Failed driving test: what next and how much a retake costs

After a failed test you apply for a new date and pay a new fee: 56.98 zł for theory or 229.99 zł for the category B practical (Mazovia, as of September 2026). Passed theory stays valid indefinitely, so after a failed practical you retake only the driving. The rules set no limit on attempts and no waiting period.

What exactly a negative result means

For theory it is a matter of arithmetic. The test has 32 questions worth 74 points in total, and you pass from 68 points. So you can lose at most 6 points: for example two mistakes in 3-point questions, or one 3-point, one 2-point and one 1-point mistake. The seventh lost point is a negative result. How the points are distributed is described in our article on the number of questions and scoring in the theory test.

In the practical test a negative result follows from § 28 of the regulation on driving tests (rozporządzenie w sprawie egzaminowania) and has three sources:

1. the same task in traffic performed incorrectly twice;
2. the test being stopped (§ 16(1)), most often because your behaviour could endanger the life or health of the examiner or another road user, but also at your request or after refusing an alcohol test;
3. a mistake on the manoeuvring area after which you do not go out on the road (driving a wheel over the edge line of the bay, running over or knocking down a cone or pole, the same task on the area performed incorrectly twice; § 12(2)).

The examiner tells you about a mistake straight away, naming the task. After the test they discuss the result and hand you the test record sheet (arkusz przebiegu egzaminu). That sheet is the most important document you take away from WORD (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, the regional driving test centre) after a failed drive.

Do you have to retake theory after failing the practical

No. A passed theory test is valid indefinitely (since 24 August 2014). After a failed practical test you book only the practical part, even if several years have passed.

It does not work the other way round. A positive result in the theory part is a condition for taking the practical part (Act on Vehicle Drivers (ustawa o kierujących pojazdami), art. 52(1)). After a failed theory test you first pass the test, and only then will WORD set a date for your drive.

How to book the next date

After a negative result, WORD sets the next date at your request once the fee is paid, and indicates the first available date (§ 11(5) of the regulation). You submit the application the same way as when booking for the first time: in person at WORD, via info-car.pl or via the info-kierowca.pl portal, giving your PKK number (Profil Kandydata na Kierowcę, the driver candidate profile) and PESEL number. How each of these routes works is described in our article on test fees and booking.

Neither the Act on Vehicle Drivers nor the regulation limits the number of attempts. There is also no rule requiring you to wait a set time between tests. The only limits are the available dates at your WORD and your own decision on whether you want more practice before the next attempt.

How much another attempt costs: table

Every attempt means a new test fee. Its amount is set by the regional assembly (sejmik województwa), so the sums differ between regions. Below are the Mazovia rates in force from 1 January 2026 (as of September 2026), plus the approximate cost of extra driving lessons at an OSK (ośrodek szkolenia kierowców, the driving school).

In other regions the sums are similar: 55-59 zł for theory, 220-239 zł for the category B practical. You pay the fee by bank transfer, card or BLIK at the customer service desk, or online when booking.

The fee can be transferred or refunded only if you withdraw from the date in writing no later than 2 working days before the test. Anyone who does not turn up without cancelling pays again. The rules on withdrawing and the situations in which WORD does not charge another fee (vehicle breakdown, weather) are described in our article on the practical test day and cancelling a date.

Can you appeal against the result: complaint within 14 days

If you believe the test was conducted in breach of the rules, you can file a complaint with reasons within 14 days of the day of the test. It is addressed to the marshal of the voivodeship (the head of the regional government) and submitted through the WORD director (Act on Vehicle Drivers, art. 68(1)). The director forwards it to the marshal together with explanations and the recording within 14 days (para. 2).

The category B practical part is recorded (video and audio). The recording is kept for 21 days, and once a complaint is filed, until the end of the proceedings (art. 54(1), (2) and (4)). The 14-day deadline falls within those 21 days, but do not delay: a complaint without a recording is one word against another.

A complaint makes sense when you have a specific objection to how the test was conducted. It does not replace another attempt.

What to improve after failing theory

Start by checking where you lost points. After a failed theory test you can, on request, see the questions from your test together with the correct answers (Act on Vehicle Drivers, art. 52a). It usually turns out that the problem was not knowledge but time, or traps in the wording of the question. We have collected the most common ones in our article on mistakes in the theory test.

Then change the way you study, not just how much. Research on learning shows two things: revision spread out over time works better than one long session, and testing yourself fixes knowledge more firmly than re-reading. A two-week plan written out step by step is in our text on how to study for the theory test.

Practise under test conditions: 32 questions, 25 minutes, 20 seconds to read and 15 to answer in the basic part, 50 seconds in the specialist part, with no going back to the previous question. Our category B mock tests follow these rules, and if you failed because of gaps in the rules rather than time, the online theory course will put them in order.

What to improve after failing the practical

Go back to the test record sheet and to what the examiner said when discussing the result. The name of the task you failed twice is a ready-made plan for your next lessons. The regulation (§ 27 point 9) states what the examiner pays particular attention to: how you perform manoeuvres, your behaviour towards other road users, how you assess hazards and react to them, how you operate the vehicle's controls, and the safety of the most vulnerable road users.

Extra lessons before the next attempt are not compulsory; no rule requires them. If the mistake concerned one manoeuvre, one or two hours at an OSK (approx. 150 zł per hour) focused on that task are usually enough. If the test was stopped because of a hazard, treat it as a sign that you need more time in traffic, not only on the manoeuvring area.

Before the next date, go through the list of tasks and criteria in our article on the category B practical test tasks. Remember too the option in the Act: for category B the test may take place in the vehicle of the OSK that trained you, at your request and expense (art. 53(4a)). For someone who failed because of an unfamiliar car's controls, that is a real change of conditions.

How many people fail: data from one WORD

There is no official nationwide statistic in our sources, but data from individual centres shows the scale. At WORD Warsaw Odlewnicza in 2025, 59.31% of those attempting passed category B theory (13 374 attempts) and 34.12% passed the category B practical (12 248 attempts), according to the RankingOSK website.

One thing follows from these figures: in this data, most practical attempts end in a negative result, so a failed test is a typical stage, not an exception. We do not promise that the next attempt will succeed, but a new date with the record sheet in hand and two lessons on a specific task is a completely different situation from the first try.

If, after a failed test, nerves are holding you back more than gaps in your skills, see our article on driving test nerves. And book the new date the same week: WORD will set the first available date anyway, and in the meantime you practise what is on the sheet.