How Hard Is the Driver Knowledge Test? Pass Marks by State
2026-07-27
The four tests, side by side
“How hard is the DKT” is really four separate questions, because Australia doesn’t run one national learners test — each state sets its own question count and pass mark on top of the shared Australian Road Rules. Here’s exactly what each one asks of you.
New South Wales: the Driver Knowledge Test runs 45 questions with a 90% pass mark — 41 correct answers, meaning 4 wrong answers is your limit.
Victoria: the Learner Permit Test runs 32 questions with a 78% pass mark — 25 correct, meaning 7 wrong answers is your limit.
Queensland: the PrepL road rules test runs 30 questions with a 90% pass mark — 27 correct, meaning 3 wrong answers is your limit.
Western Australia: the computerised theory test runs 30 questions with an 80% pass mark — 24 correct, meaning 6 wrong answers is your limit.
Why the percentages don’t tell the whole story
NSW and Queensland both post the highest headline pass mark at 90%, so by percentage alone they look equally hard. But Queensland’s test is only 30 questions long, so that 90% translates to just 3 allowed mistakes across the whole paper — the tightest margin of any state here. NSW’s 90% is spread across 45 questions, giving you 4 to spare.
Victoria has the lowest headline pass mark, 78%, but that’s also the most forgiving test in raw terms: 7 wrong answers still leaves you with a pass. WA sits in the middle on both measures — an 80% mark with 6 wrong answers allowed.
What makes each state’s test distinct
The DKT draws on the NSW Road Users’ Handbook and is the longest of the four, mixing general road safety knowledge with rules and signs. Victoria’s Learner Permit Test adds content you won’t see interstate — tram tracks, safety zones and hook turns, all specific to Melbourne. Queensland’s PrepL test is the shortest and, on a wrong-answers basis, the least forgiving. WA’s computerised theory test follows the same format as the others but draws on its own state handbook.
None of the four are harder in the sense of asking more advanced questions — a give-way rule is a give-way rule wherever you sit the test. What differs is how much slack the format gives you for an off day, which matters more than most learners expect going in.
That’s also why cramming the night before is riskier on a shorter test. Miss 3 careless questions on Queensland’s 30-question paper and you’re already at the fail line; the same 3 slip-ups on NSW’s 45-question paper still leave you a point to spare.
How the DKT compares beyond Australia
Australia’s toughest state tests aren’t the toughest learner theory tests going. New Zealand’s Road Code test needs 32 of 35 correct — about 91% — which allows only 3 wrong answers, a tighter margin than any Australian state covered here. The UK’s theory test, by contrast, needs 43 of 50 (86%), a lower percentage spread across more questions.
That puts NSW and Queensland’s 90% roughly in the middle of the pack internationally: stricter than a lot of learner tests, but not the strictest. It’s a reasonable way to calibrate how seriously to take your preparation — this isn’t a token formality anywhere in the English-speaking world, but Australia isn’t asking for the impossible either.
Which state is actually hardest to pass?
There isn’t one honest answer — it depends whether you weigh the headline percentage or the number of mistakes you can actually afford. By both measures, though, Queensland’s PrepL test leaves the least room for error, while Victoria’s Learner Permit Test is the most forgiving of the four.
If you’re moving states, or comparing notes with someone who tested elsewhere, don’t let their experience set your expectations. Someone who breezed through Victoria’s 78% mark on 32 questions and tells you the test is “easy” is describing a genuinely different bar than the one Queensland or NSW will hold you to.
Whichever state you’re sitting, the practical takeaway is the same: practice at your own state’s real pass mark, not a generic 80% you saw somewhere else, and don’t assume a lower headline percentage means an easier test.
FAQ
Which Australian state has the hardest learners test?
By pass percentage, NSW and Queensland tie at 90%. But Queensland’s test is only 30 questions, so you can only afford to miss 3 — the tightest margin of the four.
Which state is easiest to pass?
Victoria’s Learner Permit Test has the lowest pass mark, 78% (25 of 32), and allows 7 wrong answers — the most forgiving margin of the four states covered here.
Does a lower pass mark mean an easier test?
Not necessarily — a lower percentage on a shorter test can still leave little room for error. Compare the actual number of questions you’re allowed to get wrong, not just the headline percentage.
Do all Australian states use the same questions?
No — each state runs its own test from its own handbook, though all are built on the shared Australian Road Rules. NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA each have distinct formats and state-specific content, like Victoria’s tram and hook-turn rules.
Sources: Service NSW — Driver Knowledge Test, VicRoads — Learner Permit Test, Queensland Transport and Main Roads — PrepL, Transport WA — Theory Test