Learner Licence Test: Practise Online and Pass the First Time
What the learner's licence test asks, how the free mock test on the official Sarathi portal works, and the documents and steps to apply.
A learner's licence is the first step towards a driving licence in India, and the test for it is short and multiple-choice. Most people who fail do so for a simple reason: they did not practise the road signs and rules the test actually asks about.
The good news is that the government's own Sarathi portal has a free mock test that works like the real one. This page explains what the test covers and how that practice test works. The next page walks you through documents, applying and test day.
Open the step-by-step application guide
What a learner's licence lets you do
A learner's licence lets you practise driving on public roads while you learn, with an L sign displayed on the vehicle. In a car, a person holding a valid driving licence must sit beside you. It is valid for six months.
You can apply for your permanent driving licence once 30 days have passed since the learner's licence was issued, and before it expires. The minimum age is 18 for most vehicles, and 16 for a gearless two-wheeler of up to 50cc, with a parent's or guardian's consent.
What the test covers
The official instructions describe the test as a check of your knowledge of traffic signs and rules under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Questions fall into three broad groups.
- Road signs. Mandatory signs (usually circles, such as No Entry or Speed Limit), cautionary signs (usually red-bordered triangles, such as School Ahead or Sharp Curve) and informatory signs (usually blue rectangles, such as Hospital or Parking).
- Rules of the road. Keeping left, overtaking only from the right, giving way to pedestrians at zebra crossings and to emergency vehicles, and what to do at junctions and signals.
- Driving regulations and safety. Helmets and seat belts, no mobile phone use while driving, no drink driving, no horn in silence zones such as near hospitals, and the documents you must carry.
Many questions show a picture of a sign and ask what it means. Others describe a situation, such as a vehicle approaching from your right at an unmarked junction, and ask what you should do.
How the official mock test works
On the Sarathi portal, after you choose your state, the Learner Licence menu includes Mock Test for LL. It uses the same screen system as the real test, which the portal calls STALL (Screen Test Aid for issue of Learner License). To start, you enter your name and date of birth, pick a language and your state, choose whether you want the exam with or without audio, and type a captcha.
- Each question shows two to four options. You pick one and press Confirm.
- The correct answer is then shown in green. If you picked a wrong answer, yours is shown in red.
- Your score, the question number and the seconds left for that question appear at the bottom of the screen.
- After the last question, a review page lets you go back through every question and see the right answers.
The test is offered in English, Hindi and many regional languages, including Assamese, Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. The same menu also has Sample Question for LL Test, a list of practice questions you can read at your own pace.
Why the mock test is worth your time
Because each question has its own countdown, the real test rewards quick recognition, not slow thinking. The mock test trains exactly that. After a few rounds you will start to recognise signs in a second or two, and the review page shows the handful you keep getting wrong.
It also removes test-day surprises. You will already know how the screen looks, where the Confirm button sits and how the timer behaves, so your attention stays on the questions.