10 traps in category B driving theory questions (catalogue examples)

The hardest driving theory questions are rarely about hard rules: they catch you on a negation, the words "except for", a number from another manoeuvre or a detail in the photo. One defence: read the question to the full stop before you see the answers, as a basic question gives you 20 seconds to read and 15 to answer.

Why are the hardest questions rarely the ones about difficult rules?

At Łatweprawko we have no statistics on which questions are failed most often, and neither the Ministry nor the WORDs (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, the regional exam centres) publish such data in the catalogue. What we do have is the whole catalogue of the Ministry of Infrastructure (more than 3500 questions, July 2026 version), and in it we see recurring patterns: the question looks simple, but the answer hides in a single word, a single number or a detail in the photo.

The stakes are concrete. In the test you can score 74 points and you pass from 68, so you can lose at most 6; we have described the full scoring and the number of mistakes allowed separately. Then there is the clock: on a basic YES/NO question you have 20 seconds to read and 15 to answer, on a specialist A/B/C question 50 seconds in total (§ 19(6) of the examination regulation).

Below are ten types of trap, each with one question from the catalogue with its number, the correct answer and a tip.

Trap 1: a negation in the question

Question 7237: "At what speed are you not allowed to drive in a residential zone?" Answers: 10, 15 or 25 km/h. Correct: C, 25 km/h. Whoever skims it as "at what speed are you allowed" looks for the limit and clicks 10 or 15, because both fit under twenty.

The limit in a residential zone is 20 km/h (art. 20(2) of the Road Traffic Act, Prawo o ruchu drogowym). The question reverses the direction: which of these speeds is already forbidden. Question 13753 works the same way: are you exempt from the obligation to keep a distance of at least 1 m when overtaking a cyclist? Answer: NO.

Tip: when you see "not", "exempt" or "prohibits" in a question, read it a second time and only then look at the answers.

Trap 2: "except for" in a long sentence

Question 9377 has one sentence running over three lines: does a prohibition sign placed under the "built-up area" sign mean that the prohibition applies throughout the built-up area, except for the section of road on which it has been changed or cancelled by another sign. Correct answer: YES, for 3 points.

The difficulty is not in the rule but in the syntax. The sentence has a thesis (the prohibition throughout the area) and an exception (the section where another sign changes it). Both parts are true, so the whole is too.

Tip: with "except for" and "unless", split the sentence into two parts and assess each separately. If both are correct, the answer is YES.

Trap 3: a familiar number, but a different manoeuvre

"Are you obliged to keep a distance of at least 1 metre from an obstacle you are passing?" (question 3158). A metre brings cyclists to mind, so your hand goes to YES. Correct answer: NO.

The metre is a rule about overtaking. Art. 24(2) of the Road Traffic Act requires it when overtaking a bicycle, a cycle cart, a moped, a motorcycle, an e-scooter, a personal transporter, a person on a mobility device and a column of pedestrians. For passing a stationary obstacle, art. 23(1)(2) speaks only of a safe distance, with no number. The same number returns in question 13146 about an e-scooter, and there the answer is YES, because it is about overtaking.

Tip: before you answer a question with a number in it, name the manoeuvre. Overtaking, passing an obstacle and passing oncoming traffic are three different rules.

Trap 4: a number you almost remember

Question 10091: with a category B licence held for at least 3 years, are you allowed to ride a motorcycle with an engine capacity of up to 125 cm3? Correct: A, yes. Answer C adds the condition "provided you ride at a maximum speed of 30 km/h", which is not in the Act.

The basis is art. 6(3)(4)(a) of the Act on Vehicle Drivers (ustawa o kierujących pojazdami): a motorcycle up to 125 cm3, up to 11 kW and up to 0.1 kW/kg, if you have held category B for at least 3 years, only on Polish territory. Question 8417 is built in a similar way: are you allowed to drive when the alcohol concentration in your blood exceeds 0.2 per mille? NO.

Tip: learn numbers together with the condition they are attached to. "125 cm3" without "3 years" and "only in Poland" is half the knowledge.

Trap 5: a detail in the photo decides

Two questions about the same rule, two photos, two different answers. Question 3863: in the situation shown, is the distance from the warning sign to the danger spot up to 100 metres? YES. Question 3905: is it from 150 to 300 metres? NO.

The rule (§ 3(2) of the regulation on road signs and signals) says: 150-300 m on roads where the permitted speed exceeds 60 km/h, up to 100 m on the others. The paragraph alone is not enough; you have to read from the picture what kind of road you are on. We write more about this group in the text on warning signs and the traps in questions about them.

Tip: if the question starts with "in the situation shown" or "in this situation", the answer depends on the picture. Look at it before you read the answers.

Trap 6: two signs differ by one word

Question 7133: does this sign warn of approaching a junction with a one-way minor road whose entry is on the left? NO. Question 13383: does this sign warn of a junction with a minor road on the left? YES.

The whole difference is the word "one-way". The entry of a one-way road is shown by signs A-6d and A-6e; a minor road on the right or left by A-6b and A-6c (§ 5(2) and (4) of the regulation on signs). The question adds a feature that you have to confirm on the sign, not in your memory.

Tip: in questions about a sign, compare every adjective in the question with what you see. One mismatch means NO.

Trap 7: two answers sound reasonable

Question 10053: what distance should you keep when overtaking a motorcyclist? A: a safe one, less than 1 metre. B: any distance, as long as it is safe. C: not less than 1 metre. Correct: C.

Answer B sounds like common sense, but art. 24(2) of the Road Traffic Act gives a specific value for a motorcycle, so the answer with the number is more complete. For comparison, question 3628 about overtaking a car has the correct answer A: a safe one, depending on the width of the carriageway and traffic conditions, because for a car the Act gives no number.

Tip: when two answers look good, choose the one that reflects the rule more precisely. A generality loses to a specific, if the specific is in the Act.

Trap 8: ABS and pumping the pedal

Question 3858: which way of braking a car with ABS is the most effective? A: pressing the brake pedal in pulses. B: pressing the brake pedal quickly and hard. C: clutch, then brake. Correct: B.

Pumping the pedal is a technique from cars without ABS, known from parents' stories. With ABS you do the opposite: press hard and hold, and the pulsing of the pedal is normal. Question 3859 confirms this: when a working ABS pushes the pedal back during braking, you are to maintain the pressure (answer A).

Tip: braking questions contain "with ABS" or "without ABS". That word flips the correct answer to the opposite.

Trap 9: "are you allowed" is not "are you obliged"

Question 6314: when towing a vehicle, are you allowed to use hazard warning lights? NO. Question 7512: how are you obliged to mark a towed car? Correct: B, a reflective warning triangle at the rear on the left. Answer A in that question is precisely "switch on the hazard warning lights".

Art. 31(1) of the Road Traffic Act lists: dipped headlights on the towing vehicle, also in daytime, a triangle at the rear of the towed vehicle on the left, and in poor visibility additionally position lights. Hazard warning lights are not on that list. "Are you allowed" questions check whether you know the prohibition; "are you obliged" questions check whether you know the requirement.

Tip: for every manoeuvre, keep three lists in your head: what you must do, what you may do, what you must not do.

Trap 10: the key is in the middle of the sentence, and the clock is ticking

Question 6390: are you breaking the rules if, while driving, you talk on the phone holding it in your hand? Answer B: no, provided you hold the phone away from your ear with speakerphone mode on. Answer C: yes, even when you hold the phone away from your ear with speakerphone mode on. Correct: C.

Art. 45(2)(1) of the Road Traffic Act prohibits using, while driving, a phone that requires holding the handset or microphone in your hand. The key is "in your hand", not "at your ear". Answers B and C start with different words and end identically, so whoever reads the endings chooses at random. The clock adds pressure: on an A/B/C question you have 50 seconds to read the question, three answers and decide, which is enough for one careful reading, not three nervous ones.

Tip: read the question to the full stop, then all the answers to the full stop. You can correct an answer until you move to the next question, but you cannot go back to the previous one.

All the traps in one table

How to train so the traps stop working?

1. Do timed mock tests. Our category B mock test draws 32 questions with the same scoring as the WORD, the same time limits and the 68-point threshold. Without the clock, trap no. 10 does not exist; in the test it does.
2. After every test review your mistakes and name the type of trap from the table for each one. After a few tests you will see which one keeps coming back for you; we have gathered the most common mistakes in the theory test separately.
3. Learn from the original questions. Our catalogue is the Ministry of Infrastructure file with photos and videos, updated after every change on gov.pl, so the content and answers are the same ones you will see at the WORD.
4. Switch on revision. After a mistake you get similar questions from the same section, and the spaced repetition algorithm brings a question back at the moment you are about to forget it.
5. If you fail, apply to see your questions with the correct answers (art. 52a of the Act on Vehicle Drivers). That is the shortest list of your traps you will ever get.

One last tip for the test itself: when a question seems too easy, read it once more. In the catalogue, questions that are too easy often contain "not", "except for" or a number from a neighbouring rule.