Become a qualified heavy goods vehicle (HGV) or bus driver (2024)

You can book the part 1 theory test of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) as soon as you’ve got your provisional licence.

The test is made up of 2 parts - multiple choice and hazard perception. You have to book both parts separately, but you can take them on the same day.

It does not matter which one you take first but you need to pass both within 2 years of each other to get your theory test certificate.

What to take to your test

You must bring one of the following:

a Great Britain photocard driving licence
a Northern Ireland photocard driving licence and paper counterpart
an EU photocard driving licence (and paper counterpart, if you have one)

If you do not have a photocard driving licence, bring your paper licence and a valid passport.

Your test will be cancelled and you’ll lose your fee if you do not bring the right documents.

Revision and practice

You can use books and software to revise for the theory test and take practice tests.

Multiple-choice questions

The multiple-choice questions in the theory test are based on 3 books:

The Highway Code
Know your traffic signs
The Official DVSA Guide to Driving Goods Vehicles or The Official DVSA Guide to Driving Buses and Coaches

Study these to learn the rules and skills you’ll be tested on.

You can buy them from most high street and online book shops.

Take a free practice test

Take a practice theory test to check how much you’ve learnt.The questions are not used in the real test, but they are based on the same topics as the test.

Hazard perception test

To prepare for this test you can use the official guide to hazard perception.

You can buy the guide in these formats:

How the test works

Multiple-choice questions part

You have 1 hour and 55 minutes to answer 100 multiple-choice questions.

Before the test starts you’ll get:

instructions on how the test works
the chance to do a practice question to get used to the screens

A question and several possible answers appear on a screen. You have to select the right answer.

The pass mark for this part is 85 out of 100 questions.

Leaving a question

You can ‘flag’ questions that you want to come back to later.

Changing your answers

You can go back to any question to review and change your answer at any point.

When you’ve finished

You can finish the multiple-choice questions part when you’ve answered all of the questions. You do not have to use the full 1 hour and 55 minutes.

Hazard perception part

Before you start the hazard perception test, you’ll be shown a video about how it works.

You’ll then watch 19 video clips. The clips:

feature everyday road scenes
contain at least one ‘developing hazard’ - but one of the clips features 2 developing hazards

You get points for spotting the developing hazards as soon as they start to happen.

What a ‘developing hazard’ is

A developing hazard is something that would cause you to take action, like changing speed or direction.

Example

A car is parked at the side of the road and is not doing anything. It would not cause you to take action, so it’s not a developing hazard.

When you get closer, the car’s right-hand indicator starts to flash and it starts to move away. You’d need to slow down, so it’s now a developing hazard.

How the scoring works

You can score up to 5 points for each developing hazard.

To get a high score, click the mouse as soon as you see the hazard starting to develop.

You do not lose points if you click and get it wrong. However, you will not score anything if you click continuously or in a pattern.

You only get one attempt at each clip. You cannot review or change your responses.

The pass mark for this part is 67 out of 100.

Your test result

You’ll be given a letter at the test centre with the results for the part of the theory test you’ve just taken.

When you’ve passed both parts, you’ll be given your theory test certificate at the test centre. You’ll need your certificate when you book your DriverCPCpart 3a and part 3b driving tests.

Your theory test certificate is valid for 2 years from when you passed the first part of the test.

You need to pass the Driver CPC part 3a and part 3b driving tests within 2 years, otherwise you’ll have to pass the part 1 theory test again.

If you fail the theory tests

You’ll get a results letter with feedback telling you why you’ve failed.

You can book another theory test straight away, but you cannot take it for another 3 clear working days.

Cancelled tests

You can apply for a refund of out-of-pocket expenses if the DVSA cancels your test at short notice.