The Driver Knowledge Test (DKT) is the first step to a NSW driver licence. Pass it and you can apply for your learner licence (L plates). Its road safety part is very strict, so careful study pays off.
What is on the DKT
- General knowledge: 15 questions. You need 12 correct.
- Road safety: 30 questions. You need 29 correct: you can only miss one.
- Each part is marked separately, so a perfect general knowledge score does not make up for two road safety mistakes.
- All questions are based on the NSW Road User Handbook.
- The free NSW mock tests on PassDriveTest use the same two parts and pass marks.
A study plan that works
- Read the Road User Handbook from start to finish (free on nsw.gov.au). The road safety chapters on speeding, alcohol and drugs, fatigue, seatbelts, mobile phones and safe stopping distance matter most.
- Learn the numbers. Speed limits (50 km/h default in built-up areas, 100 km/h outside them, 40 km/h school zones and when passing stopped emergency vehicles on roads up to 80 km/h), BAC limits (zero for learners and P platers), demerit point limits, and the 3-second gap.
- Take a full mock test early. If you miss more than one road safety question, focus your study there.
- Study every mistake and find the rule in the handbook.
- Aim for 30 out of 30 in road safety on several different mock tests. That is the safest way to be sure of 29 on the day.
Topics that catch people out
- Learner and P1 rules: 90 km/h maximum, zero alcohol, no phone use at all (even hands-free), and the demerit point limits.
- Fatigue: being awake 17 hours is like a BAC of 0.05, and sleep is the only cure.
- Crash avoidance space: 3 seconds in good conditions, 4 or more in poor conditions.
- Sharing the road: 1 metre when passing a bicycle at 60 km/h or less, 1.5 metres above that.
- School buses with "40 when lights flash" signs.
After you pass
Apply for your learner licence at a Service NSW Centre (no booking needed). Learners under 25 then log 120 hours of supervised driving, including 20 at night, before the driving test.
Next: doing the DKT online, or take a free NSW DKT mock test.
Checked against official sources on 17 October 2026.