If you are a learner driver you must take and pass your theory test before you book your practical test. If you already have a full driving licence you might not have to take another theory test if you want to start driving a different vehicle.

You will need to take a theory test if you want a licence for a new category of vehicle, for example, if you have a car licence and you want a motorcycle licence you will need to take a theory test.

If, however, you want to upgrade within a vehicle category you will not normally need to take a theory test, for example, if you have a full automatic car licence and you want a manual car licence you will not have to take a theory test.

It is your responsibility to make sure you have the correct licence for the vehicle you are driving. If you are unsure if you need to take a theory test please contact the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) or the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

The theory test is computerised and taken at a test centre. It is made up of two parts: Multiple Choice and Hazard Perception. You have to pass both parts to pass the theory test.
The multiple choice test is made up of 50 questions and you need to get at least 43 questions right in 57 minutes to pass the test.

The questions will be drawn randomly from a total pool of over 1250 questions and all of them will be multiple choice questions with 1, 2, 3 or 4 correct answers. You will be told how many options you need to select to answer a particular question. You must get all the options correct to get that particular question right so you need to pay attention when reading the question.