The NSW rider knowledge test: how it works and where it fits in getting your Ls

Where the test fits in getting your motorbike Ls

The knowledge test comes after the pre-learner course and before you get your L plates. You don’t need to hold a car licence to apply for a rider licence, so this can be your first NSW licence test. In a serviced area, which means rider training is available near you, the order is:

1. Book a pre-learner course with a rider training provider. You can attend from 16 years and 6 months. It’s 7 hours for motorcycles and three-wheeled scooters (3.5 hours a day over 2 days), or 6 hours over 1 day for trikes. The bikes, helmets and gloves are provided.
2. Pass every part of the course and get your Pre-learner Certificate of Competence. It’s valid for 3 months.
3. Once you’re 16 years and 9 months, sit the Rider Knowledge Test at a service centre.
4. Pass an eyesight test and pay the licence fee. Service NSW takes your photo and gives you L plates and a temporary paper licence.

Watch the 3-month limit on the certificate. If you don’t get your learner licence before it expires, you have to do the course again. So start studying for the knowledge test before your course, and book the test for soon after it.

If there are no training providers near you, you’re in an unserviced area and can book the knowledge test without the course. Transport for NSW still encourages you to do rider training if you can. If you’re not sure which applies to you, check the list of training providers or call Transport for NSW on 13 22 13.

The Rider SMV licence is a different path, for special mobility vehicles ridden from a wheelchair. Our guide to the Rider SMV licence explains it.

How the test is marked

The test has two parts, each with its own pass mark. The computer picks 45 questions at random from a bank of several hundred. Fifteen are general knowledge questions, and you need at least 12 of those right. The other 30 are road safety questions, and you need at least 29.

Plan around that road safety number. You can make one mistake in that section. A second wrong answer ends the test on the spot, and so does a fourth wrong answer in general knowledge, so there’s no making it up on later questions.

There’s no time limit, and each question has 3 answer options.

The free official practice test uses the same 45-question format, but it lets you answer all 45 however many you get wrong, then tells you at the end whether you passed. Score yourself the way the real test would. If your second road safety mistake came at question 20, that run was a fail, even if the total at the end looks close.

What the question bank covers

Every question you can be asked is in the official Rider Knowledge Test question bank, a PDF with the correct answer to each question in bold. It’s split into general knowledge, road safety and traffic signs sections. NSW says everything you need to pass is in two books, the Road User Handbook and the Motorcycle Riders’ Handbook, and it’s blunt about the rest: if you don’t study the handbooks, you’re unlikely to pass.

Each question in the bank is tagged RUH or MRH for the handbook it comes from. That’s handy when you get one wrong, because it tells you which book to go back to. The questions on intersections, traffic lights and pedestrians are tagged RUH.

Some of the rider questions are about things you can’t do yet. The bank asks where a pillion passenger should sit (behind you and as close as possible). It also asks what they should do with their feet when you stop (keep both on the footpegs). Learner riders aren’t allowed to carry a pillion at all. They’re in the bank, so learn them anyway.

Others test riding technique. One asks whether sticking your knees out when cornering on a road is a good idea. The bank’s answer is no: it isn’t a good or efficient style of riding on a road. Another asks what properly adjusted mirrors let you see: about half of the lane behind you and as much as possible of the lane beside you. There are licence questions too, such as the minimum age for a learner rider licence (16 years and 9 months).

Booking and what to bring on the day

You can book online, by phone on 13 22 13 or in person at a service centre. You pay the test fee when you book. Check the current test and licence fees on the NSW Government fees page before you go.

On the day, bring a completed Licence Application form, your proof of identity, your Pre-learner Certificate of Competence if you live in a rider training area, and payment for the licence fee. You also have to pass an eyesight test, so bring your glasses or contact lenses if you wear them to ride.

When you pass, you get L plates and a temporary paper licence to use until the card arrives in the post, usually within 10 working days. You can also get a digital licence through the Service NSW app.

The test is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Greek, Korean, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese, and there’s a free interpreter service for other languages. If reading the questions is hard for you, staff can read them out, or you can do an audio version through headphones. Call 13 22 13 to arrange either before you book.

If you don’t pass, you can sit the test again with no waiting period. You might need to book a later time if the service centre has no computer free, and you pay the test fee for every attempt. Keep your certificate’s expiry date in mind if you need more than one go.

The rules once you’re on your Ls

Your learner rider licence is valid for 12 months. During that time you can only ride motorcycles or scooters approved for novice riders, you must never go over the learner limit of 90 km/h, and you need a zero blood alcohol concentration. You must wear an approved motorcycle helmet, an approved hi-vis vest or jacket and approved protective gloves, and display an L plate on the rear of the bike.

You can’t carry a pillion passenger, tow another vehicle or lane filter. You also can’t use any function of a mobile phone, including hands-free or loudspeaker, while the bike is moving or stopped in traffic, and you can’t ride in Parramatta Park, Centennial Park or Moore Park. If you did the pre-learner course on an automatic, you can only ride automatic motorcycles. Breaking these conditions is an offence, and the penalties can include losing your licence straight away.

The next step is your P1 licence. For that you need to be at least 17 and have held your learner licence for 3 months or more. In a serviced area you do the pre-provisional course, which includes the Motorcycle Operator Skills Test (MOST). In an unserviced area you sit the riding test at a service centre. Our guide to the motorcycle licence riding test explains how the MOST is scored.

Practising the rider test with DrivePrep NSW

DrivePrep NSW has a Rider pathway for this test. Because a second road safety mistake ends the real test, use category practice to drill the topics you keep getting wrong until you get them right every time. The 45-question mock tests match the length of the real test, missed-question review brings back the ones you got wrong, and the readiness score shows whether you’re close to booking. It’s an independent app, so keep the official question bank and the Motorcycle Riders’ Handbook next to it.

You can download DrivePrep NSW from the App Store for iPhone and iPad and start with the Rider pathway.

Common questions