How to book the Driver Knowledge Test in NSW
Getting to a Driver Knowledge Test means one of two administrative processes, and which one applies depends on the route chosen. The online route is an enrolment through a MyServiceNSW Account. The in-person route is a booking at a service centre, which is compulsory for some applicants and optional for others. This page sets out what the current Service NSW pages state about each, what to have ready, and which parts of the process are completed on a government service rather than here.
Do you need to book the Driver Knowledge Test?
It depends on the route and on the applicant. For the DKT online there is no booking — the candidate enrols and then works through the course at their own pace. For the DKT in-person, booking is compulsory for some applicants and optional for the rest.
A booking is required for anyone sitting a knowledge test for a higher licence class — R, LR, MR, HR, HC or MC — and for anyone who has previously been refused a licence, suspended or disqualified. For other applicants a booking for the in-person DKT is optional.
Optional is not the same as unnecessary. A service centre that is busy will still be busy for somebody who has not booked, and the in-person fee is payable per attempt either way.
Before you start: are you eligible?
Working through eligibility first avoids paying for something that then cannot be used, and the two routes do not have the same conditions.
- Age. Enrolment in the DKT online opens at 15 years and 11 months. The in-person DKT requires 16 or over. A learner licence can be applied for from 16.
- Residency. Both routes require the candidate to live in NSW.
- Licence history. The online route requires that the candidate has never been disqualified, suspended or refused from driving.
- Current licence. The online route is not available to somebody who holds a current NSW or interstate driver licence.
- Eyesight and medical fitness. The in-person route requires passing an eyesight test and being medically fit to drive.
- Language. If a language or interpreter arrangement is needed that the online course does not offer, the in-person test is the route that supports it.
Anyone who does not meet the online conditions is not shut out of the test — they are directed to the in-person route, which has a wider language range and no restriction on holding a licence. The test format and requirements page sets out both sets of conditions in full.
How to enrol in the DKT online
The online route runs through a MyServiceNSW Account, and the fee is paid at the licence application stage rather than at enrolment.
- Set up or sign in to a MyServiceNSW Account.
Required for the online route. Doing this before starting saves interrupting the process partway.
- Have identity evidence ready.
Service NSW accepts a NSW driver licence, Photo Card, registered vehicle or mobility permit for enrolment; otherwise an Australian passport, birth certificate, citizenship certificate or ImmiCard.
- Enrol through the Service NSW transaction.
Enrolment opens the course. Payment is made when the licence is applied for, not at this point.
- Work through the course.
An interactive four-to-six hour course covering the road rules and safe driving behaviour, including practice tests and quizzes, completed at the candidate's own pace.
- Sit the final test in one uninterrupted session.
There is no time limit on the final test, but it must be completed in one session. An unsuccessful attempt locks the candidate out for 12 hours before a retake, and the one fee covers unlimited attempts.
- Apply for the learner licence within 12 months.
There are 12 months to complete the course and apply. The application is a separate step at a service centre; see what happens after you pass.
How to book the DKT in person
The in-person route is a booking followed by a test sat at a service centre, with the fee payable each time a test is booked.
- Check eligibility.
Aged 16 or over, living in NSW, able to pass an eyesight test and medically fit to drive.
- Book through Service NSW.
The booking is made as an existing Transport for NSW customer or as a first-time customer, which changes what details are entered. Compulsory for higher licence classes and for anyone previously refused, suspended or disqualified.
- Pay the test fee.
Under the fee schedule effective 1 July 2026 the in-person DKT is $58 for each attempt.
- Prepare the documents.
A completed Licence Application form, proof of identity, and glasses or contact lenses if they are worn. Commemorative certificates are not accepted as identity evidence.
- Attend and sit the test.
A multiple-choice computer test at the service centre. If the attempt is unsuccessful, a resit on the same day is possible where another booking is available.
The screens, forms and wording in the Service NSW booking process change. Nothing here describes what a particular page looks like, on purpose. Start from the Service NSW booking transaction and follow the prompts it actually shows you.
What does the Driver Knowledge Test cost?
Fees are set by the NSW Government and are reviewed. These are the figures effective 1 July 2026, and they are stated here so a candidate can budget for the whole sequence rather than for one item.
| Item | Fee | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Driver Knowledge Test online | $58 | Once, covering unlimited attempts until you pass |
| Driver Knowledge Test in-person | $58 | Each attempt |
| Learner licence | $32 | When the licence is applied for, after passing |
| Hazard Perception Test | $58 | Each attempt, later in the learner stage |
| Driving test | $72 (inc GST) | Each attempt, at the end of the learner stage |
Two points are worth drawing out of that table. The test and the licence are separately priced, which is the clearest possible illustration that they are separate things. And fee concessions exist in some circumstances — Service NSW lists arrangements for SES, RFS and VRA volunteers and for participants in certain programs, and the Driver Licensing Access Program is the route to a waiver for some applicants. Eligibility for those is a matter for Service NSW.
Changing or cancelling a booking, and accessibility arrangements
The current rules for changing or cancelling a DKT booking — including any notice period and whether a fee is affected — were not stated on the Service NSW pages checked on 23 September 2026. Contact Service NSW or use the booking management options in the transaction itself rather than relying on a third-party account of the policy.
Accessibility arrangements are better established. The in-person test is available in Greek, Turkish, Croatian, Serbian, English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese, with interpreter support available, and the online course is available in nine languages with text-to-speech. Anyone who needs an arrangement beyond those should raise it with Service NSW when booking rather than on the day, because it may determine which route is appropriate.
Once a test is booked or a course enrolled in, the test day page covers what to expect and what to bring.
Common questions
Can you do the Driver Knowledge Test without booking?
For most car licence applicants the in-person DKT can be sat without a booking, though a booking is compulsory for higher licence classes and for anyone previously refused, suspended or disqualified. The online route has no booking at all — you enrol instead.
Where do you sit the Driver Knowledge Test in NSW?
The in-person DKT is sat at a service centre on a computer. The DKT online can be completed anywhere with internet access. The learner licence application that follows must be made in person at a Service NSW Centre, mobile service centre or council agency.
Sources
- Service NSW, Do your Driver Knowledge Test (DKT) online
- Service NSW, Book a Driver Knowledge Test (DKT) in-person
- NSW Government, Driver Knowledge Test (DKT)
- NSW Government, Driver and rider licence fees
- Service NSW, Apply for a learner driver licence