How Many Questions Can You Get Wrong? Ontario, BC and Alberta (2026)
2026-08-31
The margin in each province
Ontario’s G1 knowledge test is 40 questions at 80%, so 32 correct passes and eight wrong answers are permitted. It is usually split into two sections — road signs and road rules — and both must be passed.
British Columbia’s ICBC knowledge test is 25 questions at 80%, needing 20 correct and allowing five mistakes. Alberta’s Class 7 test is 30 questions at 83%, needing 25 correct, also allowing five.
Alberta is the strictest of the three by percentage, and BC has the shortest paper, which means each individual question carries the most weight there — one miss in BC costs four percentage points.
Why Ontario’s two-section format matters
The G1 is not a single pooled score. Signs and rules are assessed as separate sections, and failing either one fails the test regardless of how strong the other was.
That changes the preparation maths entirely. A candidate who is excellent on rules and weak on signs cannot average their way to a pass, which is exactly the strategy an overall percentage invites.
If you are studying for the G1, treat signs as a standalone subject with its own practice, not as a chapter inside general revision.
Where the marks go
Signs, in every province, and particularly the ones that are not the familiar warning triangles — lane control, parking restrictions, and the regulatory set. This is pure recall and it is where skimming shows up immediately.
Right of way at intersections and roundabouts comes second. The rules are short to state and easy to reverse under pressure, especially where a turning vehicle meets oncoming traffic.
Graduated licensing conditions are the third, and they are province-specific: what a G1, an L, or a Class 7 holder may and may not do, including passenger limits, hours, and the zero blood alcohol requirement for novice drivers. Candidates assume they know these from conversation and lose marks on the specifics.
Winter and adverse-condition driving rounds it out — following distances, black ice, and reduced visibility procedures show up more here than in most countries’ banks, for obvious reasons.
Practising with a margin
Target one or two wrong in practice, not the full allowance. In BC especially, where only five misses are permitted on 25 questions, arriving with no buffer means relying on which questions appear.
Log the category behind each miss. Five wrong spread across five topics is a different problem from five wrong all in signs, and only one of those is fixable in an evening.
For Ontario, run signs and rules as separate mock sections so you can see whether either would have failed on its own.
Then clear three consecutive full-length mocks with margin at your own province’s real question count and pass mark. Passing one by a single question is not readiness.
FAQ
How many questions can you get wrong on the G1 test?
Eight out of 40 overall, but the test is split into signs and rules sections and you must pass both — a strong score in one cannot rescue a fail in the other.
What is the pass mark for the ICBC knowledge test?
Eighty percent. It is 25 questions, so 20 correct passes and five mistakes are allowed.
How many can you miss on the Alberta Class 7 test?
Five. The test is 30 questions at 83%, so you need 25 correct.
Which province has the strictest knowledge test?
Alberta, at 83%. BC and Ontario both sit at 80%, though BC’s shorter paper makes each question worth more.
Sources: DriveTest Ontario — Knowledge Tests, ICBC — Book a knowledge test, Alberta.ca — Class 7 learner’s licence