portion – and 44 out of 75 on the hazard perception portion of the exam, which was first introduced in 2002.
To further investigate this assumption, Carwow asked respondents about their own experiences during the driving theory exam.
It found that three-quarters of drivers between the ages of 12 and 20 passed for the first time, compared to just half (56 percent) who had been on the road for between one and three years.
Of the panel who had ridden for less than 12 months, only 17 percent passed the first time the question was asked.
The question that the 2,000 driving license holders often answered incorrectly is question three about overtaking on a one-way street.
Only 10 percent of the panel said ‘right or left’, while the majority (41 percent) believe that overtaking is not allowed at all.
DVSA data shows that the official pass rate for theory tests has gradually fallen over the past fifteen years; in 2009 this was 65%, while this year so far this is only 45% – a record low.
Most people say they are ‘good drivers’, despite problems with theory test questions
Respondents were also asked to rate themselves as drivers, with some interesting results.
On average, 73 percent of drivers believed they were ‘very good’ or ‘good’ drivers, while only 1 percent considered themselves ‘very bad’ or ‘bad’. The rest gave themselves a mediocre ‘average’ performance rating.
Drivers aged 25 to 35 most often rated themselves as ‘very good’ or ‘good’, at 84 percent, the study found.
In contrast, the youngest age group (those aged 18 to 25) reported the highest percentage of describing themselves as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’: 11 percent (all 11 percent said bad).
Men rate their driving skills highly more often than women: 80 percent and 65 percent respectively.
Mat Watson, head of content at Carw and the face of his YouTube channel, has been a motoring journalist for more than twenty years, but admits he got one of five driving theory quiz questions wrong.
He said: ‘Those wanting to get their driving license should do as much as possible to prepare – reading the Highway Code and taking practice tests to familiarize themselves with the rules of the road.
‘And the practice and learning doesn’t stop when you get your driver’s license. Interestingly, respondents to our survey aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to consider themselves ‘bad’ drivers.
‘Some of it is probably more experience on the road than competence, but if that’s you, there’s no shame in taking further lessons and avoiding situations where you don’t feel confident or safe on the road.’