It’s the driver knowledge test, also called the theory test, and passing it is your first step to a learner licence. You sit it at a Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) office. To prepare for the NT learner’s test, study the NT Road Users’ Handbook and take a practice theory test, or go to the DriveSafe NT theory classes.
Updated November 2026 · Written from the NT Government driver licence pages
Key facts
At a glance
Who runs it
The NT Government’s Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR)
Official name
The driver knowledge test, or theory test
Where
An MVR office, or a police station in remote areas
A pass stays valid
12 months, if you don’t apply for your licence straight away
How it works
How the NT learner’s test works
Theory test · 26 to pass
26 to pass
To pass you need 26 of 30 right.
The test is multiple choice, and its questions are about the road rules in the NT.
If you’re not confident with reading or writing, or find English hard, some MVR offices offer a verbal theory test or an interpreter.
To ask for one, call MVR or go to an office to check it’s offered in your area, then book the test.
Topics
What’s on the test
The first and last topics come from the NT Government’s licence pages. The three in between are national rules from the Australian Road Rules.
01
Your learner licence
The conditions you drive under once you have your learner licence receipt, and who can sit beside you.
Key points (4)
On a learner licence your blood alcohol concentration must be zero, and you must not exceed 80 km/h.
Display L plates at the front and rear of the car, and have a fully licensed driver in the front passenger seat at all times.
Your supervising driver must hold a full Australian driver licence. They can be an adult relative, a friend or a driving instructor.
Hold your learner licence continuously for at least six months before the practical driving test.
02
Giving way
Who goes first at intersections, T-intersections and roundabouts. Four of the practice questions use diagrams for these.
Key points (4)
At an intersection with no traffic lights, signs or road markings, give way to a vehicle on your right (Australian Road Rules).
At a T-intersection, the driver on the road that ends gives way to vehicles on the road that continues (Australian Road Rules).
Turning right, you give way to oncoming vehicles going straight ahead (Australian Road Rules).
Entering a roundabout, you give way to vehicles already on it (Australian Road Rules).
03
Signs, lanes and headlights
What the main regulatory signs ask of you, when you keep left, and when to dip your headlights.
Key points (3)
At a Stop sign you stop at the stop line every time, then give way. At a Give Way sign you stop only if you need to (Australian Road Rules).
Where a Keep Left Unless Overtaking sign applies, you stay out of the right-hand lane unless you’re overtaking or turning right, or another exception applies (Australian Road Rules).
Dip your headlights when a vehicle coming towards you, or one you’re following, is within 200 metres (Australian Road Rules).
04
Pedestrians and emergency vehicles
Two rules about giving way: to people on a pedestrian crossing, and to police and emergency vehicles.
Key points (2)
Give way to any pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing, stopping if you need to (Australian Road Rules).
Give way to a police or emergency vehicle sounding an alarm or showing flashing lights, and move out of its path when it’s safe (Australian Road Rules).
05
P plates and the driving test
The provisional licence that follows the practical driving test, and the Z condition after it.
Key points (4)
On P plates your blood alcohol concentration must be zero, you must not exceed 100 km/h, and your P plates go at the front and rear.
If you’re under 25 you get a two-year provisional licence. At 25 or over, it’s one year.
After your provisional period, the Z condition keeps you at zero alcohol for a further 12 months or until you turn 25, whichever is sooner.
Failing to give way and exceeding the speed limit are both immediate fails on the practical driving test.
Road signs
Road signs from the Australian Road Rules
These are national designs from the Australian Road Rules. The NT Government’s handbook page says those rules are used in each state and territory of Australia.
Stop: a full stop at the line
Give Way: stop only if you need to
Speed limit, in km/h
Roundabout: give way to cars on it
Keep Left
Keep Left Unless Overtaking
No Entry
No U-turn
Free practice test
20 practice questions on the NT learner and road rules
These 20 questions are our own, written from the NT Government’s licence pages and the Australian Road Rules. Four use give-way diagrams and three show road signs. The real test needs 26 of 30, so you need 18 of 20 here, which is a little stricter.
Question 1 of 20
There are no signs, traffic lights or road markings at this crossroads. Which car has to give way?
20 practice questions we wrote on the Territory’s learner rules and the road rules.
Test day
What to take to the MVR office
A completed L1 form (Apply for an NT driver licence)
Evidence of your identity and NT residency, if you’re not an MVR customer yet
The theory test fee, unless you’re a DriveSafe NT participant
A recent eye examination from your doctor or optometrist, if you have one. It can stand in for the eye test at the office
Before you go
If you’re applying at MVR Darwin or Palmerston, you can book an appointment first. The MVR page explains how.
Learn the learner licence conditions as well, because they apply from your very first drive.
Study from the NT Road Users’ Handbook and the NT Government’s online practice test, or join DriveSafe NT for theory classes and lessons with qualified instructors.
Option
Price
Free to use
Links
Official and free
NT Road Users’ HandbookOfficial handbookThe NT Government’s guide for all drivers: the rules of the road, basic driving skills and the Australian Road Rules.
DriveSafe NTOfficial training and licensing programTheory classes, lessons with qualified instructors and more than $600 in subsidies, in Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine and Alice Springs, with a remote program too.
30 multiple choice questions, picked at random from a pool of more than 300. You need at least 26 right to pass.
How much does it cost?
The NT Government listed the theory test at $20 in November 2026, and the learner licence at $29. A learner licence lasts 2 years. If you’re in DriveSafe NT, you don’t pay the test fee, or the learner licence fee the first time.
What happens after I pass?
You pass an eye test at the MVR office and pay the learner licence fee. Once you have your driver licence receipt, you can start learning to drive. The licence itself is mailed to the address on that receipt.
Can I sit the test in a remote community?
Yes. The DriveSafe NT remote program runs theory classes at scheduled team visits, and helps with evidence of identity and residency. If you’re not in the program, you can use the DriveSafe NT website modules and online practice test, then sit the eye test and theory test at a police station.
Who can apply for an NT learner licence?
You must live in the Northern Territory and be at least 16. You also have to be an MVR customer, which you become in person at an MVR office.
All 20 practice questions with answersA printable list of the practice test above
There are no signs, traffic lights or road markings at this crossroads. Which car has to give way?
Car A At an intersection with no traffic lights, signs or road markings, you give way to a vehicle on your right. Car B is on Car A’s right, so Car A gives way.
You’re driving on your learner licence. What must your blood alcohol concentration be?
0.00 One of the learner licence conditions is a zero blood alcohol concentration. The same zero applies on your P plates.
You come to this sign at an intersection with a stop line. What must you do?
Stop at the line, then give way At a Stop sign you must stop at the stop line, even if no one is coming. Then you give way to other traffic as the give way rules require.
You’re on L plates on a highway where the signed limit is higher than you’re allowed. What’s the fastest you may drive?
80 km/h Learner drivers in the NT must not exceed 80 km/h. That cap applies even where the road’s own limit is higher.
Car B is on the road that ends at this T-intersection, and no signs or lights control it. Which car goes first?
Car A, on the through road At a T-intersection, a driver on the road that ends gives way to vehicles on the road that continues. Car B is on the road that ends, so Car A goes first.
Where must your L plates be displayed while you’re driving?
At the front and the rear A learner must display L plates in a visible position at the front and rear of the car they’re driving. Drivers ahead of you and behind you can then see a learner is at the wheel.
A pedestrian is walking across a pedestrian crossing ahead of you. What must you do?
Give way to them, stopping if needed A driver must give way to any pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing. That means slowing down, and stopping if you need to, so they can cross safely.
You’ve just got your P plates. What’s the fastest you may drive, even where a higher limit is signed?
100 km/h Every provisional driver in the NT must not exceed 100 km/h. That cap stays in place even where the road’s limit is higher.
Car B is turning right here, and Car A is coming the other way, going straight ahead. Which car must give way?
Car B When you turn right at an intersection, you give way to oncoming vehicles going straight ahead. Car B is turning right across Car A’s path, so B gives way.
Where must your supervising driver sit while you drive on your learner licence?
In the front passenger seat A learner must have a fully licensed driver sitting in the front passenger seat at all times while driving. That applies on every drive, short or long.
You’re on high beam at night and a car is coming towards you. Within what distance of it must you dip your headlights?
200 metres You must not use high beam when an oncoming vehicle is within 200 metres. The same 200 metres applies to a vehicle you’re following.
You pass your practical driving test at 19. How long is your provisional licence?
Two years If you’re under 25, you receive a two-year provisional licence. If you’re 25 or over, it’s a one-year provisional licence.
Car B is already on this roundabout, and Car A is about to enter. What should Car A do?
Wait for Car B, then enter A driver entering a roundabout must give way to any vehicle already on it. Car B is on the roundabout, so Car A waits for it before entering.
Which of these people could be your supervising driver?
Your aunt, on a full licence Your supervising driver must have a full Australian driver licence. They can be an adult relative, a friend or a driving instructor.
You pass this sign on a multi-lane road. When may you drive in the right-hand lane?
To overtake or turn right Where this sign applies, you must not drive in the right-hand lane unless you’re overtaking, turning right or making a U-turn, or another exception in the rules applies. Otherwise you keep left.
You finish your provisional period at 21. How long does the Z condition keep you at zero alcohol?
A further 12 months After your provisional period, the Z condition keeps you at zero blood or breath alcohol for a further 12 months or until you turn 25, whichever is sooner. At 21, the 12 months finish first.
You reach this sign at an intersection. What does it ask of you?
Give way, stopping if needed At a Give Way sign you slow down and give way to other traffic as the rules require. You stop only if you need to, for example when a vehicle is coming.
How long must you hold your learner licence, without a break, before you can take the practical driving test?
At least six months To get your P plates, you must hold your learner licence continuously for at least six months before the practical test. If it lapses, the six months start again once it’s reactivated or reissued.
An ambulance behind you is sounding its siren and flashing its lights. What must you do?
Move out of its way when safe You must give way to a police or emergency vehicle that’s sounding an alarm or showing flashing lights, and move out of its path as soon as it’s safe. Moving over gives it a clear path past you.
Which of these is an immediate fail on the NT practical driving test?
Going over the speed limit The NT Government lists exceeding the speed limit as an immediate fail on the practical driving test. Others include failing to give way and failing to obey traffic lights, signs or road markings.
Sources: NT Government · Northern Territory Legislation and 3 more. Checked November 2026.
Northern Territory · Theory test