The NSW DKT (Driver Knowledge Test) is the road rules test you pass before you can get your car Ls. You can do it online from 15 years and 11 months, with one $58 fee covering unlimited attempts. To sit it in person, you must be 16 or over, book through Service NSW and pay $58 for each attempt. On the day, bring a completed Licence Application form, your proof of identity documents, and your glasses or contacts if you wear them.
What is the NSW DKT?
The DKT is the test you must pass before you can apply for a car (C class) learner licence. It checks what you know about road rules and safe driving behaviour. There are two ways to do it: online, as part of the DKT online course, or in person at a service centre.
In person, it’s a multiple-choice test on a computer. You book a time, go to the centre and sit it there. The online version works differently. It’s a course with learning modules and a final test at the end, and our guide to the DKT online explains how it works.
Who has to do the DKT in person?
Most car learners get to choose. Service NSW says you must sit the DKT in person if you’re applying for a higher class of licence (R, LR, MR, HR, HC or MC). The same goes if you’ve been refused, suspended or disqualified from driving. So if you’re going for your motorbike Ls, you’ll sit the rider knowledge test at a centre too.
NSW also points you to the in-person test if you don’t have internet access, need an interpreter or an Auslan (Australian sign language) interpreter, or need a language the online course doesn’t offer. You can also pick it simply because you’d rather sit the test at a centre.
For the in-person car test you must be 16 or older, live in NSW, pass an eyesight test and be medically fit to drive. You can enrol in the online course from 15 years and 11 months, but the in-person test has to wait until you’re 16.
How to book the DKT in person
You book and pay online through Service NSW. The steps are:
- Check you meet the rules above.
- Select “Book online” on the Service NSW page for booking the DKT in person.
- Enter your details as an existing customer if you have a NSW Photo Card, or as a first-time customer if you don’t.
- Follow the prompts to book your test. You can choose which service centre you sit it at.
To book, you need your name and date of birth, or your Photo Card number if you have one. You also need to pay, unless you qualify for a fee waiver. The in-person DKT costs $58, and that’s for each attempt. That’s the fee on the NSW fees page from 1 July 2026, so check it again before you book.
If your plans change, you can view, change or cancel your booking online. You’ll need your booking number, which is in your confirmation email, and your family name. Make the change no later than one day before the test. If you cancel at least one day before the test, you may be able to get a refund. Call 13 77 88 or go into a Service NSW Centre to ask for one.
What to bring to your DKT
Service NSW lists three things to bring on the day:
- a completed Licence Application form (Form 1001)
- your proof of identity documents
- your glasses or contact lenses, if you wear them
Commemorative certificates aren’t accepted as proof of identity. If you’re not sure about a document, check the proof of identity rules on Service NSW before test day.
If English isn’t your first language, you can sit the in-person test in Greek, Turkish, Croatian, Serbian, English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Spanish or Vietnamese. Interpreters are available as well. The Road User Handbook says the interpreter service is free and you can call 13 22 13 to arrange one. If you find reading the questions hard, staff can read them to you and explain them. You can also sit the test in a quieter setting at a Quiet Hour service centre location.
What’s on the DKT, and how many questions are there?
The DKT asks multiple-choice questions about road rules and safe driving. NSW publishes the car test questions in its licence publications and says that list is for the in-person DKT. The list has three parts: general knowledge, road safety and traffic signs. In the road safety part, questions sit under topics such as alcohol and drugs, intersections, pedestrians, seat belts, speed limits and traffic lights.
The DKT page, the booking page and the Road User Handbook don’t give a question count or a pass mark. You might see numbers on other websites, but you won’t find them on those official pages, so don’t plan around them. The safer plan is to know the whole question list well.
Service NSW suggests three ways to study: read the Road User Handbook, look through the official test questions and use the NSW practice test online. That practice test is only meant for the in-person DKT, so it suits you if you’re booking a centre. Our car DKT practice guide covers what the questions focus on.
What happens if you pass or fail the DKT?
If you pass, you can apply for your learner licence at a Service NSW Centre. You’ll prove your identity, do an eyesight test, have your photo taken and pay the learner licence fee, which is $32. If you have a concession card, bring the details. If you have a condition that affects your driving, you’ll need a Fitness to Drive medical assessment too. You get a receipt that lets you drive until your licence card comes in the post.
Your learner licence lasts 5 years. When you drive, you must show L plates clearly on the front and back of the car.
If you fail, you pay the test fee again for your next try. You can re-sit on the same day if another booking is free, or book for another day. Before you go back, spend time on the handbook topics you felt unsure about in the test. Further down the track, our guide to the NSW driving test explains how the test for your Ps is marked.
Practising for the in-person DKT with DrivePrep NSW
DrivePrep NSW is an independent practice app, not the official NSW practice test, so use it alongside the official one. The Car pathway lets you practise by category, then sit 45-question mock tests. The readiness score shows how close you are to being ready, and missed-question review brings back the questions you got wrong. For the traffic signs part, there’s a road signs section, and you can bookmark any question you want to see again.
Once your test is booked, you can download DrivePrep NSW on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and start with the Car pathway.
Common questions
How much does the DKT cost in NSW?
The in-person DKT is $58 for each attempt, so a re-sit costs another $58. The DKT online is $58 for unlimited attempts. A learner licence is $32 on top of the test fee. These are the fees from 1 July 2026, so check the NSW fees page before you book.
Can I re-sit the DKT on the same day?
Yes, if another booking is free at the service centre. Otherwise you can book another day. You pay the test fee each time you sit the in-person test.
How many questions are on the NSW DKT?
The NSW DKT page, the booking page and the Road User Handbook don’t give a question count or a pass mark. NSW does publish the full list of car test questions, split into general knowledge, road safety and traffic signs. Service NSW suggests studying that list along with the Road User Handbook and the NSW practice test.
Can I do the DKT in another language?
Yes. The in-person DKT is available in Greek, Turkish, Croatian, Serbian, English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. Interpreters are available too, and the Road User Handbook says to call 13 22 13 to arrange one. The DKT online is available in English, Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Farsi and Traditional Chinese.
Official NSW sources
- Driver Knowledge Test (DKT): what the test is, online versus in person, and who should sit it in person.
- Book a Driver Knowledge Test (DKT) in-person: eligibility, booking steps, what to bring, re-sits, languages and support.
- View, change or cancel a driver or rider licence test: notice periods and refunds.
- Licence and test fees: DKT and learner licence fees from 1 July 2026.
- Licence publications: the official car DKT question list and the Road User Handbook.
- Road User Handbook (PDF): the in-person DKT, re-sits and the free interpreter service.
- Road User Handbook and DKT practice tests: the official NSW practice test and who it’s for.
- Get a NSW driver licence guide: what happens at the centre when you apply for your Ls.
- Apply for a learner driver licence: what to bring and the receipt you drive on.
- Learner driver licence: how long the licence lasts and L plate rules.
DrivePrep NSW is an independent study app and isn’t affiliated with Service NSW or Transport for NSW. Rules, fees and test arrangements can change, so check the official sources before your test.