Knowledge Test
The knowledge test — 50 questions, 30 minutes, 45 to pass
The test changed on 1 October 2025. The picture questions are gone. There are now 50 written questions. You need 90% to pass. The 30-minute limit is written only in the National Police Agency notice.
50 written questions. 30 minutes. You pass with 45 or more right. Before October 2025, it was 10 picture questions and 70%. You can get only 5 wrong. No official office publishes the exact range of the test or sample questions. 20 languages are common, but not every prefecture offers every language for this test. If you fail only the driving test, you do not have to take the 50 questions again for 6 months.
The test at a glance
| Item | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of questions | 50 | National Police Agency notice（丙運発第59号） |
| To pass | 45 or more right (90%) | Same notice |
| Time | 30 minutes | Same notice. Almost no prefecture page shows this |
| Type | Written questions only. No picture questions | National Police Agency plan, Chiba and Fukuoka police |
| Answers | True or false（○×） | Ishikawa police and others |
90% is the same pass mark as the written test for a new Japanese license. If you get 6 wrong, you fail. "I mostly understand" is not enough.
That is 36 seconds for each question, including reading time. It is the same in Japanese and in other languages. If you spend too long on one question, you will not reach the end.
What the notice says
The rule is in the National Police Agency notice（警察庁 丙運発第59号）, Chapter 1, Part 1, 2(1)(i). This is what it says:
- The test has 50 written questions. The time limit is 30 minutes
- If you get 45 or more right, you go on to the driving test
- If you get fewer than 45 right, you cannot use the shortcut. The shortcut means you skip parts of the normal license exam
This notice is the only source for the 30 minutes. Shizuoka police are one of the few that show "50 questions, 30 minutes" on their page.
What changed on 1 October 2025
| Before | From 1 October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | 10 picture questions | No picture questions. 50 questions. |
| To pass | 70% or more | 90% or more — the same as for a new Japanese license |
The National Police Agency plan, the Chiba police, and the Fukuoka police all say the same.
Many English pages still describe the old test. The test has been 50 questions since 1 October 2025. Check the date on any page you read.
Languages — 20 is common, but check your prefecture
In June and July 2024, many prefectures started tests in 20 languages. The Tokyo police list them:
English, Spanish, Persian, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Khmer, Nepali, Burmese (Myanmar), Mongolian, Ukrainian, Sinhala, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi.
A prefecture page may say "20 languages" for the normal written test. That does not always mean you can take the conversion knowledge test in those languages. You need to check.
| Prefecture | What we found |
|---|---|
| Tokyo | 20 languages. The page says they are for the conversion knowledge test too |
| Saitama | 21 languages (20 languages plus Japanese) |
| Aichi | Turkish was stopped on 1 October 2025. Some languages are on set days of the week only. Japanese and English are every day |
| Ibaraki | The numbers do not agree: 20 languages on the written test page, 16 on the conversion page |
| Ishikawa, Shizuoka | No language list published |
When you call to book, ask two things: can I take it in my language, and on which day? → All 47 prefectures
The range of the test is not published
You may search for "what is on the test". It is really not published.
- No official office says which parts of the rules the questions come from
- The only legal text is general. The Road Traffic Act Enforcement Order（道路交通法施行令）only says "knowledge needed to drive, such as the traffic rules in the law"
- We found no official sample questions. All practice books are made by private publishers
The best source is the official Rules of the Road from the National Police Agency — 交通の方法に関する教則. The rules also change. For example, from 1 September 2026, the legal speed limit on many narrow residential roads is 30 km/h. Old study books may not have this.
Who takes this test
| Your license is from | Knowledge test |
|---|---|
| 28 countries and regions and 7 US states (the "no test" group) | No test |
| Indiana (USA) | You take it. You do not take the driving test |
| All other countries and US states | You take it, and then the driving test |
Failed the driving test? No need to retake this for 6 months
The National Police Agency notice, 2(3)(iii), says this:
- If you fail the driving test (under 70 points), you can apply again
- For 6 months from the day of your knowledge test, you do not take the knowledge test again. You take only the driving test
- This also works if you move to another prefecture
It is worth knowing. Within 6 months, the staff may ask you to take the 50 questions again. Then tell them about this rule. You can show this line: 「前回の知識確認から6か月以内なので、実技だけを受けられると聞きました。」
On the day
- You take the test in your own prefecture. The place is a Driver's License Test Center（運転免許試験場）or License Center（運転免許センター）
- Turn your phone off and put it in your bag. Silent mode is not enough
- If you are late for reception, you cannot take the test that day. In some prefectures, reception is open for only 20 minutes
- Your interpreter cannot come into the test room. You need the interpreter for the document check and explanations
- Some prefectures reduced test times. Aichi went from 2 times a day to 1 time a day (13:30 only) on 1 October 2025
- In Saitama, you can book only 1 knowledge test slot at a time
- You get your result the same day. If you pass, you go on to book the driving test