What happens if the theory test is failed?

What happens straight after a fail?

The result is recorded and the candidate keeps the same licence application. Nothing new has to be filed for the second attempt: the new date is booked through the driving school or the Motorizzazione office, depending on the channel used for the first sitting. The second attempt has to take place within the six month validity of the application, as article 122, paragraph 1, of the Codice della Strada sets out.

A theory fail carries no penalty, is not recorded anywhere else and has no effect on a future licence. It is simply an attempt used.

How long is the wait before trying again?

At least one month from the failed test, under article 121, paragraph 10. The real wait is set by the office calendar, which in many provinces runs longer than the minimum. Waiting times are not published in any national dataset, so the only reliable answer for a given province comes from the driving school or the local counter.

Does the second attempt cost anything extra?

For the second attempt on the same application the Ministry page does not list a new payment: the N067 tariff belongs to the application. Any driving school charge for re-entering the exam depends on the contract, because driving school prices are set freely. The contract is worth reading before the first exam, not after.

And after the second fail?

A new licence application has to be filed, with the required documents and payments. According to the page of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport on obtaining the category B licence, this means form TT 2112, an identity document, the tax code, the receipt of the medical fitness check and payment through PagoPA of the N067 tariff, which is 26.40 euro in fees plus 16.00 euro in stamp duty. The medical check must be no older than three months if done by a single certified doctor, or six months if done by a Commissione medica locale.

These tariffs apply to most of the country. Sicily, Valle d'Aosta and the provinces of Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia have their own tariffs, listed on the same ministry page.

Does the whole driving school course have to be repeated?

Not by law. Attending a theory course is not a legal requirement for the category B licence, since the application can also be filed independently. Someone who followed a course is not obliged to repeat it merely because of a fail, though the contract with the driving school may set its own terms. The comparison between the two routes is on the page about going without a driving school.

What happens after a fail in different situations?

The rules are the same, but the calendar changes everything. Three concrete cases.

A candidate in Naples passes the theory at the second attempt, in the fifth month of her application. Having failed once has no consequence: she receives the foglio rosa like anyone else and from then on has twelve months and three practical attempts.

If a candidate in Verona fails twice, six weeks apart, the application is used up, because it allows no more than two theory attempts (article 122, paragraph 1, of the Codice della Strada). He files a new one the following month, pays the N067 tariff again and, since his medical check from a single doctor is now four months old, has to repeat it before filing.

A candidate in Palermo fails her first test and then falls ill: when she is ready, three weeks are left before the six months run out. The one month minimum since the fail has already passed, so she can try again if the office has a date before the deadline. If the only date available falls later, the attempt is lost and a new application is needed.

How to lower the risk on the next attempt?

By working on the topics that produced the mistakes rather than repeating the whole programme. In 2025, 60.27 per cent of the 919,868 category B theory tests ended in a pass, according to the Ministry: a fail is common and not a sign of unfitness to drive. The category B quiz is organised by topic precisely to isolate weak areas.

Legal source: Articoli 121 e 122 del Codice della Strada. The consolidated text of the Codice della Strada is on Normattiva.