How to prepare for the theory exam in 2 weeks

Two weeks are enough to prepare for the theory exam if you put in 30–40 minutes a day: week one, the 10 groups of the official question bank one at a time (1–2 groups a day, until you steadily get at least 90% of the group right, the same share as the exam's pass mark, 18 of 20); week two, full exam simulations and work on your mistakes; the last day, nothing but a light refresher. The target to hit: three simulations in a row, each with at least 18 of the 20 questions correct.

Below is the plan day by day, and the three rules that make it work.

Why this order

The theory exam has two parts: a psychological test of 3 questions, every one of which you must answer correctly, and a knowledge test of 20 questions, of which at least 18 must be correct; you get 30 minutes to answer (RA Government Decision No. 385-N of March 26, 2020, Annex 1, points 14, 15, 18 and 20). Of the 20 knowledge questions, 2 are on the Law "On Ensuring Road Traffic Safety", 15 on the Rules of the Road, 2 on the faults and conditions that prohibit operating a vehicle, and 1 on road-user safety and first aid (point 17); the questions themselves are picked at random from the question bank compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (point 16). Since at most 2 mistakes are allowed, you cannot afford to leave a weak topic behind. That is exactly why the plan starts with the groups — all of them, without exception.

Week one: topic by topic

One or two groups a day, 30–40 minutes. The groups are ordered so that topics that build on each other sit side by side:

• Day 1 — Group 4 · Road signs. Refresh how the sign groups are organized first, then move on to the questions.
• Day 2 — Group 7 · Stopping, parking and road markings. This continues yesterday: pay attention to the markings, and to the near-identical pairs of signs that prohibit stopping and parking. Companion article: the rules on stopping and parking.
• Day 3 — Group 5 · Right of way at intersections. The hardest group there is — give it the whole day. Companion article: the priority rules at intersections.
• Day 4 — Group 6 · Traffic light and traffic controller signals and Group 1 · Maneuvers, U-turns and giving way. Both carry on from yesterday's topic: regulated intersections, turns, U-turns. Companion article: traffic light and traffic controller signals.
• Day 5 — Group 8 · Speed, towing, carrying people and cargo and Group 9 · Signals, lights, overtaking and railway crossings. Go back over the speed limits and the overtaking bans.
• Day 6 — Group 2 · Traffic Safety Law and basic terms and Group 3 · Faults that prohibit operating a vehicle. These groups are small but easy to forget, and every test gives you 2 questions from the Law and 2 on the faults and conditions.
• Day 7 — Group 10 · First aid. The smallest group, so give the rest of the day to whichever group was weakest this week.

Work through each group until you steadily get at least 90% of it right (the same share as the exam's pass mark, 18 of 20). If a group refuses to click, don't move on to the next one: better to fall a day behind the plan than to carry the gap into the exam.

This stage is entirely free and needs no account: all 10 groups of the official question bank, plus the color-plate practice group, are in bibip's practice section.

Week two: simulations and mistakes

A full exam simulation is available without an account, but this week a free account starts to pay off: it saves your simulation results and unlocks mistake review and progress tracking.

• Day 8–9 — One or two full simulations a day. Don't be discouraged by the first result: a mixed set of questions is always harder than a single topic. Watch the first 3 questions of the simulation — they come from the Group 11 color plates, which is what stands in for the psychological test on bibip, and one wrong answer ends the simulation. You can also drill those plates on their own in Group 11 · Psychological test (color plates), and we have a separate article about the psychological test itself.
• Day 10–11 — Work on your mistakes. Go into mistake review, where the questions you answered incorrectly are collected. This is the most productive hour of the whole preparation: you are practicing not what you know, but precisely what you don't.
• Day 12–13 — Simulations again. The goal is three attempts in a row with at least 18 of 20 correct. If a topic keeps limping, go back to topic practice for that group.
• Day 14 — An easy day. One simulation in the morning, a quick pass over the questions you get wrong most often, and that's it. Before the exam your brain needs rest, not an all-nighter.

Three rules that make the plan work

1. Consistency beats volume. 30–40 minutes a day for seven days gives you far more than one four-hour session.
2. Don't guess. Getting something wrong in practice only helps if, after the mistake, you read the correct answer and understand the reason for it.
3. Measure progress in numbers. The feeling of "I think I know this" is deceptive; trust only a steady simulation result — at least 18 correct answers out of 20.

For exam day itself — which documents to bring, what to expect and how to keep your composure — see the separate article.