What is the RTA theory test?
The RTA theory test, officially the Knowledge Test, is the computer-based exam every learner driver in Dubai must pass before the yard and road tests. It checks that you know UAE road signs, road markings, right of way, speed limits and safe driving, as set out in the RTA Light Motor Vehicle Handbook.
The exam format
| Questions | 40 |
|---|---|
| Pass mark | At least 30 correct (75%) |
| Before the test | 8 hours of theory lectures at a Dubai driving institute (light vehicles) |
| Fee | AED 200 plus AED 20 knowledge and innovation fee |
| Language | You choose the test language when booking; a remote interpreter can be booked for an extra fee at least 5 days before |
| Booking | RTA website, RTA Dubai app, Dubai Now or the Mahboub chatbot, with a valid learning permit and Emirates ID |
RTA does not publish a time limit. Arrive 30 minutes early. You can reschedule free of charge up to 24 hours before the test, and your training file is suspended if you do not take a test within 6 months of your last appointment.
What the exam covers
- Road signs and markings: regulatory, warning and guide signs, solid and broken lines, box junctions
- Right of way at intersections, roundabouts, U-turns and traffic lights
- Speed limits and following distance
- Freeway driving, overtaking and lane discipline, including Salik toll roads
- Parking and stopping rules
- Hazard perception: pedestrians, school buses, trucks, motorcyclists
- Driving in fog, rain, floods, sand and glare
- What to do at a crash or breakdown
- Black points, fines and licensing rules
Free official resources, and what we add
The RTA Light Motor Vehicle Handbook is free on rta.ae and is the main study text. The RTA Dubai app also has a practice test. Our 112 questions are original, grouped into 9 topics, and each answer explains the rule and names the handbook part or law it comes from. The timed mock uses the real format of 40 questions. Rules and signs are federal, so the questions also help learners in Sharjah and the northern emirates.
A note on fines: amounts in our questions come from the federal violations schedule (Ministerial Resolution No. 178 of 2017). Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 took effect on 29 March 2025, so check current amounts with Dubai Police or the RTA before relying on them.
How to prepare
- Read the Light Motor Vehicle Handbook, Parts 3 to 5, alongside your theory lectures.
- Learn sign shapes and colours: red rings forbid, blue circles instruct, red triangles warn.
- Practise one topic at a time until you score well in each.
- Take a timed 40-question mock and aim for well over 30 correct.
- Review every wrong answer and its explanation before your test day.
Practice questions with answers
Tap a question to see the correct answer and explanation.
A sign is an upside-down triangle with a red border and white centre. What does it mean?
- Give way
- Stop
- No entry
- Road works ahead
Answer: A, Give way. The inverted triangle is the Give Way sign. You must slow down and stop if necessary to give way to vehicles or pedestrians. A Give Way line (broken white line) usually goes with it. Source: RTA Light Motor Vehicle Handbook, Part 5 (Traffic Control Signs; Give Way Line).
At an uncontrolled crossroads, both roads are of equal importance and there are no signs. A car is approaching from your left. Who should give way?
- You give way to the car from your left
- The car from your left must give way to you
- Whichever driver is travelling faster on the approach
- The driver who sounds the horn first
Answer: A, You give way to the car from your left. Under the UAE rules quoted in the handbook, when traffic is not controlled by signs or police you must give way to the vehicle coming from the left if the roads are of equal classification. The federal schedule also lists failing to give priority to vehicles from the left as a violation (item 84). Source: RTA Light Motor Vehicle Handbook, Part 5 (Turning); Federal traffic violations schedule (Ministerial Resolution No. 178 of 2017).
Unless signs show otherwise, what is the speed limit on an urban single carriageway in Dubai, according to the RTA handbook?
- 60 km/h
- 40 km/h
- 25 km/h
- 80 km/h
Answer: B, 40 km/h. The handbook lists default Dubai limits: parking areas and service roads 25 km/h, urban single carriageway 40 km/h, urban dual carriageway 60 or 80 km/h as signed, rural roads 100 km/h and freeways 120 km/h. Source: RTA Light Motor Vehicle Handbook, Part 5 (Speed Limits).