Only 40% of South Africans pass the learner’s licence test — will you succeed?

Many aspiring drivers in South Africa are finding it increasingly difficult to succeed in the new computerised learner’s licence test, with numerous candidates voicing their concerns about the confusing and oddly worded questions that appear to be designed to catch them off guard.

And it shows in the numbers, with the national pass rate having dropped from 68% to 40% since the digital system was rolled out in 2021.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), however, said the decline followed a crackdown on fraudulent learner’s licences, as the system made it harder to rig test results at licensing centres.

Many applicants said the difficulty was not necessarily the work itself, but the way questions were phrased, with several describing the test as confusing, overly specific and sometimes misleading.

Others said nerves, timed conditions, and repeatedly missing the pass mark by only a few points added to the frustration.

“The questions are confusing sometimes,” said Liyema Mxenge, 19, of Khayalethu in Knysna.

Mxenge said he has been trying to get his learner’s licence since he was 17.

He has failed three times. 

“You study the book and think you know everything, then the questions come [differently] at the testing centre," he said.

"I was panicking [because] I realised I was second-guessing answers I actually knew.

"Every time I fail, I have to wait again and pay again, so it’s frustrating.”

One Reddit user, who said they had also failed the computerised learner’s test, complained some questions felt unnecessarily confusing and were designed to catch applicants out.

“They asked the questions that are in a weird way designed stupidly to trick you," the anonymous user said.

"Like, what is the steering wheel for? My logical answer was to steer the vehicle... they wanted to turn the car.”

Another frustrated applicant also turned to Reddit after failing the learner’s test five times, saying they kept missing the pass mark by only a few points despite months of studying.

“So, the last year I've been writing the learner's test, and I always seem to be off by two or three marks, I have written about five times.

"I have been studying for a long time, and it feels like I know everything when I study and when the test comes, I always fail.”

Meanwhile, 34-year-old Anika Cox, of George, said she was recently instructed by the retail company she works for to start the process of getting her licence, as staff are sometimes required to travel between branches.

“I had put it off for years because I never really needed to drive before, but now it is company policy, so I have no choice," she said.

"I thought if you know road signs and basic rules, you’ll be OK, but the test is more detailed than people think.

"Once you get nervous on one question, it throws off your concentration for the rest of the test.”

So, with thousands of hopeful drivers failing across the country, would you pass our mock version of SA’s learner’s licence test on your first try?