G1 Driving Test Questions and Answers: The Topics Most People Get Wrong
Most people who fail the G1 test do not fail because it is hard. They fail because they studied the parts of the handbook that felt familiar and skimmed the parts that did not. Road signs, exact distances and right-of-way rules are where marks quietly disappear.
Below are sample driving test questions and answers grouped by the topics new drivers get wrong most often. Each one has the answer and a short note on why the mistake happens. These are practice questions written from the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook, not real exam questions.
If you would rather be quizzed than read, take our free G1 practice test first, then come back to the topics you missed.
Signs That Look Similar
Signs make up half the test, and look-alike signs cause far more errors than rare signs do.
Q: What is the difference between a “no stopping” and a “no parking” sign?
A: No stopping means you cannot stop your vehicle in that area at all, even for a moment. No parking means you may stop only to load or unload passengers or merchandise.
Why people get it wrong: There is a third sign in between: no standing, which allows stopping only to load or unload passengers. People remember two of the three and guess the middle one.
Q: You see a diamond-shaped sign with an orange background. What does it tell you?
A: It is a temporary condition sign, warning about things like road work, a detour or a lane closure.
Why people get it wrong: Yellow and orange diamonds look alike at a glance. Yellow means a permanent warning; orange means something temporary.
Q: What does a five-sided, fluorescent yellow-green sign mean?
A: You are coming to a school zone. Slow down and watch for children.
Why people get it wrong: Many people assume anything warning-related is a diamond. The school zone sign has its own five-sided shape so you can spot it instantly.
If signs are your weak point, work through every Ontario sign category before you test again.
Right-of-Way at Intersections
These rules sound similar to each other, which is exactly why they get mixed up under pressure.
Q: Two vehicles come to a complete stop at a four-way stop at exactly the same time. Who goes first?
A: The vehicle on the right. The driver on the left must yield.
Why people get it wrong: People answer “whoever arrived first”, which is the rule only when the arrivals are not simultaneous.
Q: You reach an intersection with no signs or lights at the same time as a vehicle on another road. What do you do?
A: If the other vehicle is on your right, let it go first.
Why people get it wrong: Uncontrolled intersections feel unusual, so drivers guess. The tie-breaker is the same as at a four-way stop.
Q: You are turning left at a green light and a cyclist is coming toward you. What must you do?
A: Stop and wait for the cyclist to pass before turning.
Why people get it wrong: Drivers scan for cars and miss bicycles, which are narrower and often moving faster than they look.
Exact Stopping Distances
The handbook uses specific numbers, and so does the test. Learn these as a group rather than one at a time.
| Situation | Distance |
| Stopping behind a school bus with red lights flashing | At least 20 metres |
| Stopping for a train at a railway crossing | At least 5 metres from the nearest rail or gate |
| Passing near a pedestrian crossover | No passing within 30 metres |
| Minimum following distance in good conditions | At least 2 seconds |
Q: You are behind a school bus with its upper red lights flashing. How far back must you stop?
A: At least 20 metres, and you must stay stopped until the bus moves or the lights stop flashing.
Why people get it wrong: People mix this up with the 5-metre railway rule. School bus is the bigger number.
Q: You are meeting a stopped school bus from the opposite direction on a road with a median. Must you stop?
A: No. On a road with a median, only vehicles approaching from behind the bus must stop. Stay alert for children anyway.
Why people get it wrong: The answer depends entirely on whether there is a median, and that detail is easy to skip when reading the question.
Parking Rules and Distances
Parking questions are pure memory work, which makes them the easiest marks to lose and the easiest to win back.
| You may not park within | Distance |
| A fire hydrant | 3 metres |
| An intersection | 9 metres |
| An intersection controlled by traffic lights | 15 metres |
| The nearest rail of a level railway crossing | 15 metres |
| Anywhere without a clear view both ways | Less than 125 metres of visibility |
Q: You are parking facing downhill next to a curb. Which way do you turn your front wheels?
A: Toward the curb, so the vehicle cannot roll into traffic.
Why people get it wrong: Uphill and downhill get reversed constantly. Downhill points the wheels into the curb; uphill with a curb points them toward the road so the tires catch the curb.
Traffic Lights That Are Not Just Red, Yellow and Green
Q: What does a flashing green light mean?
A: It is an advance green. You may turn left, go straight or turn right from the proper lane, because oncoming traffic still faces a red light.
Why people get it wrong: Some drivers confuse it with a flashing yellow, or assume it means “hurry up”. It actually means you have the advance.
Q: Can you ever turn left on a red light in Ontario?
A: Yes, from a one-way road onto another one-way road, after a complete stop and once the way is clear.
Why people get it wrong: Almost everyone knows about right on red and forgets that this exception exists.
Q: The traffic lights at an intersection are completely out because of a power failure. What do you do?
A: Treat the intersection as an all-way stop.
Why people get it wrong: People assume the busier road keeps the right-of-way. It does not.
Speed Limits When There Is No Sign
Q: There is no posted speed limit on a street inside a town. What is the maximum speed?
A: 50 km/h.
Why people get it wrong: Drivers guess from how wide the road looks instead of remembering the default.
Q: There is no posted limit on a road outside a city, town or village. What is the maximum?
A: 80 km/h.
Why people get it wrong: This gets mixed up with highway speeds, which are always posted.
Hand and Arm Signals
Q: A driver has their left arm out the window, bent up at the elbow. What are they signalling?
A: A right turn.
Why people get it wrong: It looks similar to the stopping signal, which is bent down instead of up.
Q: A cyclist holds their right arm straight out. What does it mean?
A: They are signalling a right turn. Cyclists may use this signal instead of the bent-arm one.
Why people get it wrong: Drivers study the driver signals and skip the cyclist one, even though it is in the handbook.
All three driver signals are explained in driving hand signals in Ontario.
G1 Licence Rules
Questions about your own licence conditions come up, and getting these wrong on the road costs far more than getting them wrong on the test.
Q: Between which hours may a G1 driver not drive?
A: Between midnight and 5 a.m.
Why people get it wrong: People remember that there is a night restriction but guess the hours.
Q: How much driving experience must your accompanying driver have?
A: At least four years, with a full G licence and a blood alcohol level under .05. They must be the only other person in the front seat.
Why people get it wrong: The common wrong answers are one year and two years.
Q: May a G1 driver use a 400-series highway?
A: Not unless they are with a driver instructor certified in Ontario.
Why people get it wrong: New drivers assume that being with any experienced driver is enough.
Special Zones and Fines
Q: What is different about a community safety zone?
A: It marks an area with a special risk to pedestrians, and traffic offences committed there carry increased fines.
Why people get it wrong: The sign is easy to recognize, but its consequence is easy to forget.
Q: What happens to speeding fines in a designated construction zone when workers are present?
A: They are doubled.
Why people get it wrong: People assume the only change is a lower speed limit.
Pedestrians and Crossovers
Q: A pedestrian is using a pedestrian crossover. When may you drive on?
A: Only after the pedestrian has completely crossed the road and is safely on the sidewalk.
Why people get it wrong: Drivers move as soon as the pedestrian passes the centre of the road, which is not enough.
Q: A school crossing guard is on the road holding a stop sign. When may you go?
A: When everyone, including the crossing guard, has cleared the roadway.
Why people get it wrong: The guard is part of the rule, not just the children.
How Should You Use These Questions?
- Answer before you read the answer. Cover the answer line or scroll slowly.
- Note every topic you miss, then go back to that chapter of the handbook instead of just re-reading the answer.
- Switch to a full practice test. Our G1 practice test shuffles the questions and scores each section separately.
- Say the distance tables out loud. Numbers stick better when you repeat them.
- Read the whole process once more in our G1 test study guide so nothing on test day surprises you.
Ready for the Next Step?
Once your G1 is in hand, the learning moves to the road. Go Drive Driving School offers an Beginner Driver Education (BDE) course and one-on-one in-car lessons in Barrie and nearby areas, and completing a government-approved course lets you take your first road test after 8 months instead of 12. See our programs and fees or contact us at 705-717-0406.
FAQs
Are these the real G1 test questions?
No. DriveTest does not publish its question bank, and nobody legitimately has a copy of it. These are practice questions written from the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook, which is what the real test is based on.
Is there an official PDF of G1 questions and answers?
There is no official question-and-answer PDF. The official study material is the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook, which is free to read online.
How many questions do I need to get right?
Most study guides describe 40 questions in two sections of 20, with at least 16 correct needed in each section. Confirm the current format with DriveTest.
Which section do people fail most?
Road signs, usually. Many people study the rules and assume they already know the signs from years of being a passenger.
How many practice tests should I take before going to DriveTest?
Keep going until you pass both sections comfortably several times in a row, not just once.
Do I really have to memorize exact distances?
Yes. The handbook uses specific numbers for school buses, railway crossings, parking and passing, and questions can ask for them directly.
