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Western Australia · Theory test

The WA learner’s permit test: the Computerised Theory Test

You sit it on a computer at a Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) service centre or regional agent, and you need 24 of the 30 multiple-choice questions right. You can do it on the same day you apply for a car learner’s permit, which you can get from 16. The WA learner’s permit test costs $22.40, each resit is $19.20, and a pass stays valid for 5 years. The State Government has announced a licensing overhaul that includes an online theory test alongside the in-centre one, but it hasn’t set a start date, so for now you take the test in person.

  • 30Multiple-choice questions on WA road rules
  • 24Correct answers you need to pass
  • $22.40First attempt, then $19.20 for each resit
  • 16Minimum age for a car learner’s permit
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated October 2026 · Written from the Drive Safe handbook

Key facts

At a glance

Who runs it
The Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI), through Driver and Vehicle Services
Moped permit age
15 and a half
Handbook
Drive Safe: A handbook for Western Australian road users

How it works

How the learner’s permit test works in WA

Car theory test
24 to pass
To pass you need 24 of 30 right.
  1. You sit the Computerised Theory Test (CTT) on a computer at a Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) service centre or regional agent, and you can sit it on the same day you apply for your learner’s permit.
  2. DTMI says you can learn everything you need to know for your learner’s permit from Drive Safe, its handbook.
  3. You can’t use your phone or any device, or look at the Drive Safe handbook, during the test.
  4. Metro service centres don’t need an appointment unless you need a translator. Regional centres and agents may ask you to call ahead.
  5. If you pass, you pay the learner’s permit application fee and get your permit, L plates and log book. The pass is valid for 5 years.

Topics

What’s on the test

01

Speed, alcohol, seat belts and phones

Drive Safe opens with what it calls the big killers on the road: speeding, drink driving, not wearing a seat belt and driving tired. The theory test checks you know the limits that apply to you as a learner.

Key points (4)
  • Novice drivers, including learners and P platers, must have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.00%. Drive Safe gives some other drivers a zero limit too, such as drivers of hire and reward vehicles and certain heavy vehicles. Everyone else has a 0.05 limit.
  • Your supervising driver faces the same alcohol and drug limits as if they were driving.
  • You can only take or make a call if the phone is in a fixed mount or works without touching it. Texting, emailing or looking at messages while driving is illegal.
  • A phone used for GPS must be in a mount, and you can’t touch it while driving.
02

Learner’s permit and the steps to a licence

WA uses a graduated system: theory test, learner’s permit, logged hours, hazard perception test, driving assessment, then P plates.

Key points (4)
  • You can get a car learner’s permit from 16. It lasts 3 years.
  • L plates go on the front and back, and learners can’t go over 100 km/h or drive in Kings Park.
  • Under 25, you log at least 50 supervised hours, 5 of them at night, before the driving assessment.
  • Red P plates for the first 6 months, then green P plates for 18 months.
03

Speed limits and following distances

Default limits apply when there’s no sign, and the two second rule sets your gap in good conditions.

Key points (4)
  • With no sign, the limit in a built-up area is 50 km/h.
  • Outside built-up areas with no sign, the WA limit is 110 km/h, but learners can’t go over 100 km/h.
  • Keep at least two seconds behind the vehicle ahead in good conditions, and four or five in poor ones.
  • At 60 km/h an alert driver covers about 25 metres before braking and another 20 metres while braking on a dry road.
04

Signs, road markings and signals

Regulatory signs must be obeyed, warning signs tell you to slow down, and lines on the road say where you can cross.

Key points (4)
  • You must obey a regulatory sign. Warning signs are generally yellow with black symbols.
  • You may cross a broken line to overtake or change lanes when it’s safe, but not a continuous dividing line to overtake.
  • Signal before turning, changing lanes, pulling out, making a U-turn, overtaking, or slowing down.
  • Pulling out from the side of the road, signal for at least 5 seconds.
05

Intersections, roundabouts and turning

Who goes first depends on whether the intersection is controlled by signs, signals or a roundabout, or not controlled at all.

Key points (4)
  • At a STOP sign, stop at the line and give way to all traffic on or turning from the intersecting road.
  • At an uncontrolled four-way intersection, give way to the vehicle on your right.
  • At a roundabout, give way to all traffic already on it and travel clockwise.
  • You can’t make a U-turn on a freeway, or at traffic lights unless a U TURN PERMITTED sign is shown.
06

Keeping left, lanes, overtaking and freeways

On faster multi-lane roads the right lane is for overtaking and turning, and overtaking has strict limits.

Key points (4)
  • On roads of 90 km/h or more, or with KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING signs, stay out of the right lane unless an exception applies.
  • When lanes merge, give way to a vehicle if any part of it is ahead of yours.
  • You must not go over the speed limit to overtake.
  • Don’t overtake a vehicle that has slowed or stopped at a railway, pedestrian or children’s crossing.
07

Pedestrians, riders, buses and rail crossings

The test covers when you must give way to people on foot, how much room to give riders, and what to do at a level crossing.

Key points (4)
  • Give way to pedestrians crossing in front of you as you turn at an intersection, and at zebra and children’s crossings.
  • Give a cyclist at least 1 metre when you pass where the limit is 60 km/h or less, and at least 1.5 metres where it’s over 60 km/h.
  • In a built-up area, give way to a bus pulling out from a stop when it’s indicating and has a GIVE WAY sign on the back.
  • Stop at a level crossing when lights flash, bells ring, booms are down, or a train is coming.
08

Stopping, parking and emergencies

Drive Safe lists the places you can’t stop, how to park, and what to do in a breakdown or crash.

Key points (4)
  • Don’t stop within 10 metres of an intersection unless signs allow it.
  • Don’t stop within 20 metres before or 10 metres after a pedestrian crossing or bus stop.
  • A NO PARKING area allows up to 2 minutes to pick up or drop off people or goods.
  • If you break down on a freeway, use the emergency lane or nature strip and switch on your hazard lights.

Road signs

Road signs from Drive Safe

Drive Safe shows WA’s regulatory and warning signs on two pages, and the theory test expects you to know what each one tells you to do. Here are ten of them, with what Drive Safe says they mean.

  • GIVE WAY Give way: slow down, and stop if you need to, for traffic on the road you’re entering
  • STOP Stop: stop at the line, then give way to all traffic on the intersecting road
  • Roundabout: give way to all traffic already on it and travel clockwise
  • 60 Speed limit: you must not go over 60 km/h
  • NO ENTRY No entry: you must not drive past this sign
  • No U-turn: you must not make a U-turn here
  • KEEP LEFT Keep left: pass to the left of the island or obstruction
  • Pedestrian crossing: give way to people on the crossing
  • Cross roads ahead: a warning sign, so slow down
  • T-junction ahead: the road you’re on ends

Test day

What to bring when you apply for your learner’s permit

  • Five original identity documents in one of DTMI’s two combinations, printed, not digital
  • A completed Driver’s Licence Application (Form DLA1)
  • Your Keys4Life certificate, if you finished the program in the last 2 years
  • Glasses or contact lenses if you need them, for the eyesight test
  • Money for the test and the learner’s permit fee

Before you go

  1. Read the road rules in Drive Safe, DTMI’s handbook.
  2. Work through DTMI’s road rules quizzes until you can pass them comfortably.
  3. Check your documents with DTMI’s ID checklist tool before you go.
  4. If you need a translator or the spoken test, tell DTMI in advance.
  5. Check your centre’s cut-off time. DTMI’s general rule is that tests start before 3:45 pm, and each centre lists its own.
DTMI: Take the Computerised Theory TestThere’s nothing to book at a metro service centre: you turn up during opening hours. Regional centres and agents may want you to call first.

Study options

Where to study

Everything on the theory test comes from Drive Safe, DTMI’s handbook, and DTMI runs 11 online road rules quizzes built from it. Next to those are some apps for WA learners and what they cost, plus what to look for in a driving instructor once you have your permit.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
Drive Safe handbookOfficial · PDF handbookDTMI’s handbook for WA road users, revised 5 August 2026. DTMI says everything you need to pass the car theory test is in it, from road rules and signs to the steps to a licence.
Free to downloadThe whole handbook
Transport WA: Drive Safe handbook (PDF) ↗
DTMI road rules theory test quizzesOfficial · web quizzesMultiple-choice quizzes written from Drive Safe and Ride Safe, some with pictures. You answer every question before you see your results. They’re practice only and don’t replace the test at a centre.
DTMI doesn’t list a fee11 car quizzes and 3 motorcycle and moped quizzes, retake as often as you like
Transport WA: Road rules theory test quiz ↗
Driving Techniques for Safer DriversOfficial · PDF bookletDTMI’s guide for learner drivers, with practice exercises. DTMI says some of them may come up in the practical driving assessment, so it’s for after you have your permit.
Free to downloadThe whole booklet
Transport WA: Driving Techniques for Safer Drivers (PDF) ↗
Learn&Log in the ServiceWA appOfficial · appThe digital version of the Learner Log Book, inside the WA Government’s ServiceWA app. You can log hours here, on paper, or in both, and submit your declaration of completion before the driving assessment.
No fee. The printed Learner Log Book is $10.70Everything
Transport WA: Digital learner log book (Learn&Log) ↗App Store: ServiceWA ↗
Keys4LifeOfficial · school programA pre-driver program taught in years 10 to 12. Finish it within the last 2 years and bring the certificate, and you skip the theory test and its fee. Ask your school whether it runs the program.
Run through your schoolDTMI says students get free learning resources
Transport WA: Keys4Life program ↗
Road Safety Commission learner resourcesOfficial · webThe WA Road Safety Commission’s page for learners, linked from DTMI’s quiz page. It’s general road safety material, not built around the theory test.
The Commission doesn’t list a feeGuides for learner drivers, road safety games and the Streetwise website
WA Government: Learner drivers and road safety games ↗
Apps and websites
Zutobi: Learners Test and DKTApp · iPhone and iPadCovers several states, WA included, with a summary of the road rules and state-specific questions. Rated 4.6 from about 5,300 ratings on the Australian App Store. It isn’t DTMI’s, so check anything surprising against Drive Safe.
Free to download, with WA Learners Test prep at $7.99, or Zutobi PLUS at $7.49 or $12.99Part of the app
App Store: Zutobi ↗
WA Driving Practice Test Exam (Movil Softwares)App · iPhone and iPadA WA-only app with practice questions, mock exams in the CTT format and road rules notes that work offline. It had 9 ratings on the Australian App Store in October 2026.
Free to download, with in-app purchases: $2.99 a week, $8.99 for 2 months, a $9.99 test unlock or $14.99 for lifetime accessPart of the app
App Store: WA Driving Practice Test Exam ↗
In person
Licensed driving instructorsDriving lessonsFor after you have your permit. DTMI says to check the instructor holds a current DTMI driving instructor’s licence, the car is licensed with dual controls, and they have a WA Working with Children Check if you’re under 18.
Set by each instructor. DTMI doesn’t publish lesson prices
Transport WA: Teach someone to drive ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

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Licence steps

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Other licences

Motorcycle testHR licence

FAQ

Common questions

How many questions are on the learner’s permit test in WA?

30, all multiple choice, and you need 24 right to pass. The motorcycle and moped test is longer: 35 questions, with 28 needed.

Can I take the theory test in another language?

Yes. DTMI can organise a translator for the computer test, but you need to tell it in advance. There’s also a spoken (oral) test for people who find reading, English or computers hard, and it can be done in another language with a NAATI translator. Ask about a translator when you apply for your permit. Not every centre or agent offers the spoken test, and you can only attempt it once a day.

What happens if I fail the WA theory test?

You come back on another day and pay the $19.20 resit fee. DTMI doesn’t publish a limit on attempts. Once you pass, the result is valid for 5 years, which also matters if your permit expires and you reapply.

Do I need to sit the theory test if I did Keys4Life?

No, as long as you finished the Keys4Life program at school in the last 2 years. Bring your Keys4Life certificate when you apply for your learner’s permit and you skip the theory test and its fee. The same certificate also counts as one of your identity documents.

Can I do the learner’s permit test online?

Not yet. The test is only offered at DTMI service centres and regional agents. The government’s April 2026 announcement says it will develop an online theory and hazard perception test in addition to the in-centre test, without a start date. DTMI’s road rules quizzes are online and you can retake them as often as you like, but they’re practice, not the test.

What comes after the theory test?

You get your learner’s permit, L plates and log book, and start driving with a supervisor. After 6 months on your permit, and once you’re 16 and a half, you can sit the hazard perception test. Then, at 17 or older and with your hours logged if you’re under 25, you can take the practical driving assessment (PDA). Pass it and you’re on P plates.

Are the learner rules in WA changing?

Yes, but not yet. On 26 April 2026 the State Government announced it will raise the minimum learner period from 6 to 12 months, raise supervised hours from 50 (5 at night) to 80 (10 at night), lengthen the P plate period from 2 to 3 years, ban phone use for learner and P plate drivers apart from set-up hands-free navigation and audio, and set a zero alcohol limit for supervising drivers. It says start dates will be set after its motorcycle licensing review, which closed for comment on 24 May 2026. Until then, today’s rules apply.

Is the WA theory test the same as the DKT?

No. The Driver Knowledge Test (DKT) is New South Wales’ learner test. In WA the learner test is the Computerised Theory Test (CTT), with its own questions, pass mark and fees, all set by DTMI.

Sources: Transport WA · WA Government · My Say Transport and 6 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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