DKT online in NSW: how the online Driver Knowledge Test works

How does the DKT online work?

The DKT online is a course and a test rolled into one. You work through three learning modules on road rules and road safety, then sit the final test at the end. Service NSW says the whole thing takes about 4 to 6 hours, and you don’t have to do it in one go.

The modules are made up of topics, quizzes and challenges. You can only start a module’s challenge once you’ve finished every topic in it. A finished topic shows a green tick and the word “Passed”. You can close the browser whenever you like and your progress saves. Finish the quiz or challenge you’re on first, though, or you might lose it.

Once you enrol, you have 12 months to finish the course and apply for your licence. If that time runs out, your access ends. You’d then have to enrol again and pass the DKT again.

Who can do the DKT online, and who has to go in person?

You can do the DKT online if you live in NSW and you’re at least 15 years and 11 months old. It’s for a C class (car) learner licence. You can’t already hold a current NSW or interstate driver licence, although a rider-only licence is fine. You also can’t have ever been disqualified, suspended or refused from driving, or ever had a pending suspension of your licence (for example, a suspension for unpaid fines that never started).

Because you can start at 15 years and 11 months, you can get the course done before your birthday. You still can’t apply for your Ls until you turn 16.

Some people have to sit the DKT in person at a service centre. That includes anyone applying for a rider licence (see the NSW rider knowledge test) or a heavy vehicle licence, and anyone who has been refused, suspended or disqualified from driving. NSW also points you to the in-person test if you don’t have internet, need an interpreter or an Auslan (Australian sign language) interpreter, or speak a language the online course doesn’t offer.

What you need to enrol

You need a MyServiceNSW Account, and you can make one while you enrol. Service NSW also checks who you are with one of these:

• an enrolment document: a NSW photo card, a NSW driver licence, a NSW registered vehicle, a Mobility Parking Scheme permit or a Service NSW customer number
• if you have none of those, an identity document such as an Australian passport, birth certificate, citizenship certificate or ImmiCard

If you don’t have any of these documents, you’ll need to prove your identity in person at a service centre.

For the course itself, Service NSW recommends a desktop, laptop or tablet using Google Chrome. Edge, Firefox and Safari also work. The course uses about 1.5GB of data. Service NSW says to use Wi-Fi or a wired connection, especially for the final test.

The course is in English, Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Farsi and Traditional Chinese. The English version has text-to-speech, which reads the content out to you.

What is the DKT online final test like?

The final test is the part you have to do alone. Family or friends can help you with the learning modules, but you have to sit the final test on your own, without any reference material. Before you start, you sign a declaration. It says that cheating or making false statements to get a licence can lead to penalties, including fines and jail.

There’s no time limit, but you have to finish the test in one session. If you exit partway through, your answers aren’t saved. So start it when you have time and a good connection, not ten minutes before you need to leave.

If you fail, the test locks you out for 12 hours. After that you can try again. Your results show the right answer to every question, so use the wait to go over the ones you missed. You can sit it as many times as you need while your 12 months of access lasts.

DKT online or in person: which should you choose?

One big difference is what a fail costs you. The NSW fees page lists the DKT online at $58 for unlimited attempts, and you only pay once you’ve passed and go to apply for your Ls. The in-person DKT is also $58, but that’s for each attempt, re-sits included. A learner licence is $32 on top of the test fee either way.

The in-person test does have some things the online course doesn’t. It’s offered in Greek, Turkish, Croatian and Serbian, as well as English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese, and interpreters are available. If you find reading the questions hard, staff can read them out and explain them. If you fail, you can sit it again the same day when another booking is free. You need to be 16, pass an eyesight test and be medically fit to drive.

You’re not locked in once you pick one. If you haven’t passed yet and you can do either test, you can switch at any time. If you’ve booked an in-person test and cancel in time, you may get that test fee back. Our guide to the NSW DKT in person covers booking and what to bring.

After you pass: getting your Ls

When you pass, the test screen shows a passed result and you get an email confirming it. You can also check your result in your MyServiceNSW Account. Once you’re 16, go to a Service NSW Centre to apply for your learner licence. You don’t need a booking. Bring:

• your full proof of identity documents
• a completed licence application form
• your glasses or contact lenses, if you wear them
• money for the test fee and the licence fee

You don’t need proof that you passed, because the centre already has your result. If you use different identity documents from the ones you used to enrol, the personal details on them must match exactly. If you have a health condition, a disability or an eye condition, you’ll also need a medical report showing you’re fit to drive.

Where DrivePrep NSW fits in

Service NSW says you don’t need to study for the DKT online, because the modules cover everything in the final test. It also says not to use the official NSW practice test for it, since that practice test is for the in-person DKT. If you’re doing the online course, the modules are your study.

DrivePrep NSW is more use if you’re sitting the DKT in person. Our car DKT practice guide covers how the in-person test works. The Car pathway lets you practise road rules by category and sit 45-question mock tests, and the readiness score shows how close you are. Missed-question review brings back the ones you got wrong, and the road signs section helps if signs trip you up. It’s an independent app, not the official DKT online course.

If you’re booking the in-person test, you can get DrivePrep NSW on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and start with the Car pathway.

Common questions