How Many Questions Are in the Malta Theory Test? (35 Questions, 30 to Pass)
There are 35 questions in the Malta theory test, you need 30 correct answers to pass, and you have 45 minutes to answer them. Transport Malta states it in one sentence: "The test, which takes 45 minutes, is made up of 35 multiple choice questions and you need to answer 30 correctly to pass the test." That is five mistakes of margin, no more. The exam is computer-based and multiple choice, and the questions are drawn from banks the Authority publishes itself.
The exam in five numbers
| What | Number | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 35, multiple choice | Transport Malta |
| Correct answers to pass | 30 (five wrong allowed) | Transport Malta |
| Time allowed | 45 minutes | Transport Malta |
| Test fee | €30.25 | Transport Malta and the centre's own listing |
| Minimum age | 18, and already holding a learner's permit | Transport Malta |
Two things on that list are conditions rather than numbers. The test is sat at a computer, not on paper, and Transport Malta requires you to "Present ID card before sitting for the test". The subjects you are being tested on are "defined in the Fourth Schedule of the Regulations", meaning the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations, S.L. 65.18.
The 35 questions come from a bank Transport Malta publishes
This is the part the thin results on this question leave out. The 35 questions are not a secret set: the Authority publishes its theory test question banks on the same page it publishes the format, in English and in Maltese, for cars (categories B etc.), motorcycles (categories A etc.), large goods vehicles (C1 and C), large goods vehicles with trailer (C1E and CE), and passenger vehicles (D1 and D).
So the number to hold on to is not just 35. It is 35 questions drawn from a published pool, in the language you choose, for the category you are sitting. That is exactly what a mock test is for.
Some questions have more than one correct answer
The Theory Test Centre's own booking listing describes the format: "A multiple choice examination method has been adapted for this exam, were candidates are presented with a question and they have to choose the correct answer/s out of a number of possible answers." That "answer/s" is the detail worth noticing: at least some questions have more than one correct option, so you are selecting a set, not picking one letter.
Whether a partly-correct multi-answer question scores anything is not stated by either source cited here, so it is not claimed here either. Neither Transport Malta's licensing page nor the centre's listing gives a partial-credit rule, and no rule is invented for this page. Treat each question as all-or-nothing until the centre tells you otherwise.
Two more facts about the day itself. Those who pass are given "a certificate indicating a pass". And the centre's listing carries one line in capitals: "WARNING :- Appointment will be cancelled if Candidate is late." Arrive for the slot time, not five minutes after it.
What "35 questions" does not tell you
Four things people expect this page to answer, and the honest position on each.
The pass rate. No figure is sourced to Transport Malta. The percentages that circulate, 53–66% for example, come from newspaper reporting quoted by an aggregator, not from the Authority, so they are not repeated here as fact.
A question count per topic. The aggregator pages print a category list and attribute it to Transport Malta; the Authority's own licensing page, cited here, gives the Fourth Schedule as the definition of the subjects and does not publish a per-topic count. No distribution is invented for this page.
The re-sit fee. Transport Malta's page does not state it, but the fee schedule in the driving licence regulations does: €22.50 for each re-sit of the theory test, against €30.25 for the first sitting.
Which side of the road Malta drives on. Two of the largest aggregator pages contradict each other on precisely this: one says traffic keeps left, the other says Malta drives on the right. Neither is Transport Malta. A page about the test that tells you the wrong side of the road is worse than a page that tells you nothing, which is the whole argument for citing the Authority. The same disagreement shows up on the venue: Transport Malta says "The Theory Test Centre is now located at Gwardamangia Hill, Pieta", while one aggregator guide places it in Lija.
Practise in the exam's own shape
You now know the shape of the paper: 35 questions, 30 to pass, 45 minutes, computer-based, drawn from the Authority's published banks, with at least some multi-answer questions. Practising in that shape is what turns the number into a score.
TheoryBuddy runs mock tests to the official format of 35 questions with 30 to pass, and its practice pool is based on Transport Malta's official driving theory syllabus and question material. You can start with the free ten-question taster, no account needed, or take full mocks with a study plan.
One warning about the number itself: Transport Malta publishes no required number of practice questions before the test, and this page will not make one up. The useful target is not "500 questions" or "ten mocks". It is that a 35-question set drawn from the bank holds no surprises for you.
FAQ
How many questions are in the Malta theory test?
35 multiple-choice questions.
How many do I need to get right?
30 out of 35, so five wrong answers are allowed. Transport Malta: "you need to answer 30 correctly to pass the test."
How long is the test?
45 minutes for the 35 questions.
Can one question have more than one correct answer?
The centre's own listing says candidates "choose the correct answer/s out of a number of possible answers", so yes, some do. Whether a partly-correct answer scores is not stated by either source cited here, so no claim is made either way.
Are the questions the same for cars and motorcycles?
Transport Malta publishes separate question banks for cars (categories B etc.) and motorcycles (categories A etc.), in English and in Maltese. The 35-question, 45-minute, 30-to-pass format is stated for the theory test as a whole.
How much does the test cost, and where do I book it?
€30.25, and booking is a phone call to the Theory Test Centre. The booking, the centre's address and the fee are set out on the Authority's terms, not ours. The Authority's page and the centre's listing are the sources for all of it.
Practise the 35-question shape before you book
TheoryBuddy runs mock tests to the official format of 35 questions with 30 to pass, and its practice pool is based on Transport Malta's official driving theory syllabus and question material.
Sources
- Transport Malta, "Obtaining your driving licence". The Authority's own licensing page. Authority for: the 35 multiple-choice questions, the 45-minute duration, the 30-correct pass mark, the €30.25 fee, the 18+ and learner's-permit requirements, the ID card on the day, the Fourth Schedule of S.L. 65.18, the pass certificate, the location at Gwardamangia Hill (Pieta), and the published question banks in English and Maltese for each category. Archived copy.
- Theory Test Centre (Pieta), the centre's own appointment listing. Authority for: the computer-based multiple-choice format with answer/s (more than one correct answer possible), the €30.25 fee, the 18+ and ID-card requirements, and the late-arrival cancellation rule.
- Incumbent read: examready.app guide. Cited only as a page that states a pass rate sourced to newspapers, a category list attributed to Transport Malta, "Malta drives on the RIGHT", and the test being held in Lija; never as authority for a fact.
- Incumbent read: autoviatest.com Malta page. Cited only as the page that states "Drives on the left", contradicting S3; never as authority for a fact.
- The TheoryBuddy homepage. Authority for TheoryBuddy's own claims used on this page (mock tests to the official 35/30 format, the ten-question taster at /try, the Transport Malta syllabus basis), and the page this guide cross-links with.
- Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations, Subsidiary Legislation 65.18. The Ninth Schedule is the legal fee table, and the source for the €22.50 theory re-sit fee.