Manitoba Class 5 Knowledge Test 2026: Fee, Age and Booking

Key facts

At a glance

Questions and pass mark: Not published by MPI
Languages: English, French and 28 others, such as Cree, Punjabi and Tagalog
Booking: Through an Autopac agent or online, up to 60 days ahead
Walk-in tests: Gateway Service Centre in Winnipeg, weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Who takes it: New drivers of any age, and some drivers moving to Manitoba
No test charge: If you’re 65 or older, or Driver Fitness asked you to retest

How it works

How the Manitoba Class 5 knowledge test works

The test covers traffic laws, safe driving practices and road sign recognition. MPI tells you to prepare with its Driver’s Handbook.
You take it on a computer. It isn’t open book, and phones and other electronic devices aren’t allowed in the test area.
Every language the test comes in has audio, so you can listen to the questions and answers as well as read them.
You can take only one knowledge test of the same class in a day.
Tests run on weekdays, except holidays, and Winnipeg also has Saturday appointments.
You can book a knowledge test at any MPI testing location. Outside Winnipeg, Mobile Test Units visit on a set schedule.
When you pass and meet the vision and medical standards, you buy your licence. In the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program that’s a learner licence (5L). Outside GDL it’s an Authorized Instruction licence (5A), and you can take the road test the day after.

Topics

What’s on the test

Your Class 5 Licence and GDL

The three stages of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) and what each one lets you do.

Key points (4)

The learner stage (5L) lasts at least nine months, and the intermediate stage (5I) at least 15 months.
Time only counts while your licence is valid, not while it’s suspended, prohibited or expired.
In the intermediate stage, from 5 a.m. to midnight, you may carry one front-seat passenger and back-seat passengers up to the number of working seatbelts.
For the first 36 months of the full stage, you can’t have any drugs or alcohol in your system when you drive.

Applying and Testing

Who has to take a driver test in Manitoba, and the vision and medical standards you have to meet.

Key points (4)

You must take a driver test if you’ve never been licensed for that class, haven’t held a Manitoba licence in the past four years, or hold a licence that can’t be exchanged.
You may have to test again after collisions or convictions, a suspension, or a medical condition that may affect your driving.
If you don’t meet the minimum vision standard, with or without corrective lenses, you can’t get a driver’s licence.
If you need corrective lenses to drive, your licence says so.

Signs and Signals

Sign shapes and colours, warning, regulatory and guide signs, and traffic signals.

Key points (4)

Diamonds warn of possible danger on or near the road. Square and rectangular signs regulate traffic and direct you.
In construction areas, slow down and obey the instructions of flag persons.
On a red light you may turn right after a complete stop, unless a sign says otherwise or traffic doesn’t allow it.
An amber light means the light is about to turn red. Slow down and stop, and never speed up to make the light.

Lane Changes, Turns and Roundabouts

Changing lanes safely, the general rules of turning and how to use a roundabout.

Key points (3)

Check your mirror, signal and shoulder check before you change lanes. Never change lanes in an intersection.
Signal at least 30 metres before a turn, or at least 150 metres outside cities, towns and villages.
Inside a roundabout you have the right-of-way over vehicles entering. If two vehicles arrive at once, the one on the right goes first.

Driving Responsibly

Speed, following distance, right-of-way and the vehicles you must slow or stop for.

Key points (4)

Unless a sign says otherwise, the limit is 90 km/h in rural areas and 50 km/h in urban areas.
Keep a four-second following distance in ideal conditions, and more when conditions are poor.
When a school bus has its red lights flashing and its stop arm out, stop at least five metres away. On an undivided road, that applies from both directions.
Slow to 40 km/h when you pass a stopped emergency or designated vehicle with its lights on, or 60 km/h where the limit is 80 km/h or more.

Sharing the Road

Pedestrians, school and playground areas, and cyclists.

Key points (3)

Leave at least one metre when you pass a cyclist going your way, even if that means changing lanes.
You can’t pass a moving vehicle in a school area within 15 minutes of classes starting or ending, or while children are on the school grounds or near the road.
Reduced-speed school zones can be as low as 30 km/h where the usual limit is under 80 km/h, and 50 km/h where it’s 80 km/h or more.

Backing and Parking

Backing up, parking and the places you can’t park.

Key points (3)

You can’t park on a crosswalk or within three metres of one, or within three metres of the curb opposite a fire hydrant.
You can’t park within nine metres of a stop sign or other sign or signal at an intersection.
You can’t park within 30 metres of the nearest rail of a railway crossing, unless a sign allows it.

Poor Driving Conditions

Driving on ice, sleet and snow, and at night.

Key points (3)

Without anti-lock brakes, press the brake steadily without locking the wheels. With anti-lock brakes, press hard and hold.
Dim your high beams at least 450 metres from an oncoming vehicle, and 60 metres behind a vehicle you’re following.
Your low beams should light up objects at least 30 metres ahead.

Unsafe Driving and Consequences

Alcohol, drugs and distracted driving, and what happens if you’re caught.

Key points (3)

Only time sobers you up. Coffee, food, a cold shower or fresh air won’t.
Using a hand-operated electronic device while driving means a three-day licence suspension for a first offence, and seven days for each one after that.
A conviction for it adds a $672 fine and moves you five levels down the Driver Safety Rating scale.

Road signs

Road signs and what MPI says they mean

MPI’s handbook teaches signs by shape first. An octagon is only ever a stop sign, a triangle pointing down means yield, and a yellow-green pentagon marks a school area.

Stop: the octagon is used only for stop signs. Always come to a complete stop
Yield: a triangle pointing down means you give the right-of-way. Slow down and stop if you need to
School area: the fluorescent yellow-green pentagon means children could be crossing, so drive with care
Slow-moving vehicle: the triangle with its tips cut off marks a slow-moving vehicle
Railway crossing ahead: the symbol shows the angle the tracks cross the road
Do not enter: you can’t drive into this road from here
No right turn on red signal: you can’t turn right while the light is red
Keep right of this sign: pass the island or divider on its right
Do not pass: no passing on this stretch of road
Road slippery when wet: take extra care when the road is wet
Deer crossing: deer may cross the road in the area ahead
Flashing red light: come to a complete stop, and go only when it’s safe

Test day

What to bring to your MPI learner’s test

Original documents, not photocopies, showing your birth date, full legal name, photo and right to be in Canada
Two documents showing your Manitoba address, each dated within 90 days
A marriage certificate or change of name certificate, if your surname differs from your birth certificate
An approved translation of any document that isn’t in English or French
Your glasses or contact lenses, if you need them to see
A way to pay: cash, cheque, money order, debit, Visa or Mastercard

Before you go

Register as an MPI customer at an Autopac agent or MPI Service Centre before you book, so MPI can start checking your ID.
Check which documents you can use with MPI’s Proving My Identity tool.
Under 18? Give your parent’s or guardian’s consent at an Autopac agent or Service Centre first. Without it, you can’t buy the test online.
Tell Driver Fitness before the test if you have a medical condition that may affect your driving. Any medical report it asks for has to be approved first.
Read the Driver’s Handbook, online or as a printed copy.
Say which language you want, and whether you want audio, when you book.
Walking in at the Gateway Service Centre? Buy the test at a Service Centre or Autopac agent first, then bring proof of purchase and your ID.

Manitoba Public Insurance: Book a testChange or cancel at least 24 hours ahead, or you lose the service and what you paid.

Study options

Where to study

MPI tells you to study its Driver’s Handbook and try its driving quizzes. The where-to-learn page says what each one is for, and covers Driver Z, driving schools with an MPI permit and apps from other companies.

Option	Price	Free to use	Links
Official sources
Manitoba Public Insurance: Driver’s HandbookOfficial · web, with text and videosMPI’s own guide to safe and legal driving in Manitoba, and what its testing page tells you to review. Chapter 4, Signs and Signals, teaches signs by shape and colour.	Online: no charge shown. Printed: $5 plus GST (Goods and Services Tax)	The online handbook	Read the online handbook ↗
Manitoba Public Insurance: Driving QuizzesOfficial · web quizzesMultiple-choice quizzes where you choose the class and the number of questions. MPI says they aren’t sample questions from the knowledge test.	No charge shown	Quizzes for every licence class	Start a quiz ↗
Manitoba Public Insurance: Testing for your Class 5 licenceOfficial · webMPI’s page for the test itself: the time limit, the 30 languages, retest waits and how to book, plus the road test that follows.	No charge	Test rules, languages and booking	Read the page ↗
In person
Manitoba Public Insurance: Driver ZHigh school driver education, one yearMPI’s one-year course for high school students: online lessons, a weekly class, and in-car lessons once you hold a learner licence. It’s the only way to start at 15½.	$50, subsidized by MPI	Not stated	Find a course ↗About Driver Z ↗
Driving schools with an MPI permitLessons from a permitted schoolMPI’s finder lists Class 5 driving schools by community. Each school needs a valid MPI permit.	Set by each school	Not stated	Find a driving school ↗
Apps and websites
MPI Knowledge Test Prep 2026 (Mysthetic Inc)iPhone and iPad appFlashcards by chapter, mock exams and a signs test. Rated 4.9 from 33 ratings on the Canadian App Store. Its listing says it isn’t affiliated with MPI.	Free download; Premium listed at $19.99, weekly or monthly	Not stated	App Store ↗
Manitoba Driving Class 5 Test (Reev Tech Inc.)Android app65 lessons, over 500 questions and 15 mock tests, with audio lessons and an offline mode. Its listing says the material is based on the Manitoba Driver’s Handbook. 10,000+ downloads on Google Play.	Free download, with ads and in-app purchases	Not stated	Google Play ↗
Driving Test Manitoba (Quizzard Exam Preparation)Android appA quiz for each section of the handbook, full mock tests and a score that estimates your chance of passing. Its listing says it isn’t affiliated with any government agency. 1,000+ downloads on Google Play.	Free download, with in-app purchases	Not stated	Google Play ↗

Prices and ratings checked November 2026.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

Where to learn

FAQ

Common questions

How many questions are on the Manitoba Class 5 knowledge test?

MPI doesn’t publish how many questions there are, or the score you need to pass. Its testing page gives the time limit and what the test covers, and nothing about scoring. With no published mark to aim for, read the whole Driver’s Handbook.

How old do you have to be for a Class 5 learner licence in Manitoba?

16. You can apply at 15½ only if you’re enrolled in a Driver Z course that has started. Driver Z is MPI’s high school driver education program. If you’re under 18, you need a parent’s or legal guardian’s consent, and a driver education student under 16 also hands in a completed driver education form before the test.

How much does a Class 5 learner licence cost?

The knowledge test is $12 a try. Once you pass, you pay a $20 licence charge plus a base driver premium and any additional driver premium. MPI’s licensing fees page lists the base driver premium at $55, which may be prorated, while its Class 5 pages say up to $45, so check the total with your Autopac agent when you pay. MPI’s handbook says driver education program charges include one knowledge test.

What happens if you fail the knowledge test?

You wait, then pay for a new test. In the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program, which every new Class 5 driver joins, the wait is seven days. Outside GDL, for example as an experienced driver from another country who has to take Manitoba’s tests, you can try again one working day later.

Can you take the knowledge test orally or with other help?

Yes. MPI offers oral knowledge tests and other accessibility accommodation, but you can’t arrange them online. Ask at an Autopac agent or MPI Service Centre. The same goes for asking for an examiner of a specific gender, for example for religious reasons.

Is the Manitoba Class 5 driving test just the knowledge test?

No. You pass two tests for a Class 5 licence: this knowledge test first, then a road test in a vehicle you bring. You can take the road test once you’re 16 and have held your learner licence (5L) for at least nine months. It costs $35, the vehicle has to be registered, insured and in good working order, and a supervising driver has to check in with you. If you fail, you wait 14 days. If you pass, you move to the intermediate stage for at least 15 months, then to a full Class 5 licence.

What are the rules for a Class 5 learner in Manitoba?

You drive only with a supervising driver as your one front-seat passenger. That person needs a full Class 5 licence held for at least three years and a blood alcohol concentration under .05. You can’t have any drugs or alcohol in your system, and back-seat passengers are limited to the working seatbelts. Learners can’t tow, drive a Class 3 farm truck or take an off-road vehicle along or across a highway.

Sources: Manitoba Public Insurance and 10 more. Checked November 2026.

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

Manitoba Class 5 knowledge test

At a glance

How the Manitoba Class 5 knowledge test works

What’s on the test

Your Class 5 Licence and GDL

Applying and Testing

Signs and Signals

Lane Changes, Turns and Roundabouts

Driving Responsibly

Sharing the Road

Backing and Parking

Poor Driving Conditions

Unsafe Driving and Consequences

Road signs and what MPI says they mean

What to bring to your MPI learner’s test

Before you go

Where to study

Everything else, in one place

Common questions

Related exams