For those who want to obtain a driver's license, we will explain how to obtain a driver's license, the process, and the types and contents of the exams to take.

The written and practical tests required to obtain a driver's license

To obtain a driver's license, you must pass two types of exams: a written exam and a skills exam. Let's take a look at what each exam is like, the content of the questions, and the format of the questions.

License Conversion

The academic test is a written test that asks questions about driving methods and laws. This test is to check whether you have the knowledge to drive a car on the road, and if you do not get a passing score, you will not be issued a license.

There are two written exams in total. First, you must pass a written test to obtain a "provisional license" and then a written test to obtain a "permanent license."

There are 50 questions for the provisional license, and the exam time is 30 minutes. This license has 95 questions and the test time is 50 minutes. Both exams have questions in a true/false format, and you will pass if you get 90% or more correct answers.

National Police Agency: https://www.npa.go.jp/hakusyo/h15/html/E5006020.html

Skill test (practical test)

The skill test is a practical test that checks driving skills and judgment on the road. You will actually drive with the examiner in the passenger seat, and the examiner will check whether you have acquired the appropriate skills to drive on the road.

Just like written exams, you must pass the skill exam twice: once to obtain a provisional license and once to obtain a permanent license. In the skill test for a provisional license, you drive for about 10 to 15 minutes on the grounds of a driving school, and in the skill test for a permanent license, you drive for about 20 to 25 minutes on the actual road, and also for about 5 minutes inside the grounds of the driving school. Masu.

In addition, the revised Road Traffic Act of 2020 has revised the eligibility requirements for elderly drivers and second-class driver's licenses. As part of the elderly driver's measures, drivers aged 75 or older who have a certain history of violations, such as ignoring traffic signals, in the past three years will no longer be able to renew their driver's license unless they pass a driving skills test.

In addition, a support car limited license has been introduced, and it is now possible to add a condition to the regular license that allows only support cars to be driven.

Regarding the review of the examination qualifications for Type 2 licenses, etc., the qualifications for taking the examination for Type 2 licenses and large-sized licenses (21 years or older and holding a regular license, etc. for 3 years or more) and the qualifications for taking the medium-sized license (20 years old or older and holding a regular license, etc.) You can now receive a special provision that lowers the requirement (over 2 years) to over 19 years of age and have held a regular driver's license for over 1 year.

About the National Police Agency “Revised Road Traffic Act 2020”

The difference between provisional and full licenses

We explained that there are two exams for a driver's license, one for a provisional license and one for a permanent license, but let's take a closer look at the outline of each, including what a provisional license and a permanent license are and how they differ.

What is a provisional license?

Provisional license is an abbreviation for "provisional driving license." If you pass both the written test and the skill test to obtain a provisional license, you will be issued a "provisional driving license" and will be eligible to practice on the road and take the real license test.

However, with a provisional license, you cannot drive alone, so a driving school instructor or examiner must be in the passenger seat.

What is Honmen?

In contrast to a provisional license, a full license is a driver's license (full license) that allows you to actually drive on the road by yourself. Generally, the "full license" refers to the final test to obtain a driver's license that you take after graduating from a driving school.

For this final exam, graduates of designated driving schools are exempt from the skill test, but all students must take the written exam.

You cannot take the full license test unless you pass the provisional license test, and you can only get a driver's license once you have passed the full license test.

Two ways and procedures for obtaining a driver's license

There are two ways to obtain a driver's license: one is to graduate from a driving school and pass the formal driving license exam (honen), and the other is to take the exam in one shot without going to a driving school. We will explain each flow in detail.

When graduating from a driving school and obtaining a license

The process for obtaining a driver's license after graduating from a driving school is as follows.

1. Enter a driving school
2. Attend training (e.g. driving practice on the subject/on-site)
3. Driving Test /provisional driver's license written test/skills test (provisional license)
4. Obtain a provisional driving license
5. Attend training for the Honmen (on-the-road training/subjects)
6. Final Driving Test /Skill Test
7. Main license written examination (main license)
8. Obtain a driver's license

If you use a driving school, you will be exempt from the main driving skill test because you will take the driving school's Final Driving Test on the road or at the driving school.

Obtaining a license in one test

The process for obtaining a driver's license through the first test is as follows.

1. Take a provisional license exam at a driver's license exam center (written exam/skills exam)
2. Obtain a provisional license
3. Attend either specific training or training at the time of acquisition
4. Take the official driver's license exam (theoretical exam/skills exam) at the driver's license exam center
5. Obtain a driver's license

In the case of a one-shot test, you must take the test at a driver's license examination center in your area of residence, and be sure to take both the written test and the skill test for both the provisional license and the regular license.

Content and questions of the written exam

Let's also take a look at the questions that will be asked in the Honen written exam. We will introduce the number of questions, question format, time required, and actual problem examples.

Contents of the written exam

The content of this driver's license exam is mainly about the rules for driving, such as laws and driving methods related to driving on roads.

There will be 90 true/false questions in text format (score: 1 point each) and 5 illustrated questions about danger prediction (score: 2 points each). The criteria for question format questions are as follows.

• Common points for pedestrians and drivers: Basic attitude, signals and signs
• Things to know before driving: Knowledge about driver's license system, car inspection, and safe driving
• How to drive a car: starting, following distance, overtaking, etc.
• Driving in dangerous places: Driving at railroad crossings, slopes, curves, at night, etc.
• Driving on the expressway: Driving precautions and things to know before using the expressway
• How to drive a motorcycle: How to ride safely, how to apply the brakes, etc.
• In the event of a traffic accident, breakdown, disaster, etc.: What to do in the event of an accident, breakdown, or disaster
• Things to know for car owners, users, safety managers, car driving agents, etc.: Regarding the obligations of car owners, etc.

Please note that exam questions are created for each prefecture, so they tend to reflect regional characteristics, such as areas with a lot of snow or mountainous areas.

Real problem example

Examples of actual academic test questions and how to answer them are as follows. Answer the word problem with two choices, choosing whether the answer is correct or incorrect.

Do not obstruct pedestrians crossing at or near intersections without crosswalks.	〇Correct answer ×Incorrect answer
Cars and motorized bicycles must not ride on sidewalks, roadside strips, or bicycle paths, except when crossing to enter or exit areas facing the road.	〇Correct answer ×Incorrect answer
Driving on snowy or icy roads is the same as driving on summer roads, as long as you use snow-covered tires such as studless tires or tire chains.	〇正解 ×Incorrect answer

Question sets for academic exams are commercially available and can be purchased at bookstores. You can also view it on educational websites and smartphone apps, so you can use it as needed.

Pass rate of this entrance exam

According to the National Police Agency's "Driver's License Statistics" survey, the pass rate for the main driver's license examination in 2021 was 77.1%. (Number of successful applicants: 2,115,672 out of 2,742,833 applicants)

In recent years, the pass rate for the main entrance exam has been around 75% to 80%, with 77.7% in 2020 and 75.1% in 2019.

Source: National Police Agency "Driver's License Statistics"

What you need for the written test and what to expect on the day

This driving license exam is taken at the driver's license center in the municipality where you have your residence card. Let's take a look at what you'll need and the flow of the day.

List of things to bring to the main entrance exam

The following items are required to take this exam:

1. Residence card with registered domicile (nationality)
2. Identity verification documents
3. Photo for application (can also be taken at the license center)
4. Various certificates such as graduation certificates
5. commission

Please prepare a resident certificate without your My Number listed. You can have one issued at your ward office for 300 yen. For identification, please bring a passport or My Number card with your photo.

Photos for application can also be taken at the license center. Various certificates such as graduation certificates refer to graduation certificates and skill test passing certificates issued after passing a driving school's Final Driving Test. If you do not have this, you will not be exempted from the skill test of the license exam, so if you receive it at the driving school, please keep it in a safe place and bring it with you to the actual license exam.

You will also be required to pay a fee, but please note that payment is generally cashless and some centers do not allow cash payments at the counter.
The fee for a regular driver's license is 4,250 yen (examination fee 1,900 yen, license issuance fee 2,350 yen).

Flow from the main licensing exam to obtaining a license

On the day of the test, the process from arriving at the driver's license center to obtaining a license (morning session) is as follows.

• Around 8:30 Procedures at the examination fee counter
• Around 8:45: Vision test at the vision test counter
• Around 9:10: Get your admission ticket and move to the exam venue.
• Around 9:20 Exam explanation, notes, etc.
• 9:30 Academic exam starts
• 10:20 Exam ends
• Around 11:00 Announcement of results
• Around 11:30 photo shoot
• 13:00～14:00 License issuance

If you fail the exam, you can retake the afternoon test by paying an additional 1,900 yen. If you pass, you will receive an explanation on the spot, pay the license issuance fee at the counter, and receive your license after your photo is taken.

For those who take the test on the first try and do not have a graduation certificate from a driving school, there will be a course for obtaining a driver's license (a course for passing the test) at a later date.

Points to remember when taking this exam

Here are some points to keep in mind in order to pass the written exam and obtain your license.

Don't go to the exam center just in time

The first point is to head to the test center with plenty of time to spare so you don't run out of time. If you are late for the vision test, you will not be able to take the driver's license test. Therefore, be sure to give yourself plenty of time on the day of the exam.

Read the questions carefully without worrying

The second point is to read the questions carefully and don't rush. Some of the word problems include trick questions, so read the text calmly and make sure you understand the content before answering.

take care of yourself

If you pass the test, you will be photographed. Your driver's license will be issued using that photograph, so it's a good idea to be mindful of your appearance and clothing.

In addition, if you take an ID photo in advance and bring it with you on the day of the event, you will not have to wait in line to have your photo taken. In that case, please let the reception desk know that you would like to use the photos you brought in.

You do not have to pay a donation to the Traffic Safety Association.

When you receive your driver's license, you will be asked to make a donation to the Traffic Safety Association, but it is not mandatory so you do not have to feel pressured to pay.

Get your driver's license by preparing so you can take the written test calmly

You don't get a driver's license just after graduating from a driving school. Even if you graduate from a driving school, you will only be exempted from the main skill test, but ultimately you will need to pass the written test at a driving license exam center.

To ensure that you can approach this practical written driving test calmly, you should not only prepare for the written test, but also check the schedule and what to bring on the day.

On the day of the test, please make sure you do not forget anything and leave enough time to get around. Stay calm and read the questions carefully while answering, and you will pass the test and get your driver's license.