Why so many people fail the new learner's test

The Western Cape now tests learner's licence applicants on a computer. Reports in July 2026 put the pass rate on the new system at 17% or 18%. This page gives the figures, who gave them, and the reasons offered.

What is the new computerised learner's test?

It is the Computerised Learner Licence Testing system, or CLLT. You answer on a touch screen and not on paper. The government news agency SAnews reported its Western Cape launch at the Beaufort West testing centre in May 2025. It said your fingerprint is checked, the questions are drawn at random through the national traffic system NaTIS, and the result is ready at once.

A notice from Hessequa Municipality in the Western Cape, dated 25 April 2025, gives these details:

64 questions, drawn from a bank of 1,200 questions
60 minutes to finish
pass marks of 22 out of 28 for rules, 23 out of 28 for signs and 6 out of 8 for vehicle controls

The Western Cape Government's website says all learner's licence tests are now done on this system.

What pass rates were reported?

Two figures were reported for the Western Cape in July 2026.

17%. On 15 July 2026 Prof Nomafrench Mbombo, the DA's Western Cape spokesperson on mobility, said the pass rate under the computerised system was 17%. Her statement said the province's overall pass rate for the 2025/26 financial year was 63%, a figure that includes tests still done on the old paper system during the rollout. Cape Town Etc reported the same figures. A pass rate of 17% means about 83 of every 100 tests were failed.

18%. On 22 July 2026 Grant Marais, a Freedom Front Plus member of the provincial parliament, said 142,100 tests had been done since the system started on 26 May 2025, with an average pass rate of 18%. He said the figures came from a written reply by the Western Cape Minister of Mobility, Isaac Sileku.

The Citizen reported the same total and said 61,136 were first-time applicants and 32,061 were repeat applicants. The George Herald gave the period as 26 May 2025 to 9 July 2026. MyBroadband reported on 23 July 2026 that about two in every ten candidates pass.

By centre, The Citizen reported 41% in Knysna, the highest, and 5% at Langeberg-Bonnievale, the lowest.

Nationally. In May 2026 the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson, Simon Zwane, said the pass rate had come down from 68% to 40% since computerised testing began. The Citizen noted that this figure does not cover the whole country.

What reasons were given for the low pass rate?

Different people gave different reasons.

The provincial Mobility Department, as quoted in the DA statement, put it down to the move from paper to computer. It said the system shuffles the questions and the answer options, so applicants must understand the rules and signs and cannot rely on memorised question orders.
The RTMC said the fall shows that cheating has been cut out. Mr Zwane told The Citizen that the paper test allowed crib notes and dishonest help.
Prof Mbombo called the 17% deeply concerning. Newsday reported her as saying applicants must be properly prepared for the new system.
Grant Marais of the Freedom Front Plus said the questions are poorly phrased and hard to understand, even for people who know the traffic rules. He asked for a review, and for applicants to be allowed a practice test first.
On language, the Freedom Front Plus said the department confirmed that the test content had no independent language check before the rollout. The Citizen reported the RTMC as saying the language editing and translation were done by the University of the Witwatersrand in about 2007.
The George Herald reported on 31 July 2026 that Minister Sileku visited testing centres in George and Beaufort West to look into the pass rates. It also reported that Prof Mbombo said some questions seem to have more than one reasonable answer.

How should I prepare for the computerised test?

These steps follow from what officials have said.

1. Learn to understand the rules, signs and controls. The department says the questions and answer options are shuffled. 2. Study all three parts. The Hessequa notice gives a pass mark for each. 3. Use the official learner driver manual. The department says it is in public libraries and on the NaTIS website. 4. Ask to use the demonstration function before your test starts. The City of Cape Town says the system has one. 5. Choose the language you read best. The Hessequa notice says you can choose from all 11 official languages. 6. Read every question and every answer before you tap. The Hessequa notice gives 60 minutes for 64 questions.

K53 Tutor is free, and the book covers the rules, the signs and the controls.

Sources

Last checked: October 2026

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