Three parts, and 75 % on each one
Most candidates start by asking how many questions the test has. The rule that actually matters is different: the SAAQ requires 75 % on each of the three parts, separately.
Every year, thousands of Quebecers sit the SAAQ knowledge test on their way to a class 5 driver's licence. Many arrive believing a good overall average is enough. It is not, and that is why candidates who know the Highway Safety Code well still walk out without a pass.
The three parts of the test
The class 5 knowledge test is entirely multiple choice, and it is divided into three separate parts.
The Highway Safety Code: right of way, speed limits, and what is required of a driver.
Road signs, traffic lights and pavement markings, and what each one asks you to do.
The safe driving behaviours and techniques expected of a driver on the road.
You need 75 % in all three parts. Fall below on a single part and the whole test has to be taken again.
This is the most common misunderstanding. The SAAQ does not add your scores together. A candidate who gets 90 % on the rules and 60 % on signs and signals has not passed, even though the average is well above 75 %.
In other words, the part you neglect decides the outcome, not the part you have mastered.
How many questions? What the SAAQ actually publishes
It is the question everyone asks before the test, and the honest answer is that the SAAQ does not publish the exact number of questions on the official test. What it does state is the duration: allow between 30 and 60 minutes.
The SAAQ does, however, provide an official practice quiz online. Its sets run to 30 questions for signs and signals, traffic rules or driving, and 10 questions for illustrated situation scenarios. The SAAQ itself notes that this tool is not a replica of the test you have to pass. Use it to train, not to guess the format on the day.
Before you go in
The knowledge test fee is $13.50. Other fees apply across the full journey: the learner's licence, the road test and the probationary licence. We break down each step and its cost in our guide to the steps to a driver's licence in Quebec.
How to prepare
The 24 hours of theory in the SAAQ-recognised program cover exactly the three parts you are tested on. That is not a coincidence, the program is built for it.
This is the part that catches the most candidates out, because it has to be memorised and cannot be reasoned through. A sign you have never seen cannot be improvised.
Answering five questions a day does not prepare you for the pace of a timed test. Work through complete sets, under real conditions.
We have set out our preparation advice in more detail in a dedicated article: how to pass the SAAQ knowledge test.
Frequently asked questions
Between 30 and 60 minutes, according to the SAAQ.
You must have held your learner's licence for at least 10 months on the day of the test.
The test has to be taken again. The conditions for retaking it, the waiting period and the fee are set by the SAAQ, so check with them before booking a new appointment.
At a SAAQ service outlet. We have put together a guide to the Laval centre, with the address and the practical details: SAAQ Laval exam guide.
The SAAQ-recognised program is part of the path to a class 5 licence. We explain what a SAAQ-approved driving school involves in a separate article.
Ready to start your training?
A driving school recognised by the SAAQ since 2002, with five branches across the North Shore.
Register onlineInformation verified on the SAAQ website in August 2026. Rules, waiting periods and fees can change without notice: see the official SAAQ page Obtaining a passenger vehicle licence (class 5) for the current version.
