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UPDATED
January 7, 2026
Starting your G1 test preparation too late leads to cramming, stress, and a higher chance of failure. Starting too early leads to burnout and forgotten material by test day. Finding the sweet spot matters more than most people realize.
The question "when should I start studying?" does not have a single correct answer. Your ideal timeline depends on how much time you can dedicate each day, whether you have any prior driving knowledge, and how quickly you tend to absorb new information.
This guide gives you realistic timelines for different situations and shows you how to structure your preparation week by week. Whether you have two weeks or two months before your test, you can build a study plan that works.
Most people need at least two weeks of consistent studying to pass the G1 test. This assumes you can dedicate 30 minutes to an hour each day and have no significant prior knowledge of Ontario traffic laws.
Two weeks is tight but doable. It does not leave much room for missed study days or unexpected schedule conflicts. If life tends to interrupt your plans, build in extra buffer time.
Attempting to prepare in less than two weeks is risky. Some people try to cram everything into a few days or even a single weekend. Occasionally this works, but failure rates climb sharply with rushed preparation. Your brain needs time to move information from short-term to long-term memory, and that process happens during sleep over multiple nights.
If your test date is less than two weeks away and you have not started studying, consider rescheduling. Paying a rebooking fee costs less than failing and paying for an entirely new test attempt.
Three weeks of preparation hits the sweet spot for most test takers. This timeline provides enough time to read the handbook thoroughly, take multiple practice tests, identify and fix weak areas, and review before test day without feeling rushed.
With three weeks, you can afford to miss a day or two without derailing your progress. You have time to revisit confusing topics multiple times. You can space out your practice tests to track genuine improvement rather than short-term memorization.
Three weeks also prevents the forgetting problem that plagues people who start too early. Information you learn at the beginning of your preparation is still reasonably fresh when test day arrives. With longer timelines, early material starts to fade unless you build in regular review.
Some situations call for more than three weeks of preparation.
If English is not your first language and the handbook's wording sometimes confuses you, extra time helps. You might need to read sections multiple times or look up unfamiliar terms. Budget four to six weeks instead of three.
If you can only study a few times per week rather than daily, stretch your timeline accordingly. Someone studying three days per week needs roughly double the calendar time compared to someone studying daily.
If you have test anxiety that interferes with your performance, a longer timeline reduces pressure. Knowing you have plenty of time to prepare helps you approach studying with less stress, which actually improves retention.
If you have learning differences that affect how you process written information, give yourself whatever extra time you need. There is no prize for finishing quickly. The only goal is passing.
Some people genuinely can prepare in less than three weeks without cutting corners.
If you recently moved from another province and already passed a knowledge test there, Ontario's test covers similar material. You mainly need to learn Ontario-specific rules and signs. One to two weeks of focused study on the differences might be enough.
If you have been driving with a license from another country and already understand traffic laws conceptually, you need to learn Ontario's specific rules but not the underlying concepts. This speeds up preparation considerably.
If you are someone who naturally absorbs information quickly and performs well on tests with minimal preparation, trust your own patterns. Just make sure you are being honest with yourself rather than overconfident.
Here is how to structure a three-week preparation timeline, assuming you can study 30 to 45 minutes most days.
Spend the first week reading the Ontario Driver's Handbook from beginning to end. Do not rush through it or skim sections that seem boring. Read actively by taking notes or highlighting key points.
Break the handbook into manageable chunks. The book has distinct sections covering signs, rules, and safe driving practices. Tackle one major section every two days rather than trying to read everything at once.
By the end of week one, you should have read the entire handbook at least once. You do not need to have memorized everything. The goal is exposure to all the material so nothing on the test comes as a complete surprise.
Take one practice test at the end of the week to establish your baseline. Do not worry if you score poorly. This first test shows you where you stand before focused preparation begins.
Week two shifts from reading to active engagement with the material. Start taking practice tests regularly, aiming for at least one full test every other day.
After each practice test, review your wrong answers carefully. Go back to the handbook and reread the sections covering topics you missed. This targeted review is more valuable than rereading the entire book.
Create flashcards for road signs if you have not already. Drill through them daily. Pay special attention to signs you keep confusing with each other.
Identify your weak areas by tracking which topics generate the most wrong answers. If you keep missing railway crossing questions, spend extra time on that section. If right-of-way scenarios confuse you, work through more examples until the logic clicks.
By the end of week two, your practice test scores should be climbing. You might not be passing consistently yet, but you should see clear improvement from your baseline.
The final week focuses on polishing your knowledge and building confidence for test day.
Continue taking practice tests, but now aim to simulate real test conditions. Time yourself, put away your notes, and treat each practice test like the real thing. You should be scoring at least 17 out of 20 on both sections consistently.
Review your notes and flashcards daily, but keep sessions short. At this point, you are maintaining and reinforcing rather than learning new material. Long study sessions during the final week lead to burnout.
A few days before your test, stop taking full practice tests. Light review is fine, but intensive studying right before the test increases anxiety without improving your score. Trust that three weeks of preparation has you ready.
Get good sleep the night before your test. Last-minute cramming does more harm than good.
If you only have two weeks, the approach condenses but follows the same structure.
Read the handbook faster, covering it completely within the first five days. This means longer daily reading sessions or reading more pages per session.
Start practice tests by day four or five rather than waiting until the end of the week. You need to identify weak areas earlier since you have less time to address them.
Begin flashcard drilling for signs immediately alongside your reading rather than waiting until week two.
Week two becomes a focused push toward test readiness. Take a practice test daily. Review wrong answers immediately after each test and reread the relevant handbook sections.
By mid-week, you should be passing practice tests consistently. If you are not, consider whether you need to reschedule for more preparation time.
Keep the final two days before your test lighter. Review notes and flashcards, but do not cram.
Not everyone has a free hour each evening for studying. Real life includes work, school, family, and other commitments that compete for your time.
Short study sessions spread throughout the day can substitute for one long session. Fifteen minutes during lunch, fifteen minutes before bed, and fifteen minutes during a break adds up to 45 minutes of study time.
Audio resources help if you have commute time. While no substitute for reading, listening to someone explain traffic rules while driving or riding transit reinforces concepts.
Flashcard apps on your phone let you squeeze in practice during small pockets of free time. Waiting in line, sitting in a waiting room, or taking a break between tasks all become study opportunities.
The key is consistency rather than duration. Thirty minutes every day beats two hours twice a week. Regular contact with the material keeps it fresh in your memory.
Certain benchmarks indicate you have prepared enough to schedule your test with confidence.
You consistently score 17 or higher out of 20 on both sections of practice tests. Not occasionally, but reliably across multiple different tests.
You can explain the major rules to someone else without checking your notes. Teaching forces you to organize your knowledge in a way that reveals gaps.
You recognize road signs quickly without needing to puzzle over them. On the real test, you will not have time to stare at a sign trying to remember what it means.
You feel bored rather than anxious when studying because the material has become familiar. This boredom is actually a good sign that you have internalized the content.
Other indicators suggest you should extend your timeline rather than rushing to test day.
Your practice test scores fluctuate wildly. Passing one test and failing the next means your knowledge is inconsistent.
Certain topics still confuse you despite multiple review sessions. Some concepts need more time to click.
You feel panicked rather than confident when imagining test day. Anxiety can be managed, but severe stress often signals insufficient preparation.
You have not completed even one full read of the handbook. Partial preparation leads to partial results.
Some people study indefinitely without ever booking their test. The absence of a deadline removes urgency, and preparation drags on for months.
Consider booking your test date before you start studying or shortly after you begin. Having a concrete deadline motivates consistent preparation. You know exactly how many days you have, which makes planning easier.
Choose a date three weeks out if possible. This commits you to the ideal timeline while the decision is fresh.
Ready to build your study plan and start preparing? G1 Ready CA offers practice tests you can use throughout your timeline to track progress. Start with the G1 diagnostic test to identify your baseline and figure out which topics need the most attention during your preparation weeks.
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