In This Article
Test Format and Structure
The DLT written test is 50 multiple-choice questions on a computer at the DLT office, and you pass with 45 correct answers (90%). The questions are drawn at random from the DLT question pool, so the person at the next terminal gets a different set.
| Detail | DLT written test |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | 50, each with four answer choices |
| Pass mark | 45 of 50 correct (90%) |
| Time allowed | 60 minutes; most people finish in 20 to 30 |
| Where | A computer terminal at the DLT office (the DLT calls it the E-exam) |
| Result | On screen as soon as you submit |
| Languages | Thai and English at every office; more at larger offices |
| Who sits it | Every first-time applicant; for foreign-licence conversions it depends on the office |
The 90% pass mark is not a 2026 change, despite what some guides imply. The DLT Director-General quoted the same 45-of-50 requirement for the computer exam back in 2017. It is high next to many countries, where 70 to 80% is common.
The interface is simple: click an answer and move to the next question. You can go back and change answers before you submit. A wrong answer costs you no more than a blank one, so answer every question; if you are unsure, rule out the options that are clearly wrong and pick from what is left. Once you submit, the system scores you straight away. You can see which questions you got wrong, though the correct answers are not always shown.
Want to rehearse under the same conditions first? Our Thai driving practice test runs a timed 50-question mock exam with the same 45/50 pass mark.
Thai Driving Test Questions and Answers: 15 Real Examples
These 15 questions come from the DLT question pool, three from each of the five categories, with the answer the exam marks as correct. The English wording is the translation from our question bank. They are a different set from the 25 free questions on our practice test page, so you can work through both.
Traffic signs
1. When encountering this sign, what should the driver do?
- Must stop to let vehicles and pedestrians on the crossing road ahead pass first, and only proceed once it is seen to be safe
- Only sedans may proceed, because it is the major road
- All types of vehicles are prohibited from stopping
- Reduce speed and continue driving slowly
Answer: A. Must stop to let vehicles and pedestrians on the crossing road ahead pass first, and only proceed once it is seen to be safe. This is the Thai STOP sign: a full stop at the line, every time, even when the road looks empty.
2. What does this sign mean?
- The road ahead narrows
- There is a major road intersecting ahead
- There is a junction with a roundabout ahead
- There is a junction ahead
Answer: C. There is a junction with a roundabout ahead. Yellow diamonds are warning signs. This one warns of a roundabout ahead, and question 7 covers who goes first once you reach it.
3. When encountering this sign, what should the driver do?
- Stop the vehicle
- Use of the horn is allowed
- No parking
- No use of the horn
Answer: D. No use of the horn.
Traffic law
4. For a driver who has consumed alcohol, the measured alcohol level in the breath must not exceed how much?
- Not exceeding 80 milligram percent
- Not exceeding 70 milligram percent
- Not exceeding 50 milligram percent
- Not exceeding 60 milligram percent
Answer: C. Not exceeding 50 milligram percent. 50 milligram percent is the same as 0.05% blood alcohol, the limit for ordinary drivers. Holders of a 2-year temporary licence have a stricter limit of 0.02%.
5. How many years is a temporary driving license valid for?
- 1 year
- 3 years
- 2 years
- 4 years
Answer: C. 2 years. A new applicant's first licence is a 2-year temporary licence; the 5-year licence comes at the first renewal. (Converting a valid foreign licence is handled differently; see our conversion guide.)
6. A driver is prohibited from overtaking to get ahead of another vehicle when fog, dust, rain, or smoke makes it impossible to see the road ahead within what distance?
- 60 meters
- 80 meters
- 90 meters
- 70 meters
Answer: A. 60 meters.
Safe driving
7. When entering a roundabout without traffic signals, what should you do?
- Give way to the vehicle on our left that is already in the roundabout
- Give way to vehicles entering the roundabout that are going straight
- Give way to vehicles entering the roundabout that are turning left
- Give way to the vehicle on our right that is already in the roundabout
Answer: D. Give way to the vehicle on our right that is already in the roundabout. Thailand drives on the left, so traffic already circulating reaches you from the right. It goes first.
8. When overtaking the vehicle in front, you must overtake on the right side. In which case may you overtake on the left side?
- Overtaking another vehicle on the left on a single-lane roadway
- Overtaking another vehicle in the left lane when in a built-up area
- When the vehicle to be overtaken is turning right or signaling that it will turn right
- Overtaking another vehicle on the left while driving on a bridge
Answer: C. When the vehicle to be overtaken is turning right or signaling that it will turn right. You overtake on the right in Thailand. The left is allowed only when the vehicle ahead is turning right.
9. If an emergency vehicle with its siren on is coming up from behind, what should the driver do?
- Clear a lane to let the emergency vehicle pass
- Change lanes to the right immediately
- Turn on the hazard lights and accelerate immediately
- Turn on the right turn signal and keep driving
Answer: A. Clear a lane to let the emergency vehicle pass.
Vehicle maintenance
10. After driving through a flooded area, which system should you test first?
- The electrical system
- The engine starting system
- The brake system
- The suspension system
Answer: C. The brake system. Wet brakes grip less. The exam's fix: drive slowly and brake gently several times to dry them.
11. Which color of warning light on the dashboard should not appear while driving?
- Yellow
- Red
- Blue
- Green
Answer: B. Red. A red warning light signals a fault. Stop somewhere safe and check before driving on.
12. When should tire pressure be checked?
- While carrying a heavy load
- After driving for about 2 hours
- Any time at all
- While the tires are still cold
Answer: D. While the tires are still cold.
Hazard perception
13. When a driver crosses an intersection with a flashing red signal light, what should the driver do?
- Slow down and proceed through with caution
- Continue driving as normal, so as not to delay the vehicles following behind
- Turn on the hazard lights and drive through as fast as possible
- Stop behind the stop line, then proceed through with caution when it is safe
Answer: D. Stop behind the stop line, then proceed through with caution when it is safe. A flashing red light works like a stop sign: stop at the line first.
14. When a driver passes through an intersection with a flashing yellow signal, what must the driver do?
- Slow down and check that it is safe before driving through
- Stop behind the stop line, and when it is seen to be safe, drive through with caution
- Turn on the hazard lights and drive through as quickly as possible
- Continue driving as normal so as not to cause delay to the vehicles following behind
Answer: A. Slow down and check that it is safe before driving through. A flashing yellow light means slow down and check. You do not have to stop. Do not mix the two up.
15. When turning right at an intersection with no traffic signals, from which direction should the driver watch for vehicles?
- Vehicles coming from the left
- Vehicles coming from the opposite direction
- Vehicles coming from the right
- All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above.
Is there a PDF? We do not offer a PDF download of the question bank. To keep these 15 offline, use your browser's Print and choose Save as PDF. For the full bank by category and a timed exam run, use the DLT practice test and mock exam.
2026 Status: Do Conversion Applicants Take the Written Test?
This is the question where guides contradict each other most, so here is where it stands. For first-time applicants the written test has always been mandatory — that is not new. For foreign-license conversions, it depends on the DLT office: a valid foreign license waives the written test at many offices, while others have started requiring it. What is driving the confusion is a DLT draft regulation — put to public hearing in June and July 2025 — that would make the written test mandatory for all conversion applicants nationwide and stop International Driving Permits being used as the basis for obtaining a Thai license. As of our last check in late October 2026 we have found no Royal Gazette publication of that draft, so it is not law: guides presenting it as an enacted 2025 rule are ahead of the facts, and guides saying conversions never involve a written test are behind them. The practical reality is per-office variation. If your office does require it, you sit the same 50-question computer-based exam as new applicants, with the same 90% passing threshold — Thai-specific penalties and sign meanings trip up even experienced drivers, so study beforehand. We track the draft regulation and will update this page the day it is enacted; if you book with us, we confirm the current requirement at your specific DLT office before your visit.
Available Languages
The written test is available in Thai and English at every DLT office, and in up to 12 languages at major offices: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Russian, Swedish, Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish among them. You select your preferred language when you register for the test at the DLT office. All major DLT offices in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, and other tourist-heavy areas offer the English version. Smaller provincial offices may have fewer language options, so if you need a less common language, call ahead or visit a larger office. One important caveat about the English version: the translations are not always perfect. Some questions contain awkward phrasing, grammatical errors, or ambiguous wording that can make the intended meaning unclear. This is a well-known issue that the DLT has been gradually improving, but it has not been fully resolved. If a question seems confusing, try to identify the core concept being tested rather than getting hung up on the exact wording. Practicing with online mock tests that use the actual DLT question bank is the best way to familiarize yourself with the translation style. If English is not your first language and your native language is available, consider taking the test in your native language instead, as the translations may be more natural. You cannot switch languages mid-test, so choose carefully at registration.
Question Categories Breakdown
The DLT question pool is organised into five categories. Here is how the 598 questions in the bank behind our practice test split between them:
| Category | Questions in the bank | Share | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safe Driving | 249 | 42% | Overtaking, right of way, speed choice, alcohol, emergencies |
| Traffic Signs | 117 | 20% | Sign and road-marking meanings, mostly shown as pictures |
| Vehicle Maintenance | 81 | 14% | Tyres, brakes, warning lights, battery, cooling system |
| Hazard Perception | 77 | 13% | Reading a junction or road scene and spotting the risk |
| Traffic Law | 74 | 12% | Speed limits, alcohol limits, licence validity, deadlines in days, penalties |
We have not seen the DLT publish a fixed number of questions per category for the 50 you get, so treat these shares as a guide to where to spend study time, not a promise of what your test will contain.
Traffic Law is the smallest category but the one foreigners find hardest, because its answers are exact Thai numbers you cannot work out from driving experience: 80 km/h inside Bangkok, Pattaya and municipal areas for a private car, a 50 mg% alcohol limit, 15 days to report a vehicle transfer, a 2-year temporary licence. Memorise those. Safe Driving is large but mostly common sense, as long as you remember that Thailand drives on the left and overtakes on the right.
How to Study Effectively
Plan on 3 to 5 days of 30 to 60 minutes a day, and do not book the test until you score 47 or more out of 50 in practice every time. The margin above 45 covers a couple of awkwardly translated questions on the day.
- Day 1: find your baseline. Answer the 15 questions on this page and the 25 free ones on our practice test page before you study anything. Note which categories you miss.
- Days 2 and 3: drill your weak categories. If signs are fine but Traffic Law is not, spend the time on the numbers: speed limits, alcohol limits, deadlines in days.
- Day 4: sit full timed runs. Do two or three 50-question tests against a 60-minute clock and review every miss.
- Day 5: final review of the questions you still get wrong.
Pay special attention to rules that differ from your home country. Thailand drives on the left, overtaking is done on the right, and the right-of-way rules at roundabouts follow from that. Flashcards help with signs, since some Thai signs look like international ones but mean something different.
The free questions are enough to see where you stand. The full 598-question bank, practice by category and the timed 50-question mock exam are in our paid DLT practice test.
Common Trick Questions and Pitfalls
Several question types consistently trip up foreign test-takers. First, questions about maximum speed limits in different zones: the default urban speed limit in Thailand is 80 km/h unless otherwise posted, which surprises many people accustomed to lower urban limits. School zone limits, highway limits, and limits for different vehicle types each have specific numbers you need to memorize. Second, questions about blood alcohol concentration thresholds. Thailand's legal limit is 0.05% BAC for regular drivers, but there are stricter limits for commercial vehicle operators and new drivers. Third, right-of-way at roundabouts and uncontrolled intersections follows specific Thai rules that may differ from what you are used to. Vehicles already in the roundabout have priority, and at unmarked intersections, the vehicle arriving first generally has right-of-way. Fourth, watch for questions about what to do when an emergency vehicle approaches. Thai law requires you to pull to the left, not the right as in right-hand-drive countries. Fifth, penalty questions often have very specific baht amounts and jail terms. For example, the fine for running a red light, the penalty for driving without a license, and the suspension period for accumulating too many points all have exact figures that appear in test questions. Do not try to guess these; memorize the key ones. Sixth, some questions about traffic signs show signs that look nearly identical but have different meanings. The warning sign for a curve versus a winding road, or the different types of no-passing signs, require careful attention to visual details.
What to Expect on Test Day
The computer test room at most DLT offices opens between 8:00 and 11:00 AM. Arrive early, ideally by 8:00 AM, because the testing room has a limited number of terminals and operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Some busy offices in Bangkok can have queues of 50 or more people. Bring your queue number from registration, your passport, and your application documents. You will be directed to the testing room after completing the aptitude tests. Before sitting down at the terminal, a DLT officer will verify your identity and assign you a station. The test interface will display in your selected language. You may receive brief instructions from the officer, usually in Thai, but the on-screen instructions are in your chosen language. Read each question carefully before answering. Do not rush just because you see others finishing quickly. Use the full time if you need it, and review your answers before submitting. Some terminals have a review screen that lets you see all your answers at a glance and flag questions you want to revisit. Once you submit, your score appears immediately. If you pass, you proceed to the next step in the license process, which is typically the practical driving test or photo and license issuance for conversion applicants. If you fail, you will be told your score and given information about retaking the test. Keep your composure either way, as the DLT staff deal with hundreds of applicants daily and the process moves quickly.
Retake Policy and What to Do If You Fail
If you score below 45 out of 50, you fail and must retake the test. The retake policy varies by DLT office. Many offices, especially larger ones in Bangkok, allow same-day retakes if there are available terminal slots later in the day. In this case, there is no additional fee for the retake. If same-day retake is not available, you can return the next business day. Some smaller offices only run the test room on certain days of the week, so check the schedule before planning your return. There is no limit on the number of retake attempts. However, each visit to the DLT office means another half-day commitment, so it is worth studying thoroughly before your first attempt. If you fail, take note of which questions you got wrong and which categories they fell into. Focus your study on those areas before retaking. The question pool is large enough that you will get a different set of questions each time, but the categories and difficulty level remain the same. Some people fail by just one or two questions, which is frustrating but common given the 90% threshold. If you scored 43 or 44, a quick review session and one more practice test is usually enough to pass on the second attempt. If you scored below 40, invest more time in studying the question bank systematically before returning.
Auf Deutsch: Prüfungsfragen zum thailändischen Führerschein
Die theoretische Führerscheinprüfung in Thailand besteht aus 50 Multiple-Choice-Fragen am Computer im DLT-Amt; bestanden haben Sie mit 45 richtigen Antworten (90 %). Sie haben 60 Minuten Zeit, jede Frage hat vier Antwortmöglichkeiten, und das Ergebnis erscheint sofort nach dem Absenden.
Sicher angeboten werden Thai und Englisch. Ob Ihr Amt die Prüfung auch auf Deutsch anbietet, ist nirgends offiziell veröffentlicht und hängt vom Amt ab; fragen Sie vorab am Schalter oder telefonisch nach. Rechnen Sie im Zweifel mit der englischen Fassung.
Ob Sie bei der Umschreibung eines gültigen ausländischen Führerscheins die Prüfung ablegen müssen, entscheidet das jeweilige DLT-Amt. Die 15 Beispielfragen mit Antworten weiter oben und unser Übungstest sind auf Englisch; der Übungstest gibt jede Frage auch auf Thai und Chinesisch wieder.
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