How Many People Pass Their Theory Test Every Year?

It seems that it is much easier to drive in theory than in practice! Or at least that is what the statistics tell us when 51.6% of the 1.6 million who take the theory test every year pass compared to the 43% of the same number who pass the practical driving test.

The test is split into two halves; the first is a multiple-choice test in that you must score a minimum of 43 out of 50 questions answered correctly in 57 minutes. There isn’t any guarantee of which will appear on the theory test as over 1,000 questions are randomly chosen. This means every theory test is different (so you can’t cheat using your friend’s answers). You also have the option of skipping questions and coming back to them later.

The second part of the theory test is the hazard perception test. You can practice this when other people are driving you around. It is made up of 14 one-minute clips that have potential road hazards in them, with one clip with two hazards that you have to identify before the clip is over. You can’t replay the clips either, so you need to click as soon as you spot the hazard! The faster you identify the hazard, the higher your mark will be. The minimum score you need to pass is 44 out of 75, as each hazard has a maximum of 5 points available. You have 20 minutes to complete the hazard perception part of the test.

37% of people taking the theory test for the first time fail, with the most common reasons being that they haven’t brought the right documentation with them or they have forgotten the rules of the road when thrust into a testing environment.