Last week, I shared the first part of my mini series Getting a Driving License in Germany. If you are planning to get one, that post is a good starting point: Getting a driving license in Germany: Preparation, Costs & Theory Classes
In this second post, I want to share how I actually learned the theory, prepared for the exam, and passed it — all while working full time. So if you are busy, whether with work or studies, and you want to pass the exam on the first try without having to redo it, this one is for you.
There have been updates around Germany changing its requirements for getting a driving license starting from 2027. So, keep that in mind. Everything I am sharing here belongs to 2026 🙂
Registration for the theory exam
Before you can register for your theory exam date, your driving school will typically ask you to fulfill a few requirements. In my case, these were:
- Attended all the compulsory theory classes
- Finished at least 90% of the question pool in the app
- Successfully registered at the city registration office (mentioned in my previous post)
The registration itself was quick. I registered on 07.04 and received my exam date for 17.04 — so I had around ten days to be really ready :)) But heads up: that short window between registration and exam date caught me a little off guard. More on that in the learning strategy section below :)))
Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with your exam date and location.
The exams format
- The theory exam consists of 30 multiple-choice questions and these are taken directly from the official pool of more than 1,000 questions in the app. This means if you practice well enough, there will be no surprises — every question you see in the exam is one you have already seen during practice.
- To pass, you must accumulate fewer than 10 error points. Each question carries between 2 and 5 points depending on its nature. Questions directly related to the safety of the driver and other road users carry more weight — because getting those wrong in real life could cause accidents. So they matter more, and you should treat them that way when studying 😉
- You can choose to take the exam in German or English (and several other languages). I chose German because I also wanted to be able to communicate with my instructor during the practical lessons. It was an extra challenge, but worth it.
The learning resources
When you register at the driving school, you will typically be given access to an app or a portal with instructions. My school also provided me with a book which includes all the exams topics.
My App for the theory questions is ClickClickDrive which came included in my registration package.
If you want to start practicing before your driving school gives you access or from today, there are also apps available on the App Store and Google Play. One I found useful is Führerschein 2026 GOLD — it cost me around €10-12, but the advantage is you can download it anytime and start practicing immediately without waiting for your school.
A note on how I used these resources
I found it much easier to learn when I first read through the topic summaries before jumping into the questions. This gave me a foundation so I wasn’t completely lost when I started practicing and it helped me avoid the frustration of getting everything wrong right from the start.
Attending the compulsory theory classes is of course another option for building that foundation — but honestly, after a full day of work, sitting in a three-hour class in German with a brain that is already protesting… it didn’t work very well for me :)))
For the actual theory content, I relied heavily on this fantastic summary sheet by Bhargav Sridhar on Medium — it covers all 14 topics clearly and saved me a lot of time. I really recommend reading it before you start practicing questions. He also provides a list of number questions you need to memorize by heart, since those are not multiple choice and require a different kind of preparation. I simply printed it out and read everything before I started practicing questions in the app.
Of course, you can always choose to read from the theory book your driving school provides. Choose what works best for you.
My learning strategy
It took me two full weeks of intensive review to feel ready. Here is how I broke it down:
- Weekdays: 3-4 hours of question practice every evening, right after dinner
- Weekends: I basically just ate, practiced questions, and slept. Some days that meant 7-8 hours of practice
Now, why was it so intense? Because I delayed. I had already gone through all the questions once before registering — which is required, since the school only allows you to register after finishing at least 90% of the question pool. But going through the questions once is not the same as being ready to pass. My friends told me they had a window of two weeks or more between registration and their exam date. So I assumed I would too.
In my case? Eleven days.
So I really had to run :))) But looking back, it was actually fine. The short timeline kept things focused, and there was something weirdly gamified about it — trying to get my error rate down every day
The order that worked for me
At the beginning, I learned topic by topic. But some topics are repetitive, or very technical, and I found myself getting slow and demotivated. After one week, I switched strategies and this change made a huge difference.
Instead of going by topic, I switched to learning by question type using the “Training” mode in the app. This is the order I followed:
Number questions first:
These are the questions where you have to write or recall a specific number — not multiple choice. Things like speed limits, stopping distances, alcohol limits. All of these can be found in the article with topic summaries mentioned above, so you can learn them by heart and then practice. This type of question gives a lot of momentum because once you know the numbers, you get them right consistently and that confidence carries you forward.
For any question I was unsure about, I asked Claude to explain it to me. If you want to do the same, here is a prompt you can use directly:
“These are the questions I need to learn by heart: [paste the content here]. Can you help me practice one by one and remind me of the correct answer when I get it wrong?”
Traffic sign questions
These are super important and the kind of knowledge you genuinely need to remember — not just for the exam, but for driving in real life. Do not skip these or leave them to the end.
Video questions
There are sooooooo many of them. For any question you answer correctly on the first try, great — move on. Bookmark the ones you get wrong and come back to them later. It took me two full evenings to get through all of them.
Everything else
Once the above three categories were solid, I did the remaining questions.
A few more tips on repetition
It is very important to go back and repeat questions you answered wrong, especially traffic signs and video questions. Repetition is how you actually remember. I used to switch between question types when things got boring, which helped — but try not to switch too much, otherwise you end up relearning from scratch every time you go back.
If you plan to follow a similar approach, here is a rough timeline:
- 10-15 days to go through all the questions for the first time (this is also when you can register for the exam)
- Then 1-2 weeks of intensive review to make sure you are actually ready to pass
On the day of the exam
Sleep. Even if you are anxious and still unsure about some questions, go to bed early. Do not try to cram more the night before. Your brain processes and consolidates information while you sleep, and you will perform better rested than exhausted.
Have a good breakfast. This is what I had: spinach sautéed in olive oil on low heat with two eggs, topped with walnuts and a few slices of avocado seasoned with some salt and pepper, and a bowl of berries with yogurt. Drink enough water too. These are good for your brain so it can help you achieve ultimate results.
Arrive early. Plan to be at the exam location at least 30 minutes before your slot, just in case there is unexpected traffic or you need extra time to find the place.
About the exam duration: the official website says you have 45 minutes. My confirmation email said 15 minutes. I was confused too. In practice, most people finish within 10-15 minutes, so don’t panic about time.
The interface: you will be given a tablet to answer the questions. It looks almost identical to the app you practiced on, so there will be no surprises there either.
The Fees
These were collected after the exam:
- Theorieprüfung Klasse B, B197 €99.00
- TÜV/DEKRA-Gebühr €24.99
Total €123.99
Good Luck!
I hope this post helps you feel a little more prepared and a little less overwhelmed before your exam. The theory test is very doable if you put in the time and use the right resources.
Hopefully you will soon see “bestanden” on your results screen. 🎉
I answered one question wrong, by the way. It was about a traffic sign 👀
More posts in this series coming soon, including the practical driving lessons, which turned out to be quite an emotional journey of their own 😉
