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UPDATED
December 10, 2025
Studying for your G1 test is not like cramming for a high school exam. You cannot just memorize a few facts the night before and expect to pass. The test presents 40 multiple choice questions that require you to understand Ontario's traffic laws and recognize dozens of road signs. You need 32 correct answers to pass, which leaves very little room for guessing.
The good news is that the G1 test is completely passable with the right preparation. Thousands of people pass it every week. The ones who fail usually made the same mistake: they underestimated what the test requires and did not study effectively.
This guide covers study methods that actually work. Not vague advice like "read the handbook" but specific techniques that help you retain information and perform well under test conditions.
The Ontario Driver's Handbook published by the Ministry of Transportation is your primary study resource. Every question on the G1 test comes from material covered in this book. Third-party resources can help, but they should supplement the handbook, not replace it.
You can pick up a physical copy at any DriveTest centre or ServiceOntario location for a small fee. A free digital version is available on the Ontario government website. Some people prefer physical books for studying while others like having a searchable digital copy. Grab both if you want flexibility.
Do not try to read the handbook cover to cover in one sitting. It contains over 100 pages of dense information about signs, rules, and driving techniques. Your brain will not retain much if you try to absorb it all at once.
Instead, break the handbook into sections and tackle one section per study session. The book is already organized into logical chapters covering road signs, rules of the road, safe driving practices, and other topics. Work through one chapter, take a break, then come back for the next one.
Spreading your studying over multiple days beats cramming every time. Your brain needs sleep to consolidate new memories, which means information you learn today becomes more permanent overnight. Studying for one hour a day over two weeks produces better results than studying for 14 hours in two days.
A realistic timeline for most people is two to three weeks of consistent studying. If you have prior driving knowledge or experience from another province or country, you might need less time. If traffic rules are completely new to you, budget extra days.
Block out specific times for studying rather than vaguely planning to "study later." Treat these blocks like appointments you cannot miss. Morning studying works well for some people while others retain more in the evening. Figure out when your focus is sharpest and schedule your study sessions during those windows.
Keep your study sessions between 30 minutes and one hour. Longer sessions lead to diminishing returns as your concentration fades. If you have more time available, take a 15-minute break between sessions to let your mind reset.
Reading the handbook once is not studying. Your eyes can pass over every word without your brain actually processing the information. Passive reading creates an illusion of learning while leaving you unprepared for test questions.
Active studying means engaging with the material in ways that force your brain to work. Here are techniques that actually produce results.
Take notes by hand as you read each section. Writing activates different parts of your brain than typing or just reading. You do not need beautiful notes. Messy shorthand that captures key points works fine. The act of writing is what matters.
After finishing a section, close the book and try to recall what you just read. Write down everything you remember without looking. Then open the handbook and check what you missed. This recall practice strengthens your memory far more than re-reading the same pages.
Create your own quiz questions as you study. When you read that G1 drivers cannot use 400-series highways, write a question asking which highways are prohibited. Making questions forces you to identify what information is testable.
Teach the material to someone else, even if that someone is your cat or a houseplant. Explaining concepts out loud reveals gaps in your understanding that silent reading hides. If you stumble trying to explain a rule, you know that topic needs more attention.
The G1 test splits into two sections: 20 questions on road signs and 20 questions on road rules. You must score at least 16 out of 20 on each section. This means you cannot ignore signs even if you feel more confident about rules.
Ontario uses hundreds of different road signs, but certain categories appear more frequently on the test. Warning signs with their yellow diamond shapes indicate hazards ahead. Regulatory signs with red circles show what you cannot do. Information signs in green or blue provide directions and distances.
Study signs in groups based on their shape and color. All stop signs are octagons. All yield signs are inverted triangles. Knowing these patterns helps you identify unfamiliar signs by category even if you have not memorized that specific one.
Pay special attention to signs that look similar but mean different things. The "do not enter" sign and the "wrong way" sign both feature red and white, but they appear in different situations. Construction signs and permanent warning signs both use diamond shapes but have different colors. The test includes questions designed to catch people who confuse similar signs.
Flashcards work extremely well for sign memorization. Put the sign image on one side and its meaning on the other. Go through your deck daily, setting aside cards you get right and repeating cards you miss. Physical flashcards or apps like Anki both work. Pick whatever format you will actually use consistently.
Practice tests do more than measure your progress. They actually improve your learning through a psychological principle called the testing effect. Retrieving information from memory strengthens that memory more than simply reviewing the information again.
Start taking practice tests early in your studying, not just at the end. It does not matter if you fail your first few attempts. Each question you get wrong identifies a gap in your knowledge that you can then fill by reviewing the handbook.
Take practice tests under realistic conditions. Set a timer, put away your notes, and answer questions without looking anything up. The real G1 test does not let you flip through the handbook, so your practice should match that constraint.
After finishing a practice test, review every question, including the ones you got right. For wrong answers, go back to the handbook and read the section covering that topic. For right answers, make sure you actually knew the answer rather than guessing correctly.
Vary the practice tests you use. Taking the same 40-question test repeatedly just teaches you that specific test. You want exposure to many different questions covering the same topics from different angles. Use multiple practice test sources to build broader preparation.
Relying only on practice tests without reading the handbook leaves gaps. Practice tests sample from the material, but they cannot cover everything. The actual G1 test might include questions on topics that never appeared in your practice tests.
Studying only the topics you find interesting leads to predictable failures. Everyone has sections they find boring. The rules about maintaining your vehicle or sharing the road with cyclists might not excite you, but questions about those topics will appear on your test.
Ignoring wrong answers is a missed opportunity. When you miss a practice question, your instinct might be to move on quickly. Instead, treat each wrong answer as a gift showing you exactly what to study next. Wrong answers guide your preparation more than right answers do.
Waiting until you feel "ready" to take the test often backfires. Some anxiety is normal and will not disappear no matter how much you study. If you consistently score above 85% on practice tests, you are ready. Book your test and trust your preparation.
During your final week, shift from learning new material to reinforcing what you already know. This is not the time to start a new section of the handbook. Focus on practice tests and review of your weak areas.
Take at least one full practice test each day during your final week. Track your scores to confirm you are consistently passing. If certain topics keep causing problems, dedicate extra review time to those specific areas.
Get proper sleep the night before your test. Staying up late for last-minute cramming does more harm than good. Sleep deprivation hurts your concentration, memory recall, and decision-making, which are all things you need for a multiple choice test.
On test day, do a light review in the morning but avoid intense studying right before your appointment. Eat a proper meal, arrive early, and trust that your weeks of preparation have you ready.
The right practice tests simulate actual exam conditions and cover the same material from the Ontario Driver's Handbook. Look for tests that provide explanations for wrong answers so you can learn from your mistakes rather than just seeing a score.
Longer practice tests build mental stamina. The real G1 test has 40 questions, so practicing with 100-question sets means the actual test feels shorter and less intimidating. You build endurance for sustained concentration.
Ready to put these study methods into action? G1 Ready CA offers practice tests that match the format and difficulty of the real exam. Once you feel confident with road rules, test your sign knowledge with the road signs practice test to make sure you have both sections covered before test day.
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