For Foreign Residents: Pass the Written Driving Exam with Drivey

To pass any written driving exam in Japan, you need "90% or more correct answers". The number of questions is different for each exam, but the pass line is the same.

Are you worried about the written driving exam (paper test)?

• You don't know how to study

• The exam covers a lot, and you don't know where to start

• You are not sure you can pass on the first try

To help with these problems, a new written exam study app, Drivey, started in December 2025.

This page explains in simple words how to pass the written exam with Drivey, without stress, clearly and efficiently.

How many questions do the 5 written exams have?

👉 You can make only 1 mistake in every 10 questions. The questions are true/false (○×), but you cannot pass by guessing.

👉 Only for the moped license, each prefecture decides the exam languages. Some prefectures offer the exam in Japanese only.

👉 Only license conversion has a driving test (driving skills test) in addition to this paper test. You need it when you convert to any license other than a moped license. The moped license has no driving test.

But if you study the right way, foreign residents can also aim to pass on the first try.

What is each exam like?

Regular license: written exam

The regular license written exam is the last written test before you get your license.

• Basic traffic rules

• The meaning of road signs

• How to drive safely

• Safe driving knowledge that is important to prevent traffic accidents

• Awareness, duties, responsibility and manners as a driver

• Knowledge needed for unusual driving situations and for driving in different conditions

• How to drive on expressways

• Predicting dangerous situations from illustrations

The exam has true/false (○×) questions and text questions on these and other topics. There are 90 text questions + 5 illustration questions. You pass with 90 points or more out of 100. The time is 50 minutes.

👉 Regular license course / See how to use the course

Provisional license: written exam

The provisional license written exam is the test you need before you practice driving on roads outside the driving school. It checks basic traffic rules, the meaning of road signs, and the way of thinking you need to drive safely.

There are 50 text questions. You pass with 45 points or more out of 50. The time is 30 minutes. There are no expressway questions.

When you pass this test, you get a "provisional license". Then you can practice driving on real roads with a driving school instructor.

👉 Provisional license course / See how to use the course

License conversion: knowledge test

The knowledge test for license conversion (gaimen kirikae) is for people who change their foreign driver's license to a Japanese license. It uses text questions to check Japanese traffic rules, road signs used only in Japan, and the safety ideas that are important on Japanese roads.

From October 2025, this test became much more difficult. The questions went up from 10 to 50, and the illustration questions were removed. The pass line went up from 70% to 90%, and the pass rate fell from about 90% to 42.8%.

This 42.8% is only for the "knowledge test" (the test where you read questions). When you convert to a license other than a moped license, such as a regular license, there is also a "driving skills test" (a test where you drive a car) after it. The pass rate of the driving skills test is 13.1%. You get a license only when you pass both. About 6 in 100 people pass both. These are the numbers for taking each test once. If you fail, you can take the test again. If you take it several times, more people pass.

In fact, the difficult one is the "driving skills test". It has always been this way. In 2024, the knowledge test pass rate was 92.5% and the driving skills test pass rate was 30.4%. Now they are 42.8% and 13.1%. Studying for the paper test is not enough. Please also plan driving practice at the same time.

Only the moped license has no driving skills test. So if you pass the paper test (knowledge test), you get the license.

👉 License conversion course / See the exam details / Practice questions (with answers and explanations)

Moped license: written exam

The moped license written exam checks the knowledge you need to ride a moped (gentsuki) safely. It has short true/false (○×) text questions about speed rules, road signs and road markings, and things to be careful about at intersections and when riding at night.

There are 46 text questions + 2 illustration questions. You pass with 45 points or more out of 50. The time is 30 minutes. Each illustration question has 3 parts, and you get 2 points only when all 3 are correct.

For the moped written exam, the exam languages are different in each prefecture. Some prefectures have 0 languages (Japanese only), and some have 20 languages.

👉 Moped license course / See languages, documents and fees in 47 prefectures / See how to use the course

Class 2 license: written exam

The Class 2 license is the license for professional drivers who carry passengers and get paid. (For example, taxi and bus drivers.)

In addition to the content of a normal driver's license, the exam has higher-level content: how to keep passengers safe, vehicle operation management, communication with passengers (customer service), and predicting danger in bad conditions such as rain, snow and night.

There are 90 text questions + 5 illustration questions. You pass with 90 points or more out of 100. To take it, you must be 21 or older and have held a regular license or similar license for 3 years or more.

👉 See taxi and bus jobs and the Class 2 license

5 reasons people choose Drivey

Drivey is not just a study app. It is a study platform that puts "everything you need to pass" in one place.

① Study anytime, anywhere

With a smartphone or computer, you can start studying with Drivey right away, wherever you are.

• On the train to work or school

• During breaks at work

• 10 minutes before bed

In "short free moments" like these, you can study just by opening the app. The videos and texts are made to be easy to understand even in a short time.

It is designed so that even busy people get stronger little by little by continuing a bit at a time.

② Available in 6 languages

Foreign residents can understand in "their own language". Drivey is available in these 6 languages.

• Japanese (also with furigana)

• English

• Chinese

• Vietnamese

• Indonesian

• Myanmar

It is not just a direct translation. Each language was written to use "easy-to-understand wording".

So you can understand difficult traffic rules and legal words smoothly, almost like in your native language.

The big point is that you can focus on "studying for your license", not on "studying Japanese".

③ A dashboard that shows your weak points right away

The hardest thing in studying is knowing "what you can do and what you are still weak at". On the Drivey dashboard (study screen), you can see these things right away.

• Which topics are still weak

• Which questions you got wrong recently

• How far you have studied

• How far you are from the passing level

You can see all this at a glance, so you don't waste time wondering "what should I do next?"

④ 3 study methods: "understand → remember → use"

The written exam is hard to pass by memorizing only. What matters is having all 3: "understanding", "remembering" and "being able to judge real situations".

1. "Understand" with videos

Videos use diagrams and animations to explain traffic rules and dangerous situations so you can picture them easily. Examiners from designated driving schools check the content, so it has only reliable information.

2. "Remember" with Q&A

You answer questions one by one in a quiz style, at a good pace. By repeating the correct answers, you remember them naturally.

3. Learn to "use" it with mini tests

There is a mini test at the end of each chapter. You can check your level before the exam.

⑤ From mini tests to mock exams

Drivey is not only an app that teaches. It is also a training tool that "helps you do your best on the real exam".

• Tests with only road sign questions

• Tests with only road markings

• Practice questions by topic

• Question sets with only your weak points

• Mock exams with a time limit (practice for the real exam)

Mock exams with a time limit let you try with the same feeling as the real exam, so they help you pass.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I need to study to pass?

You can study the whole range in about 2 to 4 weeks. With 4 to 5 lessons a day, it takes about 4 weeks. If you have a lot of time, you can finish in about 2 weeks. Please keep studying the words (glossary) during this whole time.

I have a driver's license from my country. Do I need to go to a driving school?

No. There is a way called license conversion (gaimen kirikae). But after you got your license in that country, you must have stayed in that country for 3 months or more in total. Also, the exam became more difficult from October 2025. The pass rate of the knowledge test is 42.8%. When you convert to a regular license, there is also a driving skills test (pass rate 13.1%) after it. Only the moped license has no driving skills test.

Which is harder, the knowledge test or the driving skills test?

The driving skills test (the test where you drive a car). About 43 in 100 people pass the knowledge test, but only about 13 pass the driving skills test. With Drivey, you can study for the knowledge test. If you convert to a regular license, please prepare driving practice separately. If you only need a moped license, there is no driving skills test.

Can I use it if I take the exam in Japanese?

Yes. There is Japanese with furigana, so you can study even if you cannot read kanji.

Summary: Aim to pass with Drivey, without stress and with confidence

Drivey is a high-quality written exam study app. Examiners from designated driving schools supervise it, and professional instructors explain the content.

• Study at home or outside on a smartphone or computer

• Foreign residents can study in their own language

• Keep going without stress by using short free moments

• You know your weak points, so you don't waste study time

• Prepare for the real exam with mini tests and mock exams

👉 You can start with a free trial. Please choose the course for the exam you will take.

• Regular license course (3,300 yen per month, tax included)

• Provisional license course (2,200 yen per month, tax included)

• Moped license course (2,200 yen per month, tax included)

• License conversion course (from 1,980 yen per month, tax included)

• Class 2 license course (corporate plans only, 8,800 yen per month, tax included) — to apply, please contact us through our corporate services

👉 The prices above are for 1 month of personal use. It is a monthly plan, so if you use it for 2 months, you pay for 2 months. For companies and organizations using it together, the price is different, because they can see employees' study progress on an admin screen (corporate services).

If you support several learners at a company, supervising organization or registered support organization, please see our corporate services. You can contact us through the contact form.

*This information is as of September 2026. Rules, exam languages and fees can change. Before taking the exam, please check with the police or driver's license center in the prefecture where you will take it.

Sources: Osaka Prefectural Police, "Regular License" (full license exam 95 questions, provisional license exam 50 questions, both 90% or more) / Kanagawa Prefectural Police, "Exam procedures for Class 2 large, medium and regular licenses (designated school graduates)" (Class 2: 90 text + 5 illustration questions, 90 points or more) / Kanagawa Prefectural Police, "Exam procedures for moped and small special vehicle licenses" (46 text + 2 illustration questions, 45 points or more) / Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, "Amended Enforcement Regulations of the Road Traffic Act, effective October 1, 2025" (knowledge test 50 questions, 45 or more correct) / Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, "Converting a driver's license obtained abroad to a Japanese driver's license" (stay of 3 months or more) / License conversion pass rates published by the National Police Agency on March 2, 2026 (2024: knowledge test 92.5%, driving skills test 30.4%; October–December 2025: knowledge test 42.8%, driving skills test 13.1%)