12.1 The Knowledge Test, Vision/Medical Screening, and Motorcycle Skills Test

The Three Gates Into a Motorcycle Licence

Before you ride on a public road in British Columbia, ICBC requires you to clear three entry checkpoints in order: a knowledge test, a vision and medical screening, and an off-street motorcycle skills test. Each one checks a different kind of readiness — rules knowledge, physical fitness to ride, and basic machine control — and together they unlock the learner stage of the Graduated Licensing Program (GLP) for motorcycles.

The Motorcycle Knowledge Test

The motorcycle knowledge test is the written exam that earns your learner licence. It is the same style of multiple-choice test ICBC uses for passenger vehicles, but the questions are drawn from ICBC's Learn to Ride Smart guide, not Learn to Drive Smart.

Study every chapter of Learn to Ride Smart, not just the riding-skill chapters. Questions can come from any topic in the guide, including traffic signs and signals, right-of-way rules, road-position and lane-choice strategy, risk factors like impairment and fatigue, and the licensing and penalty rules covered in this chapter. The test is closed-book; you cannot refer to the guide during the exam.

If you fail, ICBC's rule is specific: you can take the knowledge test again after 24 hours. You pay the $15 fee again for each attempt. (The waiting periods for road tests are much longer — 14 days after a first attempt, 30 days after a second, and 60 days for any further attempts.)

Since 9 June 2026 the motorcycle (Class 6 and 8) knowledge test can also be taken online. You need your primary ID to register and a credit card to pay the $15; you then have 72 hours to start and 45 minutes to complete it in one sitting. A pass is valid for one year, after which you still visit a driver licensing office with two pieces of accepted ID and your pass confirmation to be issued the learner licence and complete the vision and medical screening.

Vision Screening and Medical Requirements

At the licensing office you will also complete a vision screening. ICBC tests colour vision, depth perception, field of vision, diplopia (double vision), and sharpness of vision. If you do not pass, you may need further testing by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. If you need corrective lenses to meet the standard, that restriction is shown on your licence and you must wear them every time you ride — so bring them to the appointment, or you may have to come back.

You will also be asked about your medical condition. If there is any question about your physical ability to ride, or if you have a progressive medical condition, you may need a medical examination by a doctor. Your doctor's report is sent to RoadSafetyBC, and the final decision on whether to issue a licence is made there — not at the ICBC counter. Always disclose changes in your health, and note that a custodial parent or legal guardian must attend with you if you are under 19.

The Motorcycle Skills Test (MST)

Once you hold a learner licence, the next gate is the motorcycle skills test (MST) — a free, off-street assessment of basic machine control. It is the same closed-course test for Class 6L and Class 8L riders.

The MST takes about 15 minutes and is done in a paved lot. You supply a safe, street-legal motorcycle with registration and insurance papers, wear sturdy gear and an approved helmet, and bring your supervisor plus primary and secondary ID. (A limited-speed motorcycle is not acceptable for the MST if you already hold a driver's licence.)

What the MST Covers

Learn to Ride Smart lists the tested items:

• Pushing the motorcycle (engine off)
• Using hand signals
• Using the stand
• Slow straight ride — clutch control
• Braking
• Slalom
• U-turns or three-point turns
• Turns
• Acceleration and deceleration (may include a gear shift)
• Sudden stop

The training-school alternative. If you take an approved rider training course you can sit the Motorcycle Assessment Test (MSA) as part of the course instead of booking an ICBC skills test. You then simply bring in a signed Driver Certification form.

Minimum Holding Periods

What Passing the MST Changes

Passing the MST removes two of the learner restrictions that otherwise apply:

• The 60 km/h maximum speed limit is lifted.
• The requirement to ride within sight of a qualified supervisor is lifted.

The daylight-only and no-passengers restrictions stay in force through the rest of the learner stage. The MST is free; you pay no fee to take it or to retake it.

Preparing for the Knowledge Test

Because the questions can come from any chapter of Learn to Ride Smart, the strongest preparation is to read the whole guide once and then focus your review on the topics you find hardest. A practical cycle is: read a chapter, work through the practice questions on this site for that topic, note which ones you miss, and re-read only the sections behind those misses. Many riders over-study signs and under-study the rules of the road, right-of-way at intersections, and the licensing and penalty rules — the topics where the trickier questions live.

A few habits that raise your score:

• Read every question all the way through before looking at the choices. ICBC's own tip sheet warns that some answers have parts that are correct but are not complete — questions often test the exception, not the rule.
• Watch for words like "must," "may," "only," and "except" — they change the meaning of the whole statement and are where careless readers lose marks.
• Use the skip button. You may skip each question once; skipped questions come back at the end. Skipping a hard item is better than burning four minutes on it.
• Watch the status bar at the bottom of the screen. The test ends as soon as you have enough correct answers — or as soon as you have exceeded the allowed number of wrong ones.
• Ask for a rephrase if you are testing in an office. Staff can explain a question a different way, though 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.
• If you are testing in a language other than English, the motorcycle knowledge test is offered in 12 languages with audio available.

What to Bring on Test Day

You will sit the knowledge test and the vision screening at the same visit, so bring everything for both:

• Primary identification accepted by ICBC. If you already hold a B.C. driver's licence, that is usually enough; otherwise bring accepted primary ID from ICBC's published list.
• The $15 knowledge test fee. Check which payment methods your local office accepts before you go.
• The corrective lenses you normally wear. Because the vision screening happens the same day, wearing the wrong glasses or forgetting contacts means you may be back for a second visit.
• Time to spare. Not every licensing office offers walk-in testing at all hours, so check the current office schedule and arrive early enough to be served.

Common Reasons Riders Fail the MST

The MST is a closed-course control test, and most failures come from a small set of avoidable habits. Knowing them in advance shapes how you practice:

• Putting a foot down during the slow straight ride, the slalom, or a turn. The examiner watches whether you keep your feet on the pegs once you are moving.
• Stalling the engine, usually from releasing the clutch too quickly with too little throttle on take-off.
• Knocking over a traffic cone or missing a turn in the marked manoeuvring course.
• An uncontrolled emergency stop — grabbing the front brake too hard or braking late and skidding, instead of a firm, balanced stop from the set speed.
• Skipping a routine step, such as being unable to identify the controls when asked, or fumbling the hand signals — both are explicitly assessed.
• Riding too fast through the slow-speed section, which defeats the balance and control the examiner is checking.

Practice these specific habits until they are automatic. The MST rewards smooth, repeatable control over speed, so drill the slow-speed work more than anything else.

The Order of Operations

The test sequence is fixed — you cannot skip ahead. Knowing the order helps you plan practice time and avoids a wasted trip to the licensing office.