The HGV Theory Test: Parts, Order and How to Prepare

Part one: multiple choice

Vehicle specific questions on weights, dimensions, load security, drivers hours, tachographs and vehicle condition, on top of the road rules you already know from your car test. The vehicle specific material is where car drivers lose marks, so that is where the included study material concentrates.

Part two: hazard perception

Video clips where you click as a developing hazard appears. It is scored on timing, not on quantity of clicks, and the lorry version reflects the longer stopping distances and wider swept path of a large vehicle. Practising against lorry clips rather than car clips makes a measurable difference.

Part three: the Driver CPC case study

Only needed if you are driving professionally. You work through realistic scenarios, applying drivers hours, load and safety rules to a working day rather than answering isolated questions. It is Module 2 of the initial Driver CPC, and Module 4 is the practical demonstration that follows at £199.

How to prepare without wasting weeks

1. 1Work through the included study material in short sessions rather than one long push
2. 2Drill the numbers: weights, dimensions, drivers hours limits and tachograph rules
3. 3Practise hazard perception on lorry clips, not car clips
4. 4Book the test only once you are consistently passing practice papers

HGV hazard perception: what is different from the car version

The format will feel familiar if you passed a car test, but the clips are filmed from the driving position of a large vehicle and the hazards develop with that in mind. A lorry needs more room to stop, more space to turn and more time to react to a cyclist on the nearside. Learners who score well tend to watch the whole scene, including mirrors and side roads, rather than staring at the vehicle directly ahead. Click once when you first see a hazard starting to develop, and again as it changes; random or rhythmic clicking is detected and scores nothing for that clip.

What the best HGV theory test practice looks like

There is no single best HGV theory test product. The best practice is the one that uses the official question bank for lorries, includes lorry hazard clips and lets you repeat the topics you keep getting wrong. Short daily sessions work better than one long weekend of cramming. Track your weakest sections, usually drivers' hours, tachographs, weights and dimensions, and load security, and revisit them until your mock scores are steady rather than occasionally good. Study material is included with our licence courses, so you do not need to buy a separate app before you start.

• Practise multiple choice by topic first, then in full mock tests.
• Use lorry hazard perception clips, not car clips.
• Read the case study scenarios slowly and answer from the information given.
• Book the real test once your mock scores are consistently comfortable.

HGV theory test cost and booking

Each part of the theory test has its own DVSA fee, and the current amounts are published on GOV.UK. If you book one of our C1, Category C, C+E, D1 or Category D courses, theory and case study preparation and study material are part of the course price, so you are not paying separately for preparation. You need provisional entitlement for the category before you can book, which is why the medical and the provisional application come first. Tests are sat at a theory test centre, not online at home.

Not sure which category to sit the theory for? Read which HGV licence do I need before you book anything.