Many of the learner’s licence test questions are either poorly phrased or worded in ways that tripped applicants up, and include seemingly arbitrary questions related to vehicle manufacturing standards.
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- Computerised learner licence testing caused the pass rate to fall from 63% to only 17% in the Western Cape.
- The system selects randomised questions from a database of around 1 200 questions, closing the door on fraud in the previous system.
- Concerns have been raised about the availability of learning material.
- For more financial news, visit News24 Business.
South Africa’s new computerised learner’s licence test has triggered a collapse in pass rates.
New data, released by the Western Cape government, shows that more than 80% of applicants now fail the test.
Most driving licence testing centres in the province started using the new test at the end of last year. In the first few months after the rollout started, the pass rate in the province was only 17%, Western Cape Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku revealed in response to a Provincial Parliamentary question from DA Western Cape spokesperson on mobility Nomafrench Mbombo.
News24 previously reported on growing alarm about the impact of the computerised learner licence testing (CLLT) system, with a surge in young people who repeatedly fail the test.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) is the entity responsible for the learner’s licence test process in the country.
READ | Learner’s licence fail rates soar after radical test changes
Instead of being handed a question booklet, applicants now take the test on a tablet via the computerised learner’s licence testing system.
The most important difference between the handwritten testing system and the CLLT has nothing to do with paper or tablets.
Under the handwritten test system, applicants were given one of three tests containing 68 questions split into three sections.
The major flaw in the system was that the question papers had leaked widely, meaning that many people could study the answers before writing the test.
The CLLT system has put an end to this. It selects randomised questions from a database of around 1 200 questions.
However, it created new challenges.
Experts who help test applicants prepare told News24 that many of the questions in the database were either poorly phrased or worded in ways that tripped applicants up. Also, the tests now include seemingly arbitrary questions related to vehicle manufacturing standards.
News24 also could only find English copies of the official training manuals.
READ | New traffic demerit points: What happens if a car has different drivers?
The national pass rate fell sharply, partly because aspiring drivers had fewer opportunities to get hold of practice test papers beforehand.
Simon Zwane, spokesperson for the RTMC, told News24 in May that the national pass rate had dropped from 68% to 40% since the rollout of the computerised learner’s licence testing (CLLT) system across the country.
Western Cape pass rate craters
The Western Cape now provides the most granular detail on the effects of the CLLT system rollout.
Sileku indicated that the CLLT system became operational in the Western Cape toward the end of May 2025.
In the 2024/25 financial year, before the introduction of the CLLT system, Sileku said the learner’s licence test pass rate in the province was 61%.
Sileku said that in the 2025/26 financial year, which ran from April 2025 to March 2026, the pass rate was 63%. He clarified that this figure “primarily relates” to the driving licence testing centres that were still using the manual books while the CLLT system was being rolled out.
The pass rate in the Western Cape for tests taken using the CLLT system in the 2025/26 financial year was 17%, Sileku confirmed.
It is not clear from the response how many driving licence testing centres were moved to the CLLT system in the year, or how many tests were conducted using the CLLT system in the financial year.
Sileku clarified that all but four of the 70 driving licence testing centres in the province had implemented the system as of his response, dated 5 June 2026.
Sileku attributed the fall in the pass rate to the randomised questioning implemented in the CLLT system.
“The computerised system randomises questions and answer options, requiring applicants to demonstrate knowledge of the rules of the road and road signs rather than relying on familiarity with the sequence of questions and answers associated with the previous manual testing format,” he said in the response.
Sileku said that the department had distributed hard copies of the learner driver manual to public libraries across the province to support the transition to the online testing environment. He also said that the department had raised awareness about the availability of training material online.
Concern
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mbombo expressed concern.
“A pass rate of 17% is deeply concerning. Obtaining a learner’s licence is the first step towards securing a driver’s licence, which enables many people to access employment, education, healthcare and other essential services.
“While we support measures that strengthen the integrity of testing, applicants must also be adequately prepared for the new system,” she said.
She said that she would invite the Provincial Mobility Department to provide reasons for the lower pass rate to the Standing Committee on Mobility in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.
William Brederode
www.news24.com
