Failed the Quebec SAAQ Knowledge Test: 28-Day Wait, Retake Fee, and Failed Sections (2026)

Failing the SAAQ knowledge test for your Class 5 learner's licence is not the end of the road, but Quebec's retake rules are strict. You face a mandatory 28-day waiting period and must pay a fee for every attempt.

How Long Must You Wait to Retake the Quebec SAAQ Knowledge Test?

The computer screen at the service outlet shows your result immediately. You cannot retake the test the same day. Quebec enforces a mandatory 28-day waiting period to ensure you study the material.

• ✓ Waiting Period: You must wait 28 days before you can retake the knowledge test. The SAAQclic system will not show you appointment slots until this period passes.
• Retake Fees: You must pay the $13.50 test fee for every single attempt.
• Partial Retake: If you fail only one section (e.g., Road Signs), you only retake that section. Your passing grades for other sections are saved.

Before leaving the SAAQ office, ask the clerk to confirm which specific section(s) you failed. This targets your study for the next 28 days and avoids wasting time on material you already know.

Retake Fee When Only One Section Was Failed

Yes. The knowledge-test fee applies each time you retake the test, even when you only need to repeat one failed section.

What if you fail all three sections? After the 28-day wait, you must retake the sections you failed. If all three sections were failed, all three must be retaken.

How Many Times Can You Take or Fail the Quebec SAAQ Knowledge Test?

The SAAQ's Class 5 page does not state a maximum number of ordinary knowledge-test retake attempts. If you fail twice, three times, or more, the published ordinary-failure rule remains the same: wait at least 28 days before the next attempt, pay the applicable test fee, and retake only the section or sections you failed. Sections you already passed remain credited.

This means the official SAAQ guidance does not publish a separate cutoff after two or three failed attempts. Cheating is different and has its own longer waiting periods, covered below.

Preparing During the 28-Day Retake Wait

Use the waiting period to focus on the section or sections you failed. Review the official material and practise the same topic instead of restarting every subject from the beginning.

Before your test, practise with Shoro AI's Quebec learner-permit resources to prepare better and aim to pass on your first attempt.

• Focus on the failed section: Your passing sections are kept, so concentrate on the material you must retake.
• Use targeted study resources: Review the Quebec driver's handbook and use Quebec practice tests to work on weak areas.
• Rebook after the wait: Use SAAQclic to schedule the next knowledge-test appointment once you are eligible.

Driving-Course Requirements After Repeated Knowledge-Test Failures

No separate new driving course is triggered simply because you fail the later SAAQ knowledge test more than once. Standard first-time Class 5 applicants have already followed Quebec's mandatory driving-course process before reaching this stage. If you keep struggling, review your course material or get additional instruction.

Can You Appeal a Failed Quebec SAAQ Knowledge Test?

There is no standard appeal process just because you disagree with a knowledge-test result. If a verified technical problem interrupted the test, ask SAAQ staff how that session will be handled.

• Driving record: Repeated knowledge-test failures are not the same as traffic convictions or demerit points.
• Technical issue: A computer or system failure should be raised with SAAQ staff at the service centre rather than treated as an ordinary content appeal.

Foreign-licence holders follow separate SAAQ rules. A standard knowledge-test failure should not be described as automatically cancelling the right to drive on a foreign licence; see the international and foreign-driver guidance for that process.

How Long Must You Wait to Retake the Test After Cheating?

Cheating causes automatic failure and a much longer wait than an ordinary failed attempt. The current SAAQ rule is a 90-day wait for a first cheating offence and 180 days for a repeated cheating offence.

Keep the test-day rule simple: do not use prohibited help or devices during the exam. For the full test-day rules, see the Quebec permit-test guide.

Audio and special accommodations: French- and English-language audio for the questions and answer choices is available as a standard reading aid. If you need a special-needs accommodation beyond that, contact SAAQ in advance through the appropriate accommodation process rather than relying only on the normal SAAQclic booking flow. See the accessibility guide for more detail.