LTO Exam Reviewer Guide: What the LTO Written Exam Covers, Exam Languages, the Official Driver's Manual and the CDE Online Exam

Where the LTO written exam fits: the Automated Theoretical Examination comes at the full license stage

The LTO written exam is the Automated Theoretical Examination, and it is a requirement for your first full license, not for the student permit. Volume 1 of the Filipino Driver's Manual (2nd edition, 2021), which the LTO publishes on its website, sets out the path to a first license as a table of qualifications. In order, it looks like this:

1. Student-Driver's Permit (SP). The manual lists completion of a 15-hour Theoretical Driving Course (TDC), which is uploaded automatically to the LTO system; a medical certificate from an LTO-accredited clinic; and the ability to read and write Filipino, English or any major dialect. Foreigners must be at least 18, must have been in the Philippines for at least one month with proof of a stay of at least six months, and must present a passport with a visa valid for at least six months. The permit is valid for one year.
2. Practical Driving Course (PDC). Attended and passed with an LTO-accredited instructor, an LTO Driver's Education Center or an accredited driving school.
3. Non-professional driver's license (NPDL). You must have held the SP for at least one month (foreigners must be at least 18), and you must pass the Automated Theoretical Examination and the Practical Driving Test, on top of a medical certificate and having no unsettled traffic violations.

So when people search for the "LTO written exam", or the "LTO exam for non professional" applicants, step 3 is the test they mean. The manual's process chart shows the order: enroll on the LTMS public portal, choose the transaction, upload requirements and pick a date, time and venue, pay, take the exams if required, then have biometrics captured and the card printed. In other words, you sit the exam at the LTO office you booked. For registering and booking, see how to register on LTMS and book an LTO appointment.

It also helps to be clear about the two license classes. The manual defines a non-professional license as authority to drive a private motor vehicle, and a professional license as authority for anyone hired or paid to drive, whether the vehicle is for private use or for hire. The theoretical exam is set separately for each class (see the next section), and foreigners applying for or renewing a professional license need a valid working visa.

The manual itself says that where its licensing chapter conflicts with the LTO Citizen's Charter, the charter prevails, so check the current charter on the LTO Driver's License page before you apply. For choosing a school and scheduling the TDC and PDC, see learning to drive in the Philippines; for the full picture of converting a foreign license versus testing from scratch, see the driver's license guide for foreigners.

What the LTO written exam covers: questions set by license class and DL code

The exam is set according to your license class (non-professional or professional) and the DL codes you are applying for, and it draws on traffic rules, road signs and markings, driving fundamentals, road courtesy and safety, and drivers' rights and duties. The "Theoretical and Practical Examinations" section of the LTO manual says the theoretical exam follows the DL classification, DL code and vehicle description, and gives this breakdown:

The quickest way to see what is examinable is the structure of the official manual. Volume 1 covers licensing information, getting ready to drive, driving fundamentals, road courtesy and safety, and the rights, duties and responsibilities of drivers, and it reproduces international and Philippine road signs, signals and pavement markings in line with the 2012 highway safety design standards of the Department of Public Works and Highways. Volume 2 covers motor vehicle registration, land transportation laws, and fines and penalties. The LTO's Comprehensive Driver's Education (CDE) page also publishes slide modules: road safety (RO101); signs, signals and markings, expressways and rules on the road (RO102); special laws for light vehicles and for motorcycles and tricycles (RO103); other regulations (RO104); and general information on land transportation (RO105).

On the number of items and the passing mark, the official reference point we could find is historical. LTO Memorandum Circular No. AHS-2008-949 of March 2008, available in the Supreme Court E-Library, reiterated that the non-professional written exam required 30 correct answers out of 40 questions and the professional exam 45 out of 60. Those are 2008 standards. The test has since become the computerised Automated Theoretical Examination, so treat the current item count, time limit and passing score as whatever the LTO publishes and the testing room tells you. A March 2020 report by the Philippine News Agency, the government newswire, added that questions are chosen at random by computer from an LTO question pool, so examinees in different places do not get the same set.

That is why memorising one list is a weak strategy. A better one is to understand the chapters that match your codes: car (B) applicants should focus on light-vehicle content, road signs and the rules of the road; motorcycle (A) applicants on the motorcycle special laws and protective gear. Professional applicants will also meet questions on the duties of drivers for hire.

Two related reads: violations carry demerit points that can affect renewal, explained in demerit points and license suspension; and for the rules and road conditions you will actually face once licensed, see Philippine traffic rules for drivers.

LTO exam languages: English, Filipino and regional languages, with no Chinese version

You can take the written exam in English, Filipino (Tagalog) or the regional language of your area; we found no Chinese version in any official LTO channel. Two sources support this:

• The LTO manual lists the ability to read and write Filipino, English or any major dialect as a qualification for the student permit, the full license and many other license transactions.
• The Philippine News Agency reported on 4 March 2020 that Department Order No. 2020-03, signed by the Department of Transportation on 14 February 2020, requires driver's license exams to be given in English, Tagalog or the examinee's local language. The first regional languages lined up for translation were Ilocano, Ilonggo, Bisaya, Tausug and Bicolano, with all major languages to follow.

Which language versions a particular office offers is something to confirm on the day. In Metro Manila and Cebu the practical choice is usually between English and Filipino. For anyone whose first language is not Filipino, English is normally the easier of the two, since the official manual, the road signs and the LTMS portal are all in English.

Many people search for an "LTO exam reviewer Tagalog" on the assumption that the official manual comes in Tagalog. The title Filipino Driver's Manual means a manual for Filipino drivers, and both volumes we viewed on the LTO website are written in English. Third parties have produced Tagalog review material, but it is not published by the LTO, and its accuracy and currency vary, so treat it as a supplement only.

If English is not your first language either, a practical approach:

1. Study from the English manual and keep your own glossary, especially sign names (Yield, No Entry and so on) and the vocabulary of lanes and right of way.
2. Use a translation app to check words and sentences, but always go back to the English original, because the exam questions will be in English or Filipino.
3. Whether phones or other devices are allowed in the testing room depends on the office's rules. Do not plan on translating during the exam.

For setting up offline dictionaries and translation tools, see our companion guide on choosing a Tagalog to Chinese translator; to pick up enough Tagalog for daily life, see learning Tagalog as an adult. When you enroll for the TDC, it is worth asking the school which language the lectures are given in and whether an instructor can answer questions in your language before you choose one, but the exam itself will still be in English or Filipino.

Where to find the official LTO exam reviewer: Chapter VI of the driver's manual, plus LTMS e-learning

The most authoritative reviewer is the LTO's own Filipino Driver's Manual: Chapter VI of Volume 1 is titled "Reviewer" and contains question-and-answer sets by license type. When we checked the LTO website in September 2026, official study material was available in three places:

• The LTO Comprehensive Driver's Education (CDE) page, where you can read online or download Volumes 1 and 2 of the Filipino Driver's Manual (2nd edition) and the RO101 to RO105 modules.
• Chapter VI, "Reviewer", in Volume 1, with six sets: Conductor's License, Non-professional Motorcycle (A, A1), Non-professional Light (B, B1, B2), Professional Motorcycle (A, A1), Professional Light (B, B1, B2), and Road Traffic Signs.
• The e-learning section of the LTMS portal, which breaks the manual into nine modules, from licensing information, getting ready to drive and driving fundamentals through motor vehicle registration, related laws and penalties, ending with a Driver's License Renewal Course.

We do not reproduce the reviewer's questions or answers here, for a practical reason: the exam draws questions at random from a pool, so a memorised answer sheet fails as soon as a question is worded differently, and understanding the rules is what carries you through the road test and everyday driving. A study order that works:

1. Read Chapters I to V of Volume 1, marking anything that applies to the DL codes you want.
2. Go through the signs, signals and pavement markings twice. They are visual, the terms are fixed, and they are the easiest marks to earn.
3. Answer the Chapter VI set for your license type, and for every miss, find the passage in the manual instead of just noting the answer.
4. Use the e-learning modules to fill gaps, and read the fines and penalties part of Volume 2 at least once.

Plenty of websites and apps call themselves an "LTO exam reviewer". None of them is published by the LTO; their questions may be out of date, and some carry ads or charge fees. They can be useful for practice, but where they disagree with the manual, go with the manual and the LTO's current announcements. The manual itself says its information is for guidance only and that the Citizen's Charter prevails in case of conflict.

Be wary of two kinds of offer: anyone claiming to have the "actual exam answers" in advance, and anyone claiming you can get a license without testing. The first has no basis; the second is an irregular license, and the consequences are covered in the risks of using an LTO fixer.

Struggling with an English-only manual, or stuck because your LTMS details do not match? → Have a Chinese-speaking advisor sort out your profile, booking and documents

The LTO online exam for renewals: how the CDE Online Validation Exam works

The online exam on the LTMS portal is the CDE Online Validation Exam for license renewal: 25 questions, at least 20 correct (80%) to generate a certificate, no time limit, and you must log in. That is how the CDE Online Validation Exam page described it in September 2026: use it for your driver's license renewal application; the passing score to create a certificate is 80%, or at least 20 correct answers out of 25; there is no time limit; and login is required.

Most people searching for an "LTO online exam" want this one. Keep two things apart:

• The renewal validation exam is taken after logging in to the LTMS portal, and you need the certificate it generates for your renewal. The e-learning "Driver's License Renewal Course" is the natural preparation.
• The theoretical exam for a new license is a different test. The only online exam entry point we found on the LTO website and the LTMS portal is the renewal one above; under the manual's process, the theoretical exam for a first license is taken at the LTO office you booked.

Other renewal rules that touch on testing, as set out in Volume 1 of the LTO manual:

1. Expired for more than two years: renewing a license more than two years after expiry requires passing the Automated Theoretical Examination and the Practical Driving Test again, plus the corresponding penalty.
2. First renewal: the manual's renewal table requires completion of the Driving Enhancement Program before the initial renewal of a five-year license. The portal now offers the CDE course and validation exam, so follow the LTMS prompts for what your renewal requires.
3. Validity: a new license is valid for five years, and a holder with no violations in the five years before expiry is entitled to a ten-year renewal.
4. Timing: licenses can be renewed no earlier than 60 days before expiry, or up to one year early on presentation of a ticket showing imminent travel.

The validation exam itself is not difficult. The more common problem is the account: if the name, date of birth or license details in LTMS do not match, the renewal option may not appear after you log in. For account troubleshooting, see LTMS registration problems. Foreigners should also keep an eye on visa and ACR I-Card validity; the order of steps is covered in renewing a Philippine license as a foreigner. A lost license goes through a separate replacement process, explained in replacing a lost driver's license.

Converting a foreign license: when foreigners skip the exam and when they must test

With a valid foreign license you normally convert without a written test; with an expired one you take both the theoretical and practical exams; and if your license comes from a country that drives on the left, you take the practical test. The points below come from the LTO's 2025 Citizen's Charter for driver's license transactions, published on the LTO website, and from Volume 1 of the official manual:

• Basic qualifications: physically and mentally fit to drive; able to read and write English, Filipino or a major dialect; no unsettled traffic violations; and, for foreign nationals, a visa valid for at least 120 days from the date of arrival (professional license applicants need a working visa valid for at least 120 days).
• Expired foreign license: the charter says applicants whose foreign license has expired must pass the Theoretical Examination and the Practical Driving Test, and the manual says the same of an invalid foreign license.
• Left-hand traffic: a note in the charter says that if the issuing country practises left-hand traffic, the applicant must undergo a practical driving test. Hong Kong and Macau drive on the left, while mainland China and Taiwan drive on the right; whether your license triggers the test is decided at the counter.
• Codes available: according to the manual, a valid foreign license can be converted only to DL codes A, A1, B, B1 and B2. Foreigners may operate BE, C, CE or D vehicles only on submitting an Alien Employment Permit (AEP) from the Department of Labor and Employment and meeting the experience and training requirements.
• Translation: a foreign license that is not in English needs an official English translation, which the charter says comes from the issuing country's embassy in the Philippines.
• Tourists: the manual says a bona fide tourist with a valid foreign license may drive for no more than 90 days of their stay.

One case people miss: if you once held a Philippine license that has now been expired for more than two years, and you hold a valid foreign license, the manual says you do not need to retake the theoretical and practical exams as long as the vehicle category on your Philippine license also appears on the foreign one. Adding a new code still requires the exams.

For preparing a translation of a Chinese license, and why a machine translation gets rejected, see when you need a human translator and sworn translation in the Philippines. To use a Philippine license back in Taiwan, Hong Kong or mainland China, see converting a Philippine license at home.

Yixing is a private consultancy registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission and is not affiliated with the LTO or any other government agency. We can help you decide between conversion and testing from scratch, check your LTMS details against your visa validity, arrange the translation, book the medical and the office visit, and go with you on the day. You sit the exams yourself, the LTO decides whether you pass, and we do not promise outcomes.

Not sure whether your license needs an extra test, or who should translate it? → Help with converting or getting a Philippine driver's license