Ontario G1 Driver’s Test Prep: how it works and how to use it
Ontario G1 Driver’s Test Prep is our practice site for Ontario’s G1 knowledge test, the written test you pass before you can get behind the wheel with a learner’s licence. It started as an iPhone app and is now a free website at g1.chowchowlabs.ca. This page explains what’s on it, how the questions are made, and how to get the most out of it.
What the G1 test checks, and why practice helps
The G1 is a multiple-choice test drawn from the official MTO Driver’s Handbook. It has two parts: road signs, signals and pavement markings, and the rules of the road. You need 80% to pass, and each part has to pass on its own. A strong score on rules can’t carry a weak signs section.
That last rule is the reason the site exists in the form it does. Most people who fail don’t misunderstand driving; they miss specifics, such as how many demerit points a new driver can collect, or what a particular sign shape means. Short, repeated practice on exactly those details is what makes them stick, and it shows you which half of the test is your weak one before the real thing does.
What’s on the site
| Section | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| 12 mock exams | Mixed signs and rules questions, 20 per exam, scored against the real 80% pass mark. Easier questions come first and the hardest come last. |
| 8 theme quizzes | Focused practice on freeways and highways, night and bad weather, emergencies and collisions, sharing the road, licences and penalties, signs and markings, parking and passing, and intersections and right-of-way. |
| Signs and rules practice tests | Separate tests for each half of the G1, so you can check each section against its own pass mark. |
| Lessons | Free lessons on road signs, right-of-way, demerit points and the restrictions that apply while you hold a G1. |
| Test guide and study plan | The test format, fees, what to bring to DriveTest, and a day-by-day plan. |
How the questions are written
Every question is written from the current MTO Driver’s Handbook, and every explanation links back to the section of the handbook it comes from. If you get a question wrong, you can read the rule in its original wording, not just our summary of it. We don’t copy questions from the real test (nobody outside the Ministry has them), and we don’t reword other question banks. When the handbook changes, the questions that depend on it are checked again. Our editorial policy describes the process.
What’s free
Mock exams 1 to 7 are free, and you can retake them as often as you like. So are the signs and rules practice tests, the lessons, the test guide and the study plan. You can practise without making an account.
An optional Premium plan ($2.99 CAD a month) unlocks mock exams 8 to 12 and all eight theme quizzes, keeps your full history, flagged questions and wrong answers in one place across devices, and removes ads. Most people can prepare well with the free exams alone.
A good way to use it
- Read the handbook’s signs and rules chapters once before you start practising.
- Take Mock Exam 1 cold to see where you stand, and note which section scored lower.
- Drill your weaker section with the separate signs or rules practice test until you pass it comfortably.
- Read the explanation for every wrong answer, and follow the link to the handbook when it isn’t obvious.
- Finish with full mock exams until you’re consistently above 80% in both sections.
For a longer study method that works for both the G1 and the citizenship test, see our guide on how to study for a knowledge test.
Who it’s for
New drivers in Ontario aged 16 and up, newcomers to Ontario who need a licence here for the first time, and parents helping a teenager prepare. The site works on any phone or computer, and the iPhone app has the same exams.
Try it
Open Ontario G1 Driver’s Test Prep or get the iPhone app.
Sources
- Government of Ontario, Official MTO Driver’s Handbook
- DriveTest, test format, fees and what to bring
ChowChow Labs isn’t affiliated with the Government of Ontario, the Ministry of Transportation or DriveTest. Our practice tests are a study aid; they aren’t copies of the real test, and practice scores don’t guarantee a pass.