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UPDATED
January 7, 2026
Nobody walks into the DriveTest centre planning to fail. Yet roughly 30 to 40 percent of people who attempt the G1 test do not pass on their first try. Some fail multiple times before finally getting their license.
These failures rarely happen because the test is impossibly hard. They happen because people make predictable mistakes that better preparation would have prevented. The same errors show up again and again across thousands of test takers.
If you know what mistakes to watch for, you can avoid them. This guide covers the most common reasons people fail the G1 test, from study habits that do not work to test-taking errors that cost easy points.
The G1 test has two sections with 20 questions each. Road signs make up section one. Rules of the road make up section two. You must score at least 16 out of 20 on both sections to pass.
Too many people focus their studying on whichever section feels easier or more interesting. Someone who finds signs straightforward might spend 80 percent of their study time on rules, assuming signs will take care of themselves. Someone intimidated by traffic laws might over-prepare for rules while barely glancing at signs.
This unbalanced approach backfires constantly. Scoring 19 on rules means nothing if you only got 15 on signs. The test requires competence in both areas, not excellence in one.
How to avoid it: Track your practice test scores by section, not just overall. If you consistently score 18 on signs but only 14 on rules, you know exactly where to focus. Aim for at least 17 out of 20 on both sections during practice before booking your real test.
Practice tests are valuable study tools, but they cannot replace reading the Ontario Driver's Handbook. Some people skip the handbook entirely and just take practice test after practice test, assuming they will absorb the information through repetition.
The problem is that practice tests only sample from the material. A set of 40 practice questions cannot cover every topic in a 100-plus page handbook. You might take five practice tests without ever seeing a question about roundabouts, then face two roundabout questions on your actual test.
Practice tests also teach you specific questions rather than underlying concepts. Memorizing that "answer B" is correct on a particular practice question does not help when the real test phrases the same concept differently.
How to avoid it: Read the handbook at least once before relying heavily on practice tests. Use practice tests to identify weak areas, then return to the handbook to study those topics in depth. The combination of reading and testing produces better results than either approach alone.
Ontario uses hundreds of road signs, and some look frustratingly similar. The test includes questions specifically designed to catch people who mix up signs that share shapes, colors, or symbols.
A few commonly confused pairs cause repeated problems. The "do not enter" sign and the "wrong way" sign both feature red and white coloring. The "no parking" sign and the "no stopping" sign use similar designs with different meanings. Warning signs for a winding road, a curve, and a series of curves all show similar wavy lines.
People who studied signs casually recognize that a sign relates to curves but cannot distinguish between the specific variations. On the test, that uncertainty turns into wrong answers.
How to avoid it: When you encounter similar signs during studying, put them side by side and identify the specific differences. Create comparison flashcards that show two similar signs together and force you to distinguish between them. Pay attention to subtle details like the number of curves in a symbol or whether an arrow points left or right.
Right-of-way questions appear on nearly every G1 test, and they generate a high rate of wrong answers. The rules themselves are not complicated, but applying them to specific scenarios requires careful thinking.
The most common confusion involves four-way stops. People know that the first vehicle to stop goes first, but they freeze when asked what happens if two vehicles stop simultaneously. The answer is that the vehicle on the right has priority, but test takers often second-guess themselves or misremember the rule under pressure.
Pedestrian right-of-way causes similar problems. Some test takers do not realize that unmarked crosswalks exist at every intersection, not just where painted lines appear. A pedestrian waiting at a corner without painted crosswalk lines still has right-of-way.
How to avoid it: Study right-of-way rules as a system rather than isolated facts. Understand the hierarchy: emergency vehicles first, then vehicles already in an intersection, then the vehicle that arrived first or the one on the right. Practice applying these rules to scenario questions until the logic feels automatic.
The G1 test does not have a strict time limit that pressures most people. You have plenty of time to read each question carefully. Yet many test takers rush through questions as if racing against a clock.
Rushing leads to misread questions. A question asking what you should do when approaching a school bus might have different correct answers depending on whether the bus lights are flashing or not. Skimming past that detail leads to wrong answers even when you know the underlying rule.
Rushing also leads to careless selection errors. On a touchscreen interface, tapping the wrong answer by accident is easy when you are moving too quickly.
How to avoid it: Take a breath before answering each question. Read the entire question, including all four answer choices, before selecting anything. If a question describes a scenario, visualize it in your mind before deciding what the correct action would be. Speed does not earn bonus points, but accuracy determines whether you pass.
The G1 test asks about specific measurements and numbers that require exact memorization. Approximate knowledge does not cut it when the answer choices include multiple similar numbers.
Questions about stopping distances from railway crossings want a specific answer: five metres from the nearest rail. Questions about following distance want to hear the two-second rule. Questions about blood alcohol limits for G1 drivers expect "zero" as the answer.
People who studied casually might know that you need to stop "some distance" from railway tracks or that G1 drivers have "strict" alcohol limits. That general understanding cannot distinguish between answer choices like "3 metres," "5 metres," and "10 metres."
How to avoid it: Make a list of every specific number mentioned in the handbook and memorize them. Stopping distances, following distances, speed limits, blood alcohol limits, time restrictions, and waiting periods all have exact values that the test expects you to know.
After selecting an answer, some people convince themselves to change it. They revisit questions they already answered and talk themselves out of correct responses.
Research on test-taking consistently shows that first instincts are usually right. Changing answers helps occasionally, but it hurts more often. The anxiety of test conditions makes wrong answers seem plausible when they would not fool you under normal circumstances.
Returning to flagged questions makes sense. Those are questions where you felt uncertain and wanted more time to think. But revisiting questions you already answered confidently tends to introduce errors rather than fix them.
How to avoid it: Use the flag feature for genuinely difficult questions, then move on. When you return to flagged questions at the end, think carefully, but do not change answers you were confident about initially. If you had a clear reason for your first choice, trust that reasoning.
Before you even reach the knowledge test, you must pass a vision screening. Some people show up without their glasses or contacts, assuming their uncorrected vision is good enough. It often is not.
Failing the vision test means you cannot proceed to the knowledge test that day. You leave without attempting the questions you studied for. If your vision needs correction, you might need to visit an optometrist before returning.
How to avoid it: If you wear glasses or contacts, bring them and wear them for the vision test. If you suspect your vision has changed since your last eye exam, get checked before your G1 appointment. Do not gamble on passing the vision screening with uncorrected eyesight.
Some G1 questions use negative phrasing that reverses what you are looking for. A question might ask which action is "not" permitted or which sign does "not" indicate a warning. Three answer choices would be correct in a normal question, but the question wants the one exception.
Test takers who skim past the negative word end up selecting an answer that would be correct for the opposite question. They pick a valid warning sign when the question asked for the option that is not a warning sign.
How to avoid it: When you spot words like "not," "except," or "never" in a question, pause and make sure you understand what the question is actually asking. Some people find it helpful to mentally rephrase negative questions to clarify what they need to look for.
Procrastination kills G1 test success. People study intensively for a week or two, feel ready, then delay booking their test. Life gets busy. Days turn into weeks. By the time they finally take the test, they have forgotten half of what they learned.
The forgetting curve is real. Information you learned two weeks ago is much fresher than information you learned two months ago. Every week you delay between finishing your studying and taking the test, your preparation weakens.
How to avoid it: Book your test date before you start studying, or book it as soon as you start scoring consistently well on practice tests. Having a deadline creates motivation to study. Taking the test while the material is fresh in your mind maximizes your chances of passing.
Most G1 test failures come from preventable mistakes, not impossible questions. Study both sections equally. Read the handbook and take practice tests. Learn to distinguish similar signs. Memorize specific numbers. Read questions carefully. Trust your first instincts. Show up with corrected vision. Book your test while the material is fresh.
Avoiding these common mistakes will not guarantee you pass, but it will dramatically improve your odds. The test is designed to be passable by anyone who prepares properly. Join the majority who pass on their first try by not repeating the errors that trip up everyone else.
Ready to identify your own weak spots before test day? G1 Ready CA offers practice tests that show you exactly which topics need more attention. You can also take a G1 diagnostic test to pinpoint your problem areas before you waste study time on material you already know.
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