Info: Learner's Licence & The Test
The following is applicable to a code 2 (old code 8) Learner' s License for light motor vehicles.
A Learner's License permit will be issued by the authorities upon successful completion and passing of a theoretical test on South African rules of the road, road signs, road markings, traffic signals, vehicle controls, etc.
By law, individuals must obtain a Learner's License before being permitted to start with driving lessons and apply for a Driver's License! Foreign nationals will have to obtain a Traffic Register Number prior to applying for a Learner's License and learner driver permits from other countries are not valid in South Africa.
A Learner's License issued to an individual by the authorities allows him/her to drive on public roads (including freeways) when supervised by a licensed driver of the same class of vehicle. The supervisor should be sober and of sound mind and must be seated next to the learner driver (or if not possible, directly behind the learner driver).
Learner drivers may carry passengers in the vehicle as long as they are not paying any fare.
Make sure to always carry the original Learner’s License whilst driving – no copies will be accepted by the authorities.
The Learner’s License will be valid for 24 months from the date of issue and is only applicable within South African borders and valid for usage only by the individual mentioned thereon.
About The Test
The Learner’s License test is a theory exam on rules of the road, road signs, traffic signals, road markings and vehicle controls done in a multi-choice format. Some testing stations have a paper test, where applicants have to mark the correct answers to test questions in a booklet, on an answer sheet, whilst many testing stations have switched to a computerized version of the test and no longer makes use of paper tests. The computer test questions will appear on a computer screen and applicants have to select the correct answer by touching on the computer screen to select the correct answer.
It's important to know that the computerized tests have over 1200 questions in the test bank. The server randomly selects 64 questions for each applicant.
Applicants must present themselves in person at a licensing testing station (traffic department) in their province to apply for a test date upon which the Learner's License test will take place. The applicant must take along all required documentation in order to successfully apply for a test date. Click here for more information.
In order to pass the exam the candidate has to score as follows per category:
Categories | Number of Questions | Pass Mark |
Rules of the Road | 28 | 22 |
Road Signs, Signals, Road Markings | 28 | 23 |
Vehicle Controls | 8 | 6 |
Total Number of Questions | 64 |
Failure on any one category will render a "Fail" result. The applicant will have 1 hour (60 minutes) to complete the test. The hour does not include the test administration and test demonstration, by the official, of 4 questions on how to answer questions during the test to ensure that everyone is familiar with the format of the test.
Various self-study books (from leading retailers), as well as our online study material and practice test papers are available to prepare for the exam. Click here for more information.
It’s really important to be well educated regarding the above as you’ll need this knowledge once you start driving on public roads.
