From Tuesday, September 12, 2023, the examination of the rules of the road in France will undergo major changes, with a full update of all his questions. The update aims to make the questions “clearer” and “understandable” for candidates, as well as add more realism through the use of drone photos.

The new question bank for the General Theory Test (ETG) now contains 1037 questions and now working in approved centers. In addition to questions, the road code does not change.

What are the changes in traffic rules?

The new questions were written in collaboration with road safety professionals as well as a language simplification expert. For clarity, complex terms are excludedfor example, the reference to “ring” to denote a roundabout was removed.

Due to the emergence of alternative modes of transport, such as cycling or scootering, new ’empathetic’ questions have been added, asking candidates to put themselves in the shoes of other road users. For example, one question asks if “a scooter user is vulnerable because: their balance is unreliable (yes or no), their small size makes them difficult to detect (yes or no).” This new perspective is indicated by a yellow icon in the upper right corner of the image with a “pedestrian”, “motorcycle” or “child” symbol to indicate the point of view.

In addition to clarifying questions, the visuals have also been improved to provide “more realism”. Instead of synthetic images, drone photos are now being used. A yellow rectangle has been added to the images to better identify the vehicle in question.

Another new feature is the display of “multiple correct answers” as soon as two answers are expected, thus eliminating pitfalls for candidates.

Road code in several digits

Candidates now take the exam on a tablet or computer and must answer 40 questions are taken from the database, illustrated with images or videos. These questions are divided into nine topics such as “driver”, “road” and “environmental driving rules”.

The process of updating the question bank began almost two years ago, marking the first major update since 2016. Exam conditions remain unchanged, always It is necessary to give 35 correct answers out of 40 candidate questions. The rules of the road remain valid for five years until the practical exam is taken.

In 2022, over 1.8 million candidates sat the ETG with an overall success rate of 57%. According to the interdepartmental delegation, 45% of candidates receive a code in less than a year.

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