Simple Guides every candidate should know to pass the LTO Driving Test

I. LTO Driving Test 2019: One Step Away

You just bought your new car, paid for it in full, with the help of your mom and dad. You’re giddy as a kid waiting impatiently to get inside the circus for the first time. You think all your hardships and prudence has paid off, with extra love from your parents.

You finally got your first car – one thing ticked off from your life goals list. The salesman just handed you the key and with a huge smile and trembling hands, you reach out for it. Just in time, your father grabbed it from him, looked at you, smiling, “Not yet. You don’t even have a license.”

You thought you can drive it home immediately? Think again - if you don't have a license, you can just dream on

It felt like you just went through an ice bucket challenge. You thought you can already drive it home and take pride in it. Then your dad takes you back to reality – you can’t just take it to your own place just yet. Your new car has to stay with them until you have your own license. You heaved a deep sigh of ‘okay, I know’ as they drop you off your path.

Now you list down all the stuff you need to do:

• Enroll in a proper driving school - in case you might be interested in, here is a list of 7 cheap driving schools in the Philippines for your reference;
• Get a student driver’s permit;
• Get a non-professional driver’s license, the proper license for you since you’ll be driving a private vehicle.

Quite an adventure before you can get hold of that precious steering wheel, right? But you are very determined and you just want to get over it. You are taking your next step tomorrow.

Now you write your to-do list in order to get that license ASAP

Days have passed and you graduated from the driving school. Next step is to go through and pass the LTO driving license examinations. Just like any other student, you have to make sure you are totally ready – especially now that you are just one step away from driving that new, shiny car.

>>> Read more articles about LTO Philippines on Philkotse.com

II. Pre-Examination Preparation for the driving license with LTO written exam reviewer

When you get your student driver permit, they also hand you a reviewer for your upcoming driving written examinations. Just like when you were in school, every time you have an upcoming test, you have to prepare.

1. Review

Take advantage of the reviewer given to you, read through it and try to remember everything so you won’t have a hard time answering the questions in the written examinations. Although the LTO exam reviewer is not exactly the same as the examination itself, it will somehow give you an idea of what might be asked.

You may think it is easy to pass the test but it is still best to go through the LTO practical exam reviewer

>>> Must read: LTO Exam Reviewer in Tagalog (with answers)

2. Do your own research on LTO driving license

If you are as keen as you claim to be, you shouldn’t be relying on the reviewer alone. You could also brush up on what you have learned from the driving school, or even better, do some online research about road signs and symbols, etc. Anyway, if you have been a regular passenger of your parents, you should already be familiar with these so just a quick review will do the trick.

It won't hurt to take it a step further by doing some additional research

3. Practice Driving

Now, you can ask permission from dad to borrow your car so you can practice driving around. If he’s not yet comfortable with you driving alone, you can ask him to go with you for more guidance and assurance. You can ask to be guided to drive in traffic, how to follow the street signs and symbols, how to park properly, and so on. He can also give you some sound advice on how you can get that driving test passed quickly.

Get ready for the practical driving test by practicing your driving skills

4. Don’t forget to bring all the documents you need

Before you leave home for the LTO exams, make sure that you have all the LTO driving test requirements with you so everything will go smoothly – like you don’t have to go home or back and forth just because you forgot something. Take your time in prepping to make sure that you got everything complete.

5. Stay calm

I know this is a typical reminder for anyone for pretty much everything. We all have the tendency to panic especially when you know that what you’re doing is important and you feel the pressure that you need to do well or go home empty-handed. Stay calm so you won’t forget what you’ve learned and pass the exams with no sweat.

III. Written Test Proper

The written exam, which is available either in English or Tagalog, is categorized into six different subjects that include:

• General Driving Knowledge
• Parking
• Driving Emergencies
• Handling & Driving
• Road Signs & Lane Markings
• Road Position

1.Tips and Tricks:

a. Read all the questions carefully 

I know you’re excited and all, but answering the LTO driving test questionnaire hastily without reading them carefully can lead to undesirable results. You have to read every word and make sure you understand the questions before you answer. They can be tricky at times, so if you just read through the questions, just looking at the keywords, you might misunderstand and answer incorrectly.

b. Take your time

Don’t hurry up just because you want to get home and retrieve your car from your parent’s house. Remember, your goal is to pass the test not to submit it in 5 minutes. After you have answered them all, try reviewing again to make sure you got everything right.

2. Passing Scores:

NPDL (Non-professional driver’s license) - You have to earn a score of 30 correct answers out of 40 questions (30/40)

PDL (Professional driver’s license) – You have to earn 45 correct answers out of 60 (45/60)

Read More: Difference between LTO Professional License and Non-Professional License for Drivers

3. Pass or Fail:

If you passed – your name will be called and you will be ushered to proceed to the practical driving test.

If you fail - you will be asked to go back into the exam room to be told to try again after a month. When that happens, you will have to go through everything (application process, photo and signature taking, written exams) all over again.

IV. LTO Actual Driving Test

The very first thing you need to do is to choose how you would like to take the test. The test can happen through the following:

The very first thing you need to do is to choose how you would like to take the test

1. LTO vehicle

A practical choice, since you’re already within the LTO premises, you might as well use their available vehicle. The downside is you have to pay Php 250 to rent it out. If you don’t have your car with you, this would be the best option.

2. Driving School

If you’ve undergone driving school, you can actually take the practical driving exam there. You will be using an assigned vehicle with your school coach at the back and the examiner in front.

3. Your Car

If you brought your car with you, or you have a licensed adult who drove you off to LTO, you can use your own car for the practical driving test. This way, you can save Php 250, be on your own comfort zone, and you’ll practice more careful driving to ensure that you won’t get your new car damaged.

You will be asked to drive in a designated driving course, lasting from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on how you drive.

Passing Score:

For you to pass the practical test, you have to at least score 70/100. Usually, after the test, you will be given instant feedback and result.

V. Post Practical Driving Test for LTO driving license

You will then need to wait for the approval of your license application by the Approving Officer. Then, your much-awaited driver’s license will be released alongside with an official receipt.

Sometimes, you just really have to go through a lot of things to get to your goal. All of your wait and hard work will pay off as soon as you get your license. Afterward, you can finally take that shiny, new car home.

At the last moment, Philkotse.com hopes that you can pass your LTO driving examinations. Good luck!