On the road to your driving licence the greatest challenge is, of course, the practical driving test. It marks the end of your training, and the regular, familiar driving lessons are now history too. For just under an hour you have to prove to the examiner and to yourself that you can move a car confidently in traffic. In this article you will find everything about the practical driving test.
In most cases the driving instructor registers their pupil for the practical test. But you can also register yourself, without your instructor’s agreement. In some cantons you can register online for the test drive and then receive a binding appointment by post. In some others you still need a conventional form.
You will find the relevant forms on the official website of the Strassenverkehrsamt (cantonal road traffic office) of your canton of residence.
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How much does the practical driving test cost?
The practical driving test costs between 120 and 140 francs in Switzerland. What counts is the canton in which you sit the test.
Depending on the canton you can cancel or postpone up to 4 days before the test date. If you cancel too late or do not appear, you have to pay the full test fee.
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How long does the practical driving test take?
It normally lasts +/- 50 minutes.
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Tips for the driving test
The practical driving test is (not) a big deal. Passing first time, that is the goal. And dealing with the pressure. For the examiner what always counts is the overall impression of your performance; he will never fail you because you lack routine or because you are nervous. But he does want to clearly sense that you are making an effort to do it well!
Follow the tips below and you will «cut a good figure» and pass the practical driving test with confidence:
- Watch your mirrors: do not forget to glance regularly and briefly into both wing mirrors and the interior mirror, so that you always know what is happening behind you.
- Drive slowly where the road is hard to read: if a bend is blind, if there are children at the roadside or if the carriageway narrows, reduce your speed and be ready for anything.
- Reversing: because of the restricted view, reversing is one of the more dangerous manoeuvres. Drive slowly and with concentration; it is not about speed.
- Indicating: as a rule indicate earlier rather than at the last moment. The same goes for this: better once too often than once too little.
- Stalling the engine: it happens. And if it happens to you twice during the practical driving test, that is not a problem. You will not fail because of this mishap. Take a deep breath, do not let it stress you, make sure you are in first gear and set off as usual.
- Look first, then steer: do not do everything at once, so do not change lanes hastily and without thinking. Look, indicate, then change, just as you learned in your lessons.
- Stay calm: your instructor registered you for the test. So he is convinced that you are ready for it. Do not let the test situation unsettle you. Best of all, drive the way you did in your last lesson.
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Tips against nerves in the driving test
- Preparation: the right preparation is decisive. Find out how the test drive runs. Get a picture by reading experience reports about the practical driving test. Above all, be well rested and trust your abilities, and it will go well!
- Mistakes happen: do not let small driving errors unsettle you or throw you off. Little slips are entirely normal. Do not let your head drop; the test is only over when the examiner says so. Switch off the film in your head and concentrate entirely on driving.
- Expectations: do not broadcast the date of your practical test! Tell your family and perhaps your close friends so that they can cross their fingers for you. Too many people in the know only add unnecessary pressure to succeed.
- A positive attitude: of course you can drive, otherwise you would not be at the driving test in the first place. So concentrate on what you have learned and convince the examiner with safe, assured driving.
- No disgrace: one third of learner drivers do not pass the driving test first time. If you do not manage it at the first attempt, you are in the same position as many others. Accept the mistakes, do a few (private) practice drives and take a second run at it.
- No sedatives: taking calming substances may help in certain situations. When driving, and especially at the driving test, sedatives are completely out of place. They make you tired and slow down your reactions. That is exactly how accidents happen. So you risk not only failing the test and perhaps causing an accident, but also being barred from further attempts.
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Who conducts the practical driving test?
The driving test is conducted by an examiner. Your instructor will not be there but will wait for you at the test station.
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Can an examiner decide freely whether someone has passed the practical driving test?
No, in a category B driving test the examiner has to stick to an official assessment form. The examination catalogue gives the examiner a certain amount of individual discretion, which allows for differing assessments and interpretations, but this has to be justified and comprehensible. That prevents arbitrary decisions.
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Can I choose my examiner?
Unlike with driving instructors, there is no free choice of examiner. The Strassenverkehrsamt assigns candidates to examiners at random. That rules out all personal preferences and connections.
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May the examiner set me a trap?
No, under no circumstances may the examiner induce you to make a driving error, for instance by asking you to stop in a no-stopping zone or to overtake across a solid centre line.
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Will my instructor be there during the practical driving test?
Your instructor brings you to the test station (MFK) and waits there for you. For the duration of the test drive you are in the vehicle with the examiner alone.
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How high is the pass rate in the practical driving test?
In 2021, 66.6% of candidates passed the practical test in category B, which is about two thirds.
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How a driving test typically runs
- Many learner drivers take one more lesson before the practical test. It lets you get comfortable with the car, go over certain points and discuss any last questions with your instructor.
- Once you arrive at the test location, you check in and pay the test fee (120 – 140 francs).
- The examiner calls you. With a short greeting the practical driving test begins. Your instructor will meanwhile go and stretch his legs.
- At the car the examiner may ask you a few technical questions about the vehicle, for example where and when engine oil is topped up, how to activate the child lock or how much tread depth a tyre has to have as a minimum.
- Once you have both taken your seats in the car, the examiner explains how he will direct you during the test drive. If you did not understand something, this is your last chance to ask!
- The test drive begins. Your driving ability is tested through various test tasks.
- After about 50 minutes you park and secure the vehicle again in the test station car park.
- The examiner tells you the result, passed or not passed, and explains his decision. It is final; no examiner will argue with you about whether it is right or change his decision.
- Whatever the result, the examiner gives you tips for your future driving.
- If you have passed, you receive a corresponding stamp in your Lernfahrausweis (learner’s permit).
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Real-life experiences
If you feel fear or uncertainty about the practical driving test, it can help to read other people’s experience reports. It gives you a personal impression and the reassurance that others have already come through this situation successfully.
In the experience report of a practical category B driving test you can form your own picture.
And in the video below a learner driver talks about his own experience of the test drive. Do pay attention to the tips at the end of the video.
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What is assessed in the practical driving test?
Quite simply, whether you are able to move a car safely in traffic.
The examiner assesses your driving ability particularly in the following areas:
- Anticipatory driving and correctly reading the traffic situation.
- Correct changes of direction to the left and to the right.
- Correct manoeuvring, parking and securing of the vehicle.
- Adapting your speed to the current road conditions (for example driving more slowly in fog or heavy rain).
- Observing the applicable traffic rules under the Road Traffic Act (SVG).
You will find a more detailed overview in the information on test requirements from the Zurich Strassenverkehrsamt.
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How many mistakes may I make in the practical driving test? What am I allowed to get wrong?
Whether you pass lies to a large extent within the examiner’s individual judgement. There is no set number of error points. But you will certainly not fail the test simply because you stalled the engine, for instance. The examiner will also point out to you that you should not repeat a driving error. Try to apply these corrections immediately.
There are of course driving errors that are so serious that they lead to failing the test, for example ignoring a red light or crossing a solid safety line. More on that in the next section.
As described, the test drive is about proving to the examiner that you can move a vehicle safely and in line with the rules in traffic. So drive the way you did in your last lesson with your instructor and you will pass the test.
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Driving errors that cost you the test
In the end the test drive comes down to the overall impression. Isolated small driving errors cloud the picture but will not lead to a negative result. But if you commit a serious breach of the traffic rules, the examiner has to fail you, because you have put yourself and other road users in danger. These include:
- Culpably causing an accident
- Ignoring a red light
- Failing to give right of way
- Crossing a solid safety line
- Endangering other road users
- Coercing other road users (for example tailgating, driving too close, etc.)
- Repeated or excessive speeding
- Turning up for the driving test under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Using a mobile phone during the test drive
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How many technical questions does the examiner ask me?
There is no fixed number of technical questions asked at the start of the test. If any are asked at all, there will certainly only be a few and they will require no more than basic knowledge.
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Which car do I take the practical driving test in?
In the vast majority of cases the test drive is done in the instructor’s car. That makes sense, because you have already driven the car for many kilometres and are familiar with it. But since there is no legal rule on this, you are free to come to the test in a borrowed car.
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Can I take the driving test in my own car?
Yes, that is possible.
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Does the practical driving test take place in any weather?
In very poor weather and road conditions (for example snow, freezing rain or black ice) the test drive can be postponed. Rain, even heavy rain, is in principle not a reason for cancellation.
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What do I have to bring to the driving test?
You have to have the following documents with you at the practical driving test:
- Valid identity document (ID card, passport or residence permit)
- Lernfahrausweis
- Vehicle registration document (for the car you are taking the test in)
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Practical driving test not passed
If the examiner concludes that you have not passed the driving test, he will explain that decision to you verbally. In that case you have seriously breached traffic rules or safety provisions, or simply made too many small driving errors.
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How often can I retake the driving test?
You have 4 attempts to pass the practical driving test:
1st attempt not passed
The driving test can normally be retaken after one month. You have to pay the test cost of 120 – 140 francs again in full.
2nd attempt not passed
Your instructor has to confirm in writing that you have completed your training with him. Depending on the canton, an additional interview with the head of «Führerprüfung» at the Strassenverkehrsamt (MFK) is required. As a rule a certain number of compulsory driving lessons is now prescribed as well.
3rd attempt not passed
Now you have to sit a five-part, computer-based driving aptitude test (Fahreignungstest). This establishes whether you are generally capable of driving a motor vehicle. If you pass it, you can register for a 4th test attempt. If the test result is negative, your Lernfahrausweis loses its validity.
4th attempt – driving aptitude test – not passed
Now you have to hand in your Lernfahrausweis, because its validity lapses after the 3rd unsuccessful attempt. If you want to tackle the practical driving test again, you need a traffic-psychological report confirming your fitness to drive.
Did not pass the driving test? Read here how Helena got on!
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Driving aptitude test
If you did not pass the practical driving test at the 3rd attempt either and have therefore lost your Lernfahrausweis, but are willing to try a fourth time, you have to complete a driving aptitude test.
In a straightforward way it records whether you meet the minimum requirements for driving. Five individual tests measure practical intelligence, reaction speed and the ability to pay attention and concentrate.
The duration of the driving aptitude test is between 60 and 90 minutes.
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Documents for the driving aptitude test
You have to bring the following documents to your driving aptitude test appointment:
- Valid identity document (ID card, passport or residence permit)
- Lernfahrausweis (valid or invalid)
If you do not have these documents with you, the test cannot be carried out.
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What to bear in mind at the driving aptitude test
- Glasses or contact lenses if needed.
- No alcohol or drug use (this includes sedatives)
- Arrive on time
- If you are ill or very tired, better to arrange a new appointment
- Being rested and in good physical shape is a basic requirement
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How does the driving aptitude test work?
The test is carried out on a computer. What is tested are the basic requirements for driving a vehicle:
- perception with the eye
- eye-hand coordination
- attention
- the ability to concentrate
- reaction speed
- resilience under pressure
The test equipment consists of a computer with the necessary accessories. Various images, coloured dots or symbols appear on the screen. In two of the tasks sounds are played as well. Using a special keyboard you have to react quickly and correctly to this information. The aim is to work as fast as possible while still being accurate. No special computer skills are needed. Before each individual test you have the chance to practise the arrangement.
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Can I register myself for the practical driving test?
That option always exists, but in practice your instructor registers you for the test as soon as he considers you ready.
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May I drive alone once I have passed the driving test?
In Switzerland you may drive a car on your own once you have passed the practical driving test. You receive a corresponding stamp in your Lernfahrausweis or a positive test certificate at the test location itself. This confirmation is valid until your probationary licence arrives by post. That normally takes 7 to 10 working days. In the event of a traffic or police check you have to be able to show these papers!
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May I drive abroad immediately after passing the driving test?
No, driving abroad with a stamped Lernfahrausweis or a positive test certificate is forbidden. You have to wait for that until you hold your probationary licence.
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Probationary driving licence
Once you have passed the test you are officially a new driver, with a probationary licence, for 3 years. In this article you will find more information about the probationary licence.