Failed the Knowledge Test? Retake Rules and Fees by Province (2026)
2026-08-31
How soon you can go back
Ontario has no mandatory waiting period — you pay the retry fee and book again, subject to DriveTest centre availability. Alberta permits one attempt per day, so the earliest retry is the following day.
British Columbia’s constraint is primarily appointment availability at an ICBC driver licensing office rather than a fixed statutory gap.
Across all three, the practical limit is the booking calendar rather than the rulebook. That makes it easy to rebook fast and repeat the same result.
What a retake costs
Ontario charges CAD $16 per retry. The first attempt is bundled into the $159.75 G1 licensing package, so the retry fee is the marginal cost of a fail.
British Columbia charges CAD $15 per attempt, with the test free for seniors aged 65 and over.
These are low enough that money is not the deterrent. The real costs are the trip to the licensing office and the delay to everything downstream in the graduated licensing timeline.
The Ontario trap specifically
Because the G1 is scored as two sections, a fail does not tell you the whole story until you look at which section failed. Candidates regularly fail on signs while comfortably passing rules, then spend the gap revising rules because that is what "studying for the G1" feels like.
Check which section went wrong first. If it was signs, the fix is an hour of dedicated sign drilling, not a general re-read of the driver’s handbook.
The same principle applies less formally in BC and Alberta: identify the category, not the score.
Before you rebook
Write down every question you guessed on, not just the ones you got wrong. Guesses that landed are the gaps most likely to fail you next time, and they are invisible in your score.
Drill the weakest category directly. Thirty targeted sign questions will move your result more than two hundred mixed ones.
Check the graduated licensing conditions for your province specifically — passenger limits, night driving restrictions and the zero blood alcohol rule for novice drivers are provincial, commonly assumed, and commonly wrong.
Then clear three full-length mocks with margin before paying the fee. Ontario’s $16 is cheap; a third trip to DriveTest is not.
FAQ
How much does it cost to retake the G1 test in Ontario?
CAD $16 per retry. The first attempt is included in the $159.75 G1 licence package.
How long must I wait to retake the knowledge test in Alberta?
You may attempt it once per day, so the earliest retry is the next day.
What does an ICBC knowledge test retake cost in BC?
CAD $15 per attempt. It is free for seniors aged 65 and over.
I failed only the signs section of the G1. Do I retake everything?
The G1 requires passing both the signs and rules sections, so plan on sitting the test again — but target your revision at the section that actually failed.
Sources: DriveTest Ontario — Knowledge Tests, ICBC — Book a knowledge test, Alberta.ca — Class 7 learner’s licence