What the driving theory test looks like: procedure, timings, result

The theory test is 32 questions answered on a computer in a room for at most 20 people, in 25 minutes. The examiner checks your identity and starts the terminal; the system draws questions from the public catalogue. You change an answer only until you move on. You pass with 68 of 74 points and see the result at once.

What to bring to the test and how the identity check begins

You come to the WORD (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, the regional exam centre) with a valid identity document. The examination regulation (§ 12(1)) lists, among others, an ID card, a passport, a residence card, a Polish identity document for a foreigner, and a document in the mObywatel app (the government's digital ID app) shown to the examiner on your phone screen. Without a document you will not be admitted to the test.

Before the start the examiner confirms the identity of every person in the room and checks that the details match the centre's IT system (§ 21(1)). Only then do they start the computer examination terminal and supervise the test. At most 20 people can sit the test in one room at the same time (§ 19(2)).

You take the test on your own. Using materials or devices that help you answer means a negative result (§ 32(2)). So put your phone away before entering the room and do not touch it until the test is over.

The whole procedure in order:

1. You book the test with your PKK number (Profil Kandydata na Kierowcę, the driver candidate profile) and pay the fee; details in the text on test fees and booking in 2026.
2. On the day of the test you report to the WORD customer service desk with your identity document.
3. The examiner confirms your identity and shows you to a computer station.
4. The examiner starts the terminal, and the system draws a set of questions for you.
5. You answer 32 questions within 25 minutes.
6. The result with the number of points appears on screen, and on request you get a printed result sheet.

What the questions look like on screen

The set has 32 questions: 20 on basic knowledge with a YES or NO answer, and 12 on specialist knowledge for your category, with one correct answer out of A, B and C (§ 19(4)-(6)). The basic questions are common to all categories; the specialist ones cover the scope of the category you are applying for.

Each question presents a scenario through a visualisation and a description (§ 19(1) and (3)). In practice some questions include a photo or a video of a traffic situation. You start the multimedia content yourself at your station, so watch it in full before choosing an answer.

The questions are drawn in real time from a public database. The Ministry of Infrastructure publishes the catalogue for candidates in Excel format on gov.pl; the latest update is from July 2026. The database is overseen by a verification committee appointed on 10 December 2014. You will not meet a question from outside the catalogue at the test, but the order and selection are random, so memorising answers without understanding them fails.

How much time you have for each question

The clock runs separately for each question, not only for the whole set. The rules from § 19(6), (7) and (11) of the regulation:

The regulation separates these stages: first 20 seconds for the content, then 15 seconds to select the answer. If you do not select YES or NO within that time, the question is scored 0 points. For specialist questions you have one combined 50-second counter.

A normal reading pace is enough. The difficulty lies rather in keeping your focus for the full 25 minutes, because the questions follow one after another.

Can you go back to a question or change an answer

You can correct an answer until you confirm it, that is until you move to the next question, or until the answer time runs out (§ 19(8)). After confirming there is no way back. WORD Warszawa says it plainly: there is no possibility of returning to a question that has not been answered.

Not selecting any answer counts as a wrong answer and gives 0 points. So for a question you are unsure about, mark the most likely answer instead of leaving it blank. We have gathered a list of such slips in the text on the most common mistakes in the theory test.

How many points you need to pass

The total number of points available is 74, and a pass starts at 68 points (§ 19(9)-(10)). Questions are weighted 3, 2 or 1 point depending on their importance for road safety, so two mistakes on 3-point questions use up the whole margin.

The full points breakdown, a table of allowed combinations of mistakes and an answering strategy are in a separate text on scoring and the number of mistakes allowed in the theory test.

What happens after the last question

When the test ends you see the result with the number of points scored on the monitor. You do not wait for a committee or a letter. At your request the examiner prints the result sheet (§ 22(1)): your name, PKK number, the scope of the test, the numbers of the questions shown with your answers marked, the number of mistakes and the points for each question, and the result. You get the sheet in your hand.

If the result is negative, you have the right to see the exam questions together with the wording of the correct answers (Act on Vehicle Drivers, ustawa o kierujących pojazdami, art. 52a; regulation, § 22(1)(2)). Use this straight away at the WORD, because it is the shortest route to finding out which topics need revising before the next date.

A passed theory test is valid indefinitely. Since 24 August 2014 there have been no rules on the validity period of the theory part (WORD Warszawa). You can take the practical part only after passing theory (art. 52(1) of the Act). With theory passed at the WORD you are also exempt from the theory part of the course and the theory part of the internal exam (art. 23a).

Who can sit the theory test and in which language

The condition is a PKK number. You can sit the test at the earliest one month before reaching the age required for the category (art. 50(1) of the Act), and a person under 18 presents the consent of a parent or guardian (art. 50(2)(8)). You do not need to have finished the course at an OSK (ośrodek szkolenia kierowców, a driving school) before theory: you can pass at the WORD first and then complete only the practical part of the training.

You can take theory in Polish, English, German or Ukrainian (category B since 2024, categories C and C1 since 16 February 2026). Deaf candidates take the test with the questions and answers presented in sign language and with the extended timings from the table above (§ 19(7)); a sign language interpreter may help in the room only until the test begins. You choose the language when booking. The rules for each language are described in the text on the theory test in Ukrainian, English and German.

Can you sit several categories at once

Yes. In one exam you can take theory for more than one category (§ 20). Each additional category extends the time by 25 minutes, or by 40 minutes for deaf candidates. You then answer a full set of 32 questions for each category separately, and the result on the sheet is given separately for each of them.

How to practise the procedure before the real test

The most useful thing is training in conditions close to the WORD: 32 questions, 25 minutes, a separate timer for each question and the same scoring. That is how the category B mock test at Łatweprawko works, using the official question catalogue in the July 2026 version.

Do at least a few full mock tests with the timer on, and after each one review your mistakes with the explanation of the rule. The day before the test check that you have your identity document, and plan your journey to the WORD with time to spare, so that you sit down at the computer without rushing.