How the Italian theory exam actually works

Last updated: 30 September 2026 · ✓ Checked against its sources

Every figure on this page was checked directly against the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT) and the Portale dell’Automobilista. Last verified: 13 August 2026. Official sources are linked at the bottom.

To get an ordinary Italian driving licence you have to pass two exams — the theory first, then the practical. This page is about the first: how it works, how many times you can sit it, what the state fees are, and what the language situation really is for a Bangladeshi candidate.

The format

To pass you need at least 27 correct answers out of 30 — 90%. Four mistakes is a fail. These figures have applied since 20 December 2021 — before that it was 40 questions, 30 minutes and 4 permitted errors, and older websites and printed manuals may still show those numbers. Check the date on anything you study from.

Language — what to know first

The exam is in Italian. The official question papers are published in exactly three versions: Italian, French and German. There is no other language to sit it in — not Bangla, not English. French and German exist for two of Italy’s own linguistic regions, Valle d’Aosta and Alto Adige, not as a service to foreigners.

Audio support: what it is and what it is not

Audio support (supporto audio) does exist, and non-Italian citizens are explicitly one of the three eligible categories. You request it when you submit your TT 2112 application, on a stamped form with a signed declaration (dichiarazione sostitutiva) that you do not know written Italian — “non conoscere la lingua italiana nella forma scritta”.

But read this carefully: the audio plays in Italian, French or German. It reads the Italian question aloud. It does not translate it. If you can understand spoken Italian but struggle to read it, this helps enormously. If you do not speak Italian at all, it does not help you.

That is why understanding the Italian questions in Bangla is so useful — the official question bank, with a Bangla explanation for each question, is here: বাংলায় থিওরি

How many attempts you get

• Theory: 2 attempts within 6 months, counted from the date you submit your application (domanda)
• Practical: 3 attempts within 11 months, counted from the month after you pass the theory

After any failed exam you must wait at least one month before the next attempt — theory and practical alike.

Fail both theory attempts and you start over with a new application — new fees, a new medical certificate. Preparing properly the first time is the cheap option.

After you pass: the foglio rosa

The foglio rosa is issued only after you pass the theory exam — not before, and it is not something you get just by enrolling. Every foglio rosa issued since 10 November 2021 is valid for 12 months, and allows 3 practical driving test attempts.

If your foglio rosa expires before you manage to sit the practical, a passed theory result can in some cases be carried over to a new foglio rosa (riporto dell’esame di teoria). Note the limitation: the ministerial circular frames this as relief for candidates delayed by the motorizzazione’s own scheduling — not as a general right for everyone who runs out of time.

Official fees

All paid through pagoPA.

⚠️ These are state fees only. Driving school tuition, the medical certificate and driving lessons are separate, are market prices, and vary widely by city. Anyone quoting you a single “official total cost” for a licence is either confused or selling something.

Official sources

• MIT — Conseguimento patente B
• Portale dell’Automobilista — Foglio rosa e prove d’esame
• Portale dell’Automobilista — official quiz documents
• Portale dell’Automobilista — audio support conditions (PDF)
• The change to the exam format — Decreto ministeriale 27/10/2021, in force from 20 December 2021
• MIT on attempts: “per la teoria: 2 prove in 6 mesi, a partire dalla data di presentazione della domanda”
• The one-month gap after a failed exam — Codice della Strada, art. 121, comma 10; the theory within six months in two attempts — art. 122, comma 1: Normattiva — art. 121 · Normattiva — art. 122