After failing the SAAQ knowledge test, the rule is simple and has no exceptions: a mandatory wait of 28 days before the retake. The counterpart: you only retake the section or sections you failed, never the whole test. It’s frustrating — but four well-used weeks are more than enough to turn the situation around.
The test isn’t marked on an average. Its format — 28 questions · 3 sections · 75% each — means each section is passed on its own. You can answer well almost everywhere and still fail, because one single section stayed below the threshold. That trap is explained in detail on the passing-score page.
Every year, thousands of candidates fail the SAAQ knowledge test. A fail says nothing about your ability as a driver — it usually signals preparation spread unevenly across the sections, or done in a format that didn’t resemble the test. Both are fixable.
Target. Redoing all the material is the worst strategy: the failed section is what decides the retake, and the failed section is what needs the work.
Understand every mistake. Rereading doesn’t fix what made you fail: you need to know why each wrong answer was wrong, and see those questions again until they’re mastered.
Measure yourself against the real format before going back. A practice test faithful to the exam, with a verdict per section, tells you whether you’re back over the threshold — with room to spare, not barely. The full retake process, from booking to test day, is laid out on the retake page.
No. You only retake the section or sections you failed — the sections you passed stay passed. That is the logic of the per-section retake.
No — the wait is mandatory, whichever section you failed. The best answer to the delay is to use it: four weeks of preparation aimed squarely at what was missing.
The same as any attempt: $13.50, paid to the SAAQ. Check the current fee when you book.
The principle stays the same: both sections have to be retaken, after the same wait of 28 days — and the section you passed stays passed.
Permis 101 has a path built for the retake: tell it which section you failed, and the app concentrates your practice there — and tells you when you’re back over the threshold, with room to spare.
Download on the App StoreFree to start · $19.99 CAD once · No subscription
Permis 101 is an independent app, not affiliated with the SAAQ. For official information and to book your test, go to the SAAQ.