Test yourself
Quick facts — ACT at a glance
- Test name
- Road Rules Knowledge Test
- Format
- 35 questions on ACT road rules and safe driving
- Handbook
- ACT Road Rules Handbook
Test facts reviewed against Access Canberra in September 2026. Rules can change — always confirm the current details before you book.
What the test is and who runs it
In the ACT, the theory test every new driver sits is the Road Rules Knowledge Test. It is administered by Access Canberra, the ACT Government agency that handles driver licensing, vehicle registration and road transport services. Passing it is what earns you a learner licence, and it is a multiple-choice test drawn from the ACT Road Rules Handbook — the free study guide Access Canberra publishes — so the territory’s own road law is exactly what you are tested on. This is genuinely an ACT test: while the Australian Road Rules are broadly consistent across the country, the ACT applies its own handbook, its own penalties and its own licence conditions, so material written for another state is not a substitute for studying the ACT source.
The ACT graduated licensing journey
The ACT uses a graduated (staged) licensing system, so the knowledge test is the beginning, not the end. The shape looks like this: you start on a learner licence, then move to a provisional licence — held in two stages, P1 and then P2 — before you can hold a full, unrestricted licence. On your learner licence you must always drive with a fully licensed supervising driver beside you while you build experience. The ACT recognises more than one path to gaining that experience: a logbook of supervised driving hours, or a competency-based pathway completed with an accredited driving instructor. Throughout the learner and provisional stages, conditions apply — a zero blood-alcohol limit (learner and provisional drivers must not drink-drive), restrictions on mobile phone use, and P-plate display requirements among them. The exact minimum age to start, the length of each stage, the number of supervised hours and the demerit-point limits are all set by Access Canberra and can change, so confirm the current figures with Access Canberra rather than relying on a number you saw online.
What the Road Rules Knowledge Test covers
The test checks that you know the rules well enough to drive safely on the learner licence you are about to hold. Expect questions on speed limits and speed management, giving way and right-of-way at intersections and roundabouts, road signs and line markings, safe following distances, parking rules, seatbelt and child-restraint rules, sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists and heavy vehicles, alcohol and drug limits, and the penalties that apply when rules are broken. Everything is drawn from the ACT Road Rules Handbook, so reading it cover to cover is the single most reliable preparation. It is a rules test, not a trick test — most people who study the handbook properly and practise the question format find it fair.
How to book and what to bring
You book and pay for the Road Rules Knowledge Test through Access Canberra — start at accesscanberra.act.gov.au and follow the driver-licensing path, or visit an Access Canberra service centre. When you attend, plan to prove who you are and that you live in the ACT: bring the evidence-of-identity documents Access Canberra asks for, proof of your ACT address, and the test fee. You will generally also need to pass an eyesight screening, and if you are under 18 a parent or guardian may need to give consent. Because the accepted document combinations, the fee and any age or consent rules are set by Access Canberra and updated periodically, check the current requirements on the Access Canberra website before you attend so you are not turned away for a missing document.
How to prepare — free practice
Two things prepare you best. First, read the ACT Road Rules Handbook from Access Canberra — it is the source of every question, and it is free. Second, practise the question format until the wording and the multiple-choice style feel familiar, so nothing on test day is a surprise. That is what our free practice tests are for: they let you rehearse ACT-style road-rules questions, see which topics you are weak on, and build confidence before you book. Use the handbook to learn the rules and the practice tests to prove to yourself you have learned them — the combination is far stronger than either on its own.
An honest note
This site is an independent study resource. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Access Canberra or the ACT Government, and we do not issue licences or book tests. Always treat Access Canberra as the single source of truth for fees, the number of questions, the pass mark, minimum ages, licence conditions and booking.
Last verified 4 September 2026 against the Australian Road Rules and your state road authority. Rules, fees and figures change. Always confirm current details with your state road authority before you rely on them.
Other states and territories
Every state and territory runs its own learner knowledge test — find yours.
New South Wales
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Northern Territory
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Queensland
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South Australia
How to get your learner’s permit in South Australia: what the Learner’s Permit…
Tasmania
Get your Tasmanian learner licence: what the Learner Licence Knowledge Test covers, how…
All states and territories
Compare the test in every state.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which test do I need to pass for my ACT learner licence, and who runs it?
- You must pass the Road Rules Knowledge Test, the computer-based, multiple-choice theory test administered by Access Canberra, the ACT Government agency that handles driver licensing. Every question is drawn from the ACT Road Rules Handbook that Access Canberra publishes free, so the territory’s own road law is exactly what you are tested on.
- How many questions are on the ACT test, what is the pass mark, and what does it cost?
- The number of questions, the pass mark and the fee are all set by Access Canberra and reviewed periodically. Confirm the current details directly with Access Canberra at accesscanberra.act.gov.au before you book - that is always the accurate, up-to-date source.
- How should I study for the ACT Road Rules Knowledge Test?
- Read the ACT Road Rules Handbook from Access Canberra cover to cover, because it is the source of every question, then practise the multiple-choice question format until the wording feels familiar so nothing on test day is a surprise. Using the handbook to learn the rules and free practice tests to prove you have learned them is far stronger than either on its own.