[Regular License Exam Course] How Should You Use It? Recommended Study Methods, Clearly Explained

The full license written exam for a regular license has 95 questions and 100 points in total, and you pass with 90 points or more (90% correct). It consists of 90 text questions and 5 illustration questions, and the exam time is 50 minutes. You can lose only up to 10 points.

This article explains, using Drivey's regular license written exam course, in what order and for how long to study in order to pass. If you have signed up but are not sure how to use it, please read on.

What is the regular license written exam like?

*The number of questions, format, exam time and pass line are based on Osaka Prefectural Police, "Regular License".

Each illustration question has 3 sub-questions, and you get 2 points only when all 3 are correct. If even one is wrong, you get 0 points. The 5 questions are worth 10 points, so if you lose these, the 90-point pass line quickly moves out of reach.

What topics are on the exam?

The exam covers topics like the following.

• Rules and attitudes common to pedestrians and drivers

• Preparation before driving a car or a standard motorized bicycle, and how to drive

• Driving in dangerous places and similar situations

• Driving on expressways

• How to ride two-wheeled vehicles

• What to do in traffic accidents, breakdowns and disasters

• Duties of vehicle owners, users, safe driving managers and designated driver service operators

The illustration questions test hazard prediction across all of the topics above.

👉 Unlike the provisional license written exam, the full license exam includes expressway driving. The materials you used for the provisional license are not enough.

Which languages can I take it in?

At driver's license test centers, the exam is available in 20 languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Persian, Khmer, Nepali, Myanmar, Mongolian, Ukrainian, Sinhala, Urdu, Arabic and Hindi (Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, "Written exams available in foreign languages").

However, the days and test centers are fixed for each language. In Tokyo, 5 languages including English can be taken on weekdays at the Fuchu, Samezu and Koto test centers, but the other 15 languages are only on a set day at each test center (Tuesday at Fuchu, Wednesday at Samezu, Thursday at Koto).

Even if you can take the exam in a language you are good at, the content is by no means easy. That is why studying in advance is so important.

How long do I need to study to pass?

About 2 to 4 weeks is a guide for covering the whole range. At 4 to 5 lessons a day it takes about 4 weeks, and if you can set aside a lot of time you can go through everything in about 2 weeks. This is a guide for going through Drivey's study content from start to finish.

The table below is an example of a 4-week plan. For a 2-week plan, combine weeks 1–2 and weeks 3–4 into one week each.

Please continue the glossary alongside throughout this whole period. The goal is 50 words a week.

Where should I start studying?

Start with the videos in the study content. The written exam is hard to pass by memorizing only; you get points only when you have all 3: "understanding", "remembering" and "being able to judge real situations". Drivey's lessons take you through these 3 steps in order.

1. "Understand" with videos

First, watch the videos to grasp traffic rules, points to watch out for and key points, together with images. Content that is hard to understand from text alone is easier to take in with videos.

2. "Remember" with Q&A

Next, check what you learned in the videos with one-question, one-answer Q&A. Repeating the cycle of "recalling the answer yourself" and "checking right away whether it is correct" makes it stick.

3. "Check" with mini tests

Finally, use short mini tests to check whether you really understand. Go back to the videos and Q&A to review what you got wrong, and fix your weak points on the spot.

For topics you are not confident about, watch the video again and then retry the mini test. Going back and forth like this is the most effective way to build skill.

How many terms do I need to learn?

The goal is 50 words a week. In the regular license written exam, whether you understand the meaning of words greatly affects whether you pass. The more traffic-related words you know, the faster you understand the text questions.

The glossary is most useful on days when you cannot set aside much time. You can do it on the train or bus, during breaks, or for a few minutes before bed. Even 3 to 5 minutes is fine.

When "videos + Q&A + glossary" starts to feel easy, move on to the test features below early.

In what order should I solve the questions?

Road sign questions → practice questions → skill check → mock exams. If you start with mock exams right away, you will not score well and will lose momentum.

(A) Road sign questions

Road sign questions always appear in every written exam, including the full license, provisional license and license conversion exams. Japan has more than 200 types of signs, and many look similar in shape or color or have similar meanings that are easy to confuse.

Drivey helps you not just memorize them but also understand the background: "why this sign exists" and "what danger it prevents". If you reach the level of getting them all right in the first half of your study, it builds confidence for the whole exam.

(B) Practice questions

Practice questions come in sets of 10, so you can work on them while commuting or during breaks. You can review the questions you got wrong later in a list, see which points you often get wrong, and review only your weak topics.

Keep in mind "why did I get it wrong?" and "which part did I not understand?" as you go.

(C) Skill check

The skill check test has about half the number of questions of the real exam. You can objectively check how much knowledge you have gained and which topics are still weak. Use it as a trial just before the exam and to decide what to focus on in the remaining time.

(D) Mock exams

Mock exams have the same number of questions and the same time limit as the real exam, so they are the most practical tests. You answer 95 questions in 50 minutes, so you have only about 30 seconds per question. You build "real exam skills": a sense of time management, keeping your focus, and judging under pressure.

Take the real exam once you are steadily above 90% correct.

What should I be careful about on exam day?

(1) Read the text accurately

Most questions are short, just 1 or 2 lines. That is exactly why a single word can decide whether an answer is right or wrong. Watch out for expressions like these.

• Types of signals: green light, flashing red, yellow arrow, and so on

• Differences in numbers: 3 seconds before / 30 meters before, within 3 meters / within 5 meters

• Sentence endings: "is / is not", "may / may not"

Do not answer with "I think it was something like this". Read the differences in numbers and words accurately.

(2) Take questions at face value

Simply judge whether what is written is correct or not. Many questions can be answered with common sense, and overthinking them actually leads to mistakes.

However, sentences with words like "always", "absolutely" or "in any situation" often test whether there are exceptions, so read those carefully.

(3) Always check your answers

When you have answered all the questions, check again from the beginning. This prevents marking errors, misreading and unanswered questions. In an exam where you need 90 points, losing questions you know leads directly to failing.

Frequently asked questions

How is it different from the provisional license written exam?

The number of questions and the range are different. The provisional license exam has 50 questions in 30 minutes and does not include expressway driving. The full license exam has 95 questions in 50 minutes and includes expressway driving. However, the accuracy needed to pass is the same for both: 90% or more (Osaka Prefectural Police).

How many points are the illustration questions worth?

5 questions worth 10 points. Each has 3 sub-questions, and you get 2 points only when all 3 are correct. If even one is wrong, you get 0 points, so there is no partial credit. The pass line is 90 points, so if you lose all the illustration questions, you would need to get all 90 of the 90 text questions right.

If I have a driver's license from my home country, do I still need to go to a driving school?

No. If you have a license from your home country, you may be able to convert it to a Japanese license through a procedure called license conversion (gaimen kirikae). However, with the October 2025 revision, the knowledge test changed to 50 questions with 90% required, and the pass rate fell to 42.8%. In addition, when converting to a regular license, there is a driving skills test (pass rate 13.1%) after the knowledge test. The share of people who pass both is about 5.6%. This 5.6% is a rough figure for passing both on the first attempt, taking each once. You can retake either test, so the final success rate for people who take them several times is higher than this. Please check our article on the exam content and preparation and practice questions (with answers and explanations) to see which option suits you.

Signing up for a course and corporate use

For personal use, you can check the content with a free trial from the regular license course page. For the provisional license written exam that you take partway through driving school, use the provisional license course.

If you have a driver's license from your home country, license conversion may be faster than going to a driving school.

If you support several learners at a company, supervising organization or registered support organization, please see our corporate services. On the corporate admin screen, you can check remotely who has progressed how far. For quotes and demos, please use our 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, 50 minutes, 90% or more; provisional license exam 50 questions, 30 minutes, 90% or more) / Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, "Written exams available in foreign languages" (updated May 11, 2026) / Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, "Amended Enforcement Regulations of the Road Traffic Act, effective October 1, 2025" (license conversion knowledge test 50 questions, 45 or more correct) / 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%)