The TVDE driver exam: what the law says and how to prepare

The short answer

The TVDE driver exam is a 30-question test and you only pass if you get at least 27 right. It is the final assessment of the initial training course, it is carried out by the IMT, Portugal’s transport authority, or by an exam centre authorised by the IMT, and it covers the content of the training. Without passing there is no course completion, and without a completed course there is no driver certificate.

The rules are in paragraphs 7 and 8 of article 10 of the TVDE regime, in the version republished by Law no. 59/2026. Paragraph 8 says that the final assessment "consists of a test made up of 30 questions, the trainee who answers at least 27 questions correctly being deemed to have passed".

Where the exam fits in the process

The exam is not a stand-alone step. The law treats it as part of the course. Passing the initial training course depends on three things together:

1. attending at least 80 % of the hours of each module (article 10, paragraph 7);
2. passing the final assessment, the 27 out of 30 (paragraphs 7 and 8);
3. the check of functional command of the Portuguese language, built into the course (article 10-A, paragraph 2).

Once the course is completed, the training provider issues the training certificate, and only then can you apply to the IMT for the TVDE driver certificate, which also requires a category B driving licence held for more than three years with a group 2 endorsement, and good standing. The details of the course are in the article onTVDE driver training.

Note that the law separates the Portuguese check from the final assessment. Article 10-A says that the check is built into the course, but does not say that it is done through the 30 questions. How it will be done depends on an implementing regulation that has not yet been published.

Who runs the exam

Paragraph 7 of article 10 says the final assessment is "carried out by the IMT, IP, or by an exam centre authorised by it". There are therefore two possible routes: the IMT itself or exam centres that the IMT authorises. The school or training provider that gives the course does not appear in the law as an assessing body.

The procedures for carrying out the final assessment and for authorising exam centres are a matter for an implementing regulation, under subparagraph d) of paragraph 12 of article 10. Until that regulation comes out, the law has no answer to practical questions such as the form of the test, the venue, booking or price.

What is on it: the six modules

The law says the final assessment "covers the content of the training". The content is the six modules of paragraph 6 of article 10:

• communication and interpersonal relations;
• legal driving rules;
• driving techniques;
• regulation of the TVDE activity;
• emergency situations and first aid;
• individual vehicle driving.

The regulation module is the one that changes most with Law no. 59/2026. Rules such as vehicle registration with the IMT, the new windscreen sticker, the maximum age of 10 years (12 for electric cars), the ban on loan-for-use arrangements with one exception, the 10-hour activity limit and the new fines become part of what a driver must know. If you studied with materials from before September 2026, review this part.

What changed from 2018

The 2018 law had no final assessment in its text. Article 10 of that law only said that the road training course had hours "to be set by implementing regulation" and that the training certificate depended on "the trainee’s actual attendance of the minimum hours". There was no number of questions, pass mark or assessing body written into the law.

In practice, there was already a question bank published by the IMT for certifying TVDE drivers, the same one we use in the exam simulator. What is new in 2026 is something else: the exam format and the pass mark are now fixed in law, and can no longer be changed by mere regulation. The law also opens the door to exam centres authorised by the IMT, alongside the IMT itself.

How to prepare

With a margin of three mistakes, the goal is not to scrape through, it is to master the material. Some practical suggestions, with no promises:

• Practise under exam conditions. Take full 30-question tests in thesimulator, without looking anything up, and only count a result of 27 or more as a pass.
• Review your mistakes, not just the score. At the end of each test, study the questions you got wrong and repeat the same test a few days later.
• Do not neglect driving and first aid. The IMT question bank has many questions on the highway code, driving techniques and emergencies. Regulation of the activity is only one part.
• Update your knowledge of the rules. Make sure you are studying the 2026 version of the law. A question on vehicle age or fines answered with the 2018 rules is a wrong answer.
• Make the most of the course. The minimum attendance of 80 % per module is mandatory, but the classes are also the best preparation for the assessment.

Frequently asked questions