Theory exam: procedure, error points, languages and fee

Who runs the exam?

The theory exam is administered by the technical test centre (Technische Prüfstelle) of your state – TÜV or DEKRA, depending on the region. You take it on a computer.

Requirements

• The authority has processed your application and sent the exam order (Prüfauftrag) to the test centre.
• Your driving school confirms that you have completed the theory lessons. This confirmation must be no more than two years old.
• At the earliest three months before the minimum age (class B: at 17 years and 9 months; BF17: at 16 years and 9 months).

How is the exam structured?

• 30 questions for a first licence: 20 from the basic material (Grundstoff), 10 from the supplementary material (Zusatzstoff) for class B.
• Each question is worth 2 to 5 error points, 110 points in total.
• You pass with at most 10 error points – but not if you answer two 5-point questions incorrectly.
• There are multiple-choice questions, number questions, video questions and, since 1 April 2025, questions where you select an image.

If you already hold another class (e.g. A1), you get 20 questions and may have at most 6 error points.

Whether there is a fixed time limit is described inconsistently in freely accessible sources – the exam guideline (Prüfungsrichtlinie) itself is not freely available. If in doubt, ask your test centre.

In which languages?

In addition to German, you can take the exam in 12 foreign languages: English, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Croatian, Spanish, Turkish and Standard Arabic. From 1 April 2027, Kurmanji and Ukrainian will be added. In German, you can have the questions read aloud to you through headphones; deaf candidates may bring a sign-language interpreter.

What does it cost?

The test centre's exam fee is €24.99 per attempt (fee schedule, No. 401). In addition there is usually a presentation fee charged by your driving school (Vorstellungsentgelt) – the driving school sets the amount itself and must state it on its price list.

In Berlin you take the theory exam at DEKRA without an appointment, but you must pay the fees at least 10 working days beforehand. Details are on the exam page for Berlin.

Failed?

• You can retake the exam as a rule no earlier than after two weeks, and you must take it again in full.
• In the case of an attempt to cheat, the waiting period (Sperrfrist) can be up to nine months.
• More on this: Failed – what now?

For context: in 2025, according to the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA, Federal Motor Transport Authority), 48.2% of class B theory exams in Germany were failed. The statistics count exams, not people – anyone who takes the exam several times is counted several times.

How long does a passed theory exam remain valid?

You must pass the practical exam within 12 months of passing the theory exam. Otherwise the theory exam expires.

Learning

The official exam questions are only available from licensed learning apps and publishers. A free sample exam is provided by TÜV | DEKRA arge tp 21. You can find a neutral comparison of the apps at Learning theory.

Draft – not yet in force: The planned reform (BR-Drs. 365/26) provides that from 1 July 2027 every question counts one point and at most 3 error points are allowed. Whether and when this will apply is open (as of October 2026).