1.1 About the BC Motorcycle Knowledge Test

About the BC Motorcycle Knowledge Test

Quick Answer: The BC motorcycle knowledge test is a 40-question, multiple-choice exam administered by ICBC. You have up to 45 minutes, you need 32 correct answers (80%) to pass, and it costs $15. The test is based on ICBC's Learn to Ride Smart guide and can be written online or in person at an ICBC driver licensing office. Passing it (plus a vision and medical screening at an office) issues a motorcycle learner licence.

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) administers motorcycle licensing in British Columbia. The motorcycle knowledge test is the first gate every new rider must clear before they can legally practise riding on public roads. It exists to make sure you understand the rules of the road, road signs, and motorcycle-specific safety concepts before you ever sit on a bike in traffic.

What the Test Covers

The questions are drawn from ICBC's Learn to Ride Smart guide, the official study manual for motorcycle riders in British Columbia. The guide covers road rules, signs, signals and road markings, riding gear, vehicle control, hazard perception, and the graduated licensing rules that apply to learner riders. The knowledge test focuses on the same material — there are no hands-on riding tasks on this exam. Riding skill is assessed later, in the separate motorcycle skills test and the Class 6 or Class 8 road test.

Test Logistics

ICBC does not require an appointment for a knowledge test or the vision and medical screening — you can walk in during counter hours, though it is worth checking your local office's schedule. Since 9 June 2026 ICBC has also offered the motorcycle (Class 6 and 8) knowledge test online: you register, pay the $15 online, have 72 hours to start, and 45 minutes to finish in one sitting. A pass is valid for one year, and you still have to visit a driver licensing office with two pieces of accepted ID and a printed or digital copy of your pass email to be issued the learner licence.

Bring primary and secondary identification (a custodial parent or legal guardian must come with you if you are under 19). You must pass the vision and medical screening before ICBC will issue the learner licence, even if you pass the knowledge test.

How the Test Behaves on Screen

ICBC's knowledge-test tip sheet describes the mechanics, and they are worth knowing before you sit down:

• Skip once. You may skip any question once; skipped questions come back at the end of the test.
• Running status. The bottom of the screen shows how you are doing as you go.
• The test can end early. It finishes as soon as you have answered the required number correctly — or as soon as you have exceeded the number of incorrect answers allowed.
• Ask for a rephrase. In an office you may ask staff to explain a question differently. They will not hint at the answer.
• No devices, no notes, no talking. Any of these is an automatic fail plus a time-out before you can test again.

Class 6L vs Class 8L at a Glance

Whichever learner licence you get depends on your driving history, not on which test you write — the knowledge test is the same:

• Class 6L is issued to riders who already hold a full-privilege BC driver's licence (Class 1-5). You are adding a motorcycle to an existing licence.
• Class 8L is issued to new drivers or to riders still in the passenger-vehicle L or N stage of the Graduated Licensing Program (GLP). You follow the motorcycle GLP pathway.

Both learner licences come with the same core riding restrictions until you pass the motorcycle skills test. The differences are in wait times and GLP-specific rules, covered in section 1.2.

Why the Test Exists

British Columbia uses a staged licensing system so that new riders build skill in lower-risk conditions before earning a full motorcycle licence. The knowledge test is the gateway to a motorcycle learner licence — it proves you have the cognitive foundation (rules, signs, risk awareness) to begin supervised riding. ICBC then adds the skills test and road test on top of that foundation, so that by the time you hold a full Class 6 you have demonstrated both knowledge and on-bike competence.

How to Register and Prepare

1. Study Learn to Ride Smart — read the whole guide, not just the signs chapter. Every test question traces back to it.
2. Take practice knowledge tests — use them to find weak spots, not to memorise answers. ICBC's own practice questions mirror the real exam's style.
3. Write the test — either online (register with your primary ID, pay by credit card) or at an ICBC driver licensing office with acceptable ID and the $15 fee.
4. Visit a driver licensing office for the vision and medical screening (and to show your online pass email, if you tested online). ICBC then issues your Class 6L or Class 8L paper learner licence — the paper learner licence itself is free; only the knowledge test carries a fee.
5. Book your skills test once you have held the learner licence for the required minimum period (14 days for 6L, 30 days for 8L).

Tips for First-Time Writers

• Read every question fully — ICBC questions often hinge on a single word such as "must," "may," or "except."
• Answer the question asked, not the question you expected — many wrong options are true statements that do not answer the prompt.
• Manage your time — 45 minutes for 40 questions is generous, but do not rush the first ten questions, where nerves are highest.
• Review Learn to Ride Smart the day before, not the morning of — cramming the same morning adds anxiety without adding recall.
• If you fail, you can rewrite after 24 hours — but you pay the $15 fee again, so use the wait to re-read the chapters behind your wrong answers.