The SAAQ knowledge test has 28 questions in 3 sections — 8 on road rules, 8 on road signs, 12 on driving behaviours — and each section is passed separately at 75%: 6/8, 6/8 and 9/12. Source: SAAQ policy PO-PM 05.
| Section | Questions | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| Road rules | 8 | 6/8 (75%) |
| Road signs | 8 | 6/8 (75%) |
| Driving behaviours | 12 | 9/12 (75%) |
Figures of 30 or 32 questions still found online do not match the format in force under policy PO-PM 05 (rev. 2025-12-15).
Sources: Policy PO-PM 05 (rev. 2025-12-15), Annex I (in French), and the SAAQ’s knowledge-test page. Verified .
The SAAQ knowledge test’s questions are multiple choice: four options, A through D, one right answer. But inside that single frame, the test varies its question styles, and that variety is what surprises candidates who prepared for only one of them. Here are the styles to know — and the right way to prepare for them.
The question styles to know
Since the test’s bank isn’t published, the most reliable guide is the SAAQ’s own official voice — the sample questions it publishes — and the official study guides everything flows from. Certain styles keep coming back:
- The direct question. A limit, a threshold, a definition: “What is the maximum speed allowed on…?”. Rarer than you’d think — the test prefers putting facts in context.
- The sentence to complete. A statement breaks off, and each option finishes it: “Approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing, you must:”. The house style of road rules and road signs.
- The situational question. A concrete scene in a few sentences, then “What must you do?” — the heart of the driving behaviours section, where judgement is tested, not memory.
- The judgement call. “Is this prudent?” — with options justifying yes and no through plausible mechanisms. Only one justification is right.
- The statements to sort. Several claims on one subject: which are true? The style that flushes out stubborn received ideas.
- The illustrated scene. A drawn intersection, numbered vehicles — who yields, in what order, or “find all the mistakes”. Right-of-way is those questions’ favourite subject.
Why nobody can sell you “the real questions”
The SAAQ doesn’t publish its question bank. Any list presenting itself as “the test’s questions” is therefore, at best, an unverifiable reconstruction — and memorizing it prepares you badly, because the rule is what generates the questions, not the other way round. The same principle, tested from another angle or with different numbers, will trap the candidate who learned answers instead of rules.
What actually prepares you
Original questions, written in the test’s styles and verified against the official study guides — because then every question teaches a rule the test can examine a thousand ways. That is Permis 101’s choice: a bank of about 600 original questions, never copied from the test, each verified against the SAAQ’s guides and paired with an explanation that cites its source — “Driver’s Handbook, chapter X”. You always know why the right answer is right.
Then the format gets worked on under real conditions: the mock test puts those question styles back under a timer, with a verdict per section — the real test’s.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the test?
28 questions, in 3 sections, each passed separately at 75% — the sourced breakdown, section by section, opens this page.
Can you get the real questions of the test?
No — the SAAQ doesn’t publish its question bank. Be wary of anyone claiming to sell “the real questions”: the claim is unverifiable by construction. What can be prepared are the rules and the styles of questions — and those can be learned.
Do Permis 101’s questions come from the test?
No, and that’s deliberate: the about 600 questions in the bank are original, written from the SAAQ’s official study guides and verified against them — in the same styles as the test, never copied from it. Each one comes with an explanation and its reference to the guide.
Are there questions with images?
Yes — illustrated scenes with numbered vehicles, where you judge who yields or spot the mistakes being made. Right-of-way, those questions’ favourite subject, has its own page.
Go further
- The mock test: practising under real conditions
- Right-of-way: the rules the test loves
- The complete guide to the knowledge test
- The Permis 101 FAQ
Official sources
The facts on this page come from the official pages of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
- Competency examination policy PO-PM 05 (PDF, French)
- Knowledge tests – passenger vehicle (Class 5)
- Driver’s Handbook
A bank of about 600 original questions, verified against the official study guides, each with its explanation and reference. Nothing to learn by rote: everything to understand.
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Permis 101 is an independent app, not affiliated with the SAAQ. For official information and to book your test, go to the SAAQ.