1.3 Knowledge Test Format, Passing Standards & DriveTest Centre Procedures

Knowledge Test Format, Passing Standards & DriveTest Centre Procedures

Quick Summary: The Ontario G1 knowledge test is a multiple-choice test written at a DriveTest Centre. The questions are created by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and based on the Official MTO Driver's Handbook. DriveTest says each knowledge test has two or three sections, such as one on signs and one on rules of the road, and that you need a total score of at least 80%. The test is not timed, most people finish in 20 to 30 minutes, and results are valid for one year. If you retry within that year, you retake only the sections that did not meet MTO standards. The Class G1 package costs $159.75 and each extra knowledge-test attempt costs $16.00.

Who Runs the Test

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) sets licensing standards and writes the knowledge tests. The tests are delivered at DriveTest Centres, which Serco Canada Inc. operates for the province. You can also take knowledge tests at the ServiceOntario Bay and College location in downtown Toronto, but only by appointment.

No Appointment Needed at DriveTest

Knowledge tests are available without an appointment at every DriveTest Centre. DriveTest advises arriving at least one hour before the office closes so there is time to register, pay, do the vision test and write the test. This differs from road tests, which you must book in advance.

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What DriveTest Officially Says About the Format

These points come straight from DriveTest's knowledge-test page and the MTO handbook:

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                   ONTARIO G1 KNOWLEDGE TEST                        |
|                                                                    |
|   Section: Road signs              Section: Rules of the road      |
|   (MTO handbook Chapter 3)         (handbook Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5)  |
|                                                                    |
|   Official: total score of at least 80%                            |
|   Retry within 1 year: rewrite only sections below MTO standard    |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

What DriveTest Does Not Publish

DriveTest does not publish the exact number of questions or a per-section cut score. Many prep sites describe the G1 test as 40 questions: 20 on signs and 20 on rules, with at least 16 correct needed in each part. Treat that as a common unofficial description, not an MTO figure. The safe way to study is the same either way: be strong in both signs and rules. A weak section can mean retaking it even when your overall total looks good.

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What the Two Main Sections Cover

Road Signs

Signs make up Chapter 3 of the handbook, together with traffic lights, pedestrian signals and pavement markings. Expect to identify a sign by its shape, colour and symbol and to state what it requires:

• Regulatory signs: orders that must be obeyed, usually rectangular or square with a white or black background. A green circle means you may or must do the action; a red circle with a slash means it is not allowed.
• Warning signs: usually yellow diamonds warning of curves, hills, merges and hazards.
• Temporary condition signs: usually orange diamonds for construction zones, detours and traffic-control people.
• Information and direction signs: usually green, showing destinations and distances; other colours guide you to services and attractions.
• Special shapes: the eight-sided red stop sign, the triangular yield sign, the five-sided school zone sign and the X-shaped railway crossing sign.

Rules of the Road

The handbook's "Could You Pass?" list says the written test may ask about seatbelts, traffic signs and lights, emergency vehicles, how to use headlights, speed limits, getting on or off a freeway, what to do at streetcars and school buses, licence suspensions, the demerit point system, passing, collision reporting, sharing the road, and the rules of the road. In practice, rules questions draw on the licensing, safe-driving, keeping-your-licence and vehicle chapters, for example:

• Graduated licensing conditions and the demerit point system
• Right-of-way at intersections, crossovers, school crossings and school buses
• Speed limits, following distance, passing and parking distances
• Freeway driving, emergency vehicles and the move-over rule
• Night and bad-weather driving, skids and collisions
• Impaired and distracted driving penalties

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Retries, Fees and Result Validity

The three package parts add up exactly: $16.00 + $53.75 + $90.00 = $159.75.

How a retry works: If you are unsuccessful, pay the $16.00 extra-attempt fee and try again. Test results are valid for one year. If you retry within one year, you retake only the sections that did not meet MTO standards. After a year, the saved section results no longer count.

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Languages and Accommodations

32 Languages for Class G1

Computerized and paper Class G1 tests are offered in 32 languages: Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Badini, Bengali, Chinese (Cantonese), Cree, Croatian, English, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Kurmanji, Ojibway, Oji-Cree, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Ukrainian and Urdu. (Class M1 and commercial tests are offered in fewer languages.)

Audio, Verbal Tests and Interpreters

• Audio at the kiosk: Every computerized kiosk has an audio function that lets you skip or repeat questions. No appointment is needed. Tell the agent before you enter the test room, and disposable headphones are provided. Wired 3.5 mm headphones of your own are allowed; Bluetooth headphones are not.
• By appointment: You need an appointment for a verbal test, an interpreter (foreign-language or sign-language) or a separate accessible space. Sign-language interpreters are arranged by the applicant, and DriveTest reimburses reasonable costs.

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Vision Test and the Corrective-Lens Condition

You take a vision test at DriveTest before writing. The Class G standard is visual acuity of at least 20/50 with both eyes open and examined together, plus a horizontal field of at least 120 continuous degrees. Glasses or contacts may be worn.

If you need glasses or contact lenses to meet the standard, your licence carries a corrective-lens condition (shown as condition "X" on Ontario licences). You must wear them every time you drive, and bring them to every DriveTest visit.

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Test-Day Checklist

The handbook's G1 knowledge test checklist says to study the Official MTO Driver's Handbook, then bring:

1. Identification: original, valid documents showing your legal name and complete date of birth (see Section 1.1 for accepted documents).
2. Money for fees: cash, debit or credit card.
3. Glasses or contact lenses if you need them to drive.

Also:

• Arrive early. Aim for at least an hour before closing.
• Read every word. Questions often turn on words such as must, except or never. The test is untimed, so read each option before choosing.
• Declarations: Since May 11, 2026, applicants for a Class G licence must declare that Ontario is their primary place of residence and that their presence in Canada is legal.