What to bring to the knowledge test, and what to leave at home
The list of what to bring to the SAAQ knowledge test is short. The list of what is forbidden is not, and the consequences of a slip range from automatic failure to licence cancellation. Here are both.
You have your appointment, you have studied, only exam day remains. That is precisely where well-prepared candidates complicate their lives: a forgotten document, or worse, a device that should never have entered the room. Let's go through it all, in order.
To bring: three things
It is the document the SAAQ asks for. It also proves you have reached the 10 months of holding required for the knowledge test.
Exam fees are paid on site. Plan your payment method and check the current amount with the SAAQ before leaving.
If you wear them, bring them: visual capacity is part of the checks along the journey.
Arrive early. A missed appointment sends you back into the queue for available slots, which sometimes open weeks later.
Forbidden in the room: the list that surprises
The SAAQ's policy on exam cheating is explicit, and it targets more than the phone. Forbidden: any electronic device of any kind whatsoever (phone, smartwatch, camera, earphones, earpieces, smart glasses, and so on). And that is not all: any other document, note or memory aid is forbidden, as is filming, recording or photographing anything.
It is the most frequent slip: the connected watch stays on the wrist out of habit. In the SAAQ's eyes, it is an electronic device like any other. In a cheating case, the exam is stopped and marked as a failure, with a 90-day retake delay (180 days for a repeat offence). If cheating is discovered afterwards, the SAAQ can go as far as suspending or cancelling the issued licence. Leave devices in the car or at the coat check.
What if I fail honestly?
An ordinary failure, without cheating, allows a retake 28 days later, by appointment. Your per-part result tells you exactly what to work on: the exam requires 75 % in each of its three parts, not an average. We covered that mechanism in our article on the 3 parts of the exam and the pass mark, and our preparation advice is in how to pass the knowledge test.
Where to go
A useful reminder: not every service point administers the exam. On the North Shore, check our centre guides before choosing: Laval, Sainte-Thérèse, Mascouche, Saint-Jérôme and Terrebonne. For the booking itself, everything is in our SAAQ appointment guide.
Frequently asked questions
No. The SAAQ policy forbids any electronic device in the room, whether it is off or not. Plan to leave it outside.
Your learner's licence. It is both your driver ID and the proof of your eligibility.
Fees are paid on site and set by the SAAQ. The amount is indexed periodically: check the current rate on the SAAQ website just before your appointment.
You risk losing your slot and having to book again, with the delays that implies. Aim wide: the margin costs nothing, being late costs weeks.
Arrive prepared, leave with a result
A SAAQ-recognized driving school since 2002. Exam preparation is part of the journey.
Register onlineInformation verified on the SAAQ website in August 2026, notably the official Class 5 licence checklist and the policy on cheating during competency exams. Rules can change without notice: check the SAAQ page Obtaining a Passenger Vehicle (Class 5) Driver's Licence for the current version.
