How many times can the theory test be retaken?

How many attempts does the licence application give?

Two. Article 122, paragraph 1, of the Codice della Strada ties the theory test to the licence application: the exam has to be passed within six months of filing and no more than twice. The limit belongs to the application, not to a single exam session. Someone who uses the first attempt in the fifth month still has the right to a second one, but only if its date falls inside the six month window.

The foglio rosa has nothing to do with the theory test. It is issued only after the theory is passed and covers driving practice and the practical test. Mixing the two documents up is the most common error on this question, and many pages attach the theory attempts to the foglio rosa.

How long must pass between the two attempts?

At least one month. Article 121, paragraph 10, says that at least one month must pass between a failed exam and the next attempt. The actual date then depends on the calendar of the local Motorizzazione office, which is often longer than the minimum. Waiting times differ from province to province and are not published in any national list.

The one month minimum and the six month deadline work together. A late first attempt squeezes the room for the second: if less than a month is left between the fail and the expiry of the application, the second attempt can no longer be fitted in.

What happens if the second attempt also fails?

The application is used up. Trying again means filing a new licence application on form TT 2112, with the payments that go with it, and from that day the six months and the two attempts start again. According to the page of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport on obtaining the category B licence, the application requires the N067 tariff paid through PagoPA: 26.40 euro in fees plus 16.00 euro in stamp duty. Tariffs differ in Sicily, Valle d'Aosta, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The medical check needs looking at too. The receipt of the fitness examination attached to the application must be no older than three months if the doctor was a single certified physician, or six months if it came from a Commissione medica locale. A certificate that was fine for the first application may be too old for the second.

What happens if the application expires before the second attempt?

The unused attempt is lost. Two concrete cases show how the rules combine.

A candidate in Bologna files her application on 10 January and sits the first test on 20 February, making five mistakes. The second attempt cannot come before 20 March. The office calls her on 15 April and once again she makes more than three mistakes. The application is used up: she needs a new one with a new payment, and if her medical check is more than three months old it has to be repeated.

If a candidate in Bari files on 1 March and fails his first test on 25 August, the second attempt can no longer be booked, because the one month minimum would push it to 25 September while the application is valid for six months and expires on 1 September (article 121, paragraph 10, and article 122, paragraph 1, of the Codice della Strada). He has to start again with a new application, even though he used only one attempt.

How many theory tests are passed in Italy?

In 2025, 60.27 per cent of the 919,868 category B theory tests ended in a pass, according to the "Esiti Esami" data of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The figure counts tests sat, not people: someone who resits is counted twice, so the percentage does not say how many pass at the first attempt.

Differences between offices are wide. In 2025 the range runs from 49.81 per cent in Grosseto to 69.53 per cent in Messina, almost twenty points apart. The full breakdown is on the statistics page.

How should the second attempt be prepared?

Starting from the mistakes of the first. The exam sheet has thirty true or false statements and allows no more than three errors, so a fail with four or five errors usually points to gaps in a few topics, not a whole programme to relearn. The compulsory month of waiting is the time to work on those areas.

Practice is available with the category B quiz, built on the exam topics, and the guide on how the theory test works explains the structure.

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