Everything about the test itself – questions, error points, duration, validity, how to register in each canton – is on the main page Theory test Switzerland; for revision: the best apps compared.
With these tips you will pass the theory test without much trouble. Many people have great respect, perhaps even fear, for the first big hurdle on the road to a driving licence. That is unhelpful, and it is unnecessary. A great deal depends on the right preparation.
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1. Good preparation
Good and thorough preparation is the key to passing the theory test calmly and, above all, successfully. You can keep fear and nervousness to a minimum by starting to revise early enough. As an attentive passenger you can also pick up certain procedures and rules along the way, which will help you too. You then have a visual idea of the theoretical situations you have to answer questions about in the test.
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2. The right learning software or app for the theory test
The classic paper drilling that older generations remember is unknown to today’s learner drivers preparing for the theory test. These days you revise the topics with learning software or an app on your smartphone. That costs less and is more efficient too – what more could you want. Further advantages: you are mobile, so with your smartphone at least you can revise whenever and wherever you like. The questions you answered wrongly, or did not answer at all, are repeated automatically, which makes learning considerably easier.
To make sure you pass the theory test at the first attempt, it is important that you revise with the official questions, which will come up in the test in slightly altered form. Anyone who has ever typed «revise for the theory test» into Google will be shown a large number of different theory learning programmes. With such a wide choice and no way of comparing them, making the right decision is virtually impossible.
In the article Theory revision materials tested we have compared all the Swiss theory providers, so that you can quickly and easily find the right learning programme for you.
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3. Keep calm: no fear of the theory test
The right preparation is of course the most important thing if you want to pass the theory test without major problems, let alone anxiety. Our tip is fairly simple: practise, practise, practise!
It also takes a lot of weight off your shoulders if you have a picture of roughly how the day of the test works and why you actually have to learn all this theory.
How do you deal with anxiety in the test? Here are the best tips against fear of the theory test.
How does the theory test work?
The theory test in Switzerland lasts exactly 45 minutes. You will sit it either on a computer or on a tablet. Like your learning programme, the theory test is built as a multiple-choice test, in which more than one answer can be right, but never all of them right or all of them wrong. It may well look very similar in design, structure, questions and the pictures or animations shown.
In the theory test you have to answer 50 questions, with 150 as the highest possible score (one point for each correct answer, i.e. a maximum of three points per question). You need at least 135 points to pass. So you can afford only 15 mistakes.
And if it does not work out first time, don’t stress. Your career as a successful driver is not over, just keep calm and try again. Almost 70% do not pass the theory test at the first go. You can also repeat the theory test as often as you like: you do have to pay the test fee again each time. Once you have passed, the Lernfahrausweis (learner’s permit) is sent to you by post and you can finally get behind the wheel.
Why is there a theory test?
The theory test is meant to lay the ground for you becoming a responsible, considerate and safe driver. As a driver of a motor vehicle you have to develop three sets of skills and behaviours that allow you to:
- Recognise possible dangerous situations in traffic early, judge their seriousness correctly and therefore react correctly.
- Recognise technical problems or faults on your car as they appear and put them right properly, above all when they affect driving safety.
- Know what fitness and ability to drive mean and everything that impairs them (the influence of alcohol, of medicines and narcotics, the effects of tiredness), so that you can always guarantee safe control of your vehicle.
How is the theory test structured?
The theory test is built around certain competences reflected in its various topics. These are meant to represent different aspects of road traffic.
For category M (moped) the topics are grouped as follows:
- Road traffic regulations
- Vehicle: operational safety, safety equipment
- Responsibility towards yourself and others
- Driving technique
- The road and the traffic environment
- Other road users
- The environment
- General regulations
The general traffic rules are an important topic in the Swiss theory test, and questions about right of way in particular. To move safely through traffic with your car you have to have these rules well in hand. Whether it is priority to the right, a roundabout or traffic lights, you always have to know exactly when you may go and when you may not.
Speed limits – when and where you may drive how fast – are another important topic in the theory test. You will also have to answer questions about specific situations: «how do I behave correctly at this moment». How you have to adapt your driving to the road conditions, for example in poor visibility or when there is snow on the road. Technical questions about the car come up as well: «which flashing warning symbol means what, and how do you react correctly».
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4. Take your time and don’t get stressed
Give yourself enough time, both in your preparation and in the test itself. If you only start revising the day before the test, you will very probably end up under pressure, which leads to doubt and can trigger fear as well. None of that helps in the theory test.
Use all the time available to you during the test. There is nothing to be gained from finishing the test in a rush after 10 minutes and failing because of a lot of careless slips. You have enough time for the 50 questions, so take it. Work it out like this: you have to answer 50 questions in 45 minutes. So you can take almost a minute per question. That is enough to read the question three times. So read the questions calmly and with full attention. Only answer a question once you are sure you have understood it correctly. And don’t forget, several answers can be right.
You may also come across a question you are not sure about. Don’t stress, simply move on to the next one. When you have finished all the questions you can go back at your leisure to the difficult ones you are unsure about.
More tips against fear of the theory test can be found in the article Fear of the theory test.
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5. Sit a mock test
If you can, sit a mock test. Most apps and theory software offer that option. It helps you find out whether your current knowledge is enough to pass the theory test. The conditions are of course not exactly the same, but for a representative impression it is more than enough.
Tip: the most common mistake in the theory test is a lack of preparation. So sit a mock test at least twice. You will very probably make mistakes. Don’t worry about that. All that matters is that you learn from your mistakes (yes, I know, everyone has heard that a thousand times). Try to understand why your answer was wrong. Once you have, you will not make that mistake a second time.
In «Mistakes in the theory test» you will find more information.
More tips
In this video you are given 4 important tips for passing the theory test.
- First you need the right learning programme or app.
- Give yourself enough time to revise, but not so much that you have time to forget what you have learnt. Spread your revision out and make a timetable. A little every day is better than everything at once at the last moment.
- Sit a mock test.
- There is strength in calm. As already mentioned, you will very probably pass the theory test at the first attempt if you have prepared in a disciplined way. A few hours of revision is really all it takes.
More information about the Swiss driving licence can be found here.