TDVL written test - which sections actually showed up most on yours?
I'm studying for my TDVL and trying to figure out where to spend my time. I've been driving for 3 years so the basic road rules aren't a concern, but the vocational-specific content is a lot to cover. The geography and landmark knowledge in particular feels endless - there's so much of the city to know and I'm not sure how granular the questions actually get.
My plan right now is 2 hours a day for the next 4 weeks, split between road regulations, passenger handling, and the local knowledge sections. I've been scoring around 70% on practice questions but I want to be at 85% before I book the actual test. The retake waiting period isn't something I want to deal with.
The passenger service and conduct section is one I've been mostly ignoring but a friend who took it last month said it was heavier than expected. Things like fare dispute procedures, accessibility requirements, and complaint handling apparently had a solid chunk of questions. Should I be giving that more attention?
Also wondering about the format - is it all multiple choice or are there any scenario-based or written components? The official site isn't super clear on this.
All multiple choice from what I remember. 60 questions and you get about 90 minutes. The geography section wasn't as granular as I feared - it's more about major landmarks, hospitals, transit hubs, and popular areas than obscure side streets. If you've been driving the city for 3 years you probably know more than you think.
Your friend is right about the passenger service section. When I took mine it was probably 25-30% of the questions. The accessibility requirements - specifically around wheelchair securing procedures and assistance protocols - had more detail than I expected. Study that section properly, don't skim it.
The fare and metering rules section caught me off guard. I knew the general rates but there were specific questions about surcharges, booking fees, and dispute resolution procedures that I hadn't studied. Scored 73% on my first attempt, came back 3 weeks later after drilling those sections and got 89%.
Four weeks is plenty of time. I prepped for 3 weeks, maybe 1.5 hours a day, and passed first time. Focus on the conduct and service sections since those separate people who think they know taxi rules from people who actually studied the vocational requirements specifically.
Honestly I almost deleted the app and gave up around week two because the geography stuff felt impossible. There's so many streets and landmarks and I kept mixing them up. But here's the thing -- once I actually started doing practice runs in my head like mentally "driving" routes, it clicked way faster than just staring at maps. The vocational regs showed up a lot on mine too, more than I expected, so don't sleep on those.
When I finally sat the test I was surprised how manageable it felt. The geography wasn't as obscure as the study material made it seem -- it's mostly the main corridors and popular pick-up zones, not every back alley in the city. You've already got the road rules down so you're ahead of most people walking in. Just grind the route knowledge and the vocational stuff and you'll be fine.
I failed my first attempt and honestly it was the vehicle stuff that got me, not the geography everyone warns you about. I'd spent weeks memorizing landmarks and routes since I figured that's where the volume was, and yeah those questions showed up, but I lost most of my points on inspection procedures and safety equipment requirements. Stuff like what you're required to check before each shift, documentation, that kind of thing. It's boring so I'd skimmed it. Big mistake.
Second time I flipped my ratio. Still reviewed geography maybe 20 minutes a day to keep it fresh, but I drilled the tdvl/questions/vehicle safety and inspection section until I could answer them without thinking. Passed with room to spare. If you've been driving 3 years you probably know the city better than you think, so don't let the endless landmark lists eat all your study time. The vocational and safety content is where they actually try to trip you up.
Geography killed me too at first, but honestly the landmark stuff clicked once I stopped trying to memorize every street and started understanding the zone logic instead. For the vocational sections I'd say eligibility and licensing rules came up more than I expected, so if you haven't drilled those yet, something like tdvl/questions/eligibility requirements 5 is worth a pass. The thing that helped me most wasn't just knowing the right answer though, it was figuring out why the wrong choices were wrong.
Like if you see a distractor that's almost correct, there's usually a specific rule it's violating and once you identify that pattern you stop second-guessing yourself on similar questions. I went back through every question I got wrong and wrote down the exact reason it was wrong, not just "oh the answer is B." Takes more time upfront but you'll feel way more confident going in.
Failed my first attempt back in March so I can tell you exactly what caught me off guard. I barely touched the vocational sections because I figured three years of driving meant I had a head start. Big mistake. The geography stuff wasn't as bad as I expected but the passenger handling scenarios and fare regulations were way more detailed than I'd studied for.
Second time I shifted most of my time to those vocational rules and honestly it made a huge difference. Don't ignore the accessibility requirements either, there's more there than you'd think. The road rules were the easy part both times. If you've already got the basics down I'd say focus your energy on everything that's specific to the vocational licence itself, that's where the exam really separates people.
Just passed mine last month so hopefully this helps. The geography stuff felt overwhelming at first but honestly it wasn't as bad as I expected on the actual test — they tend to focus on the major landmarks and key streets rather than every obscure back alley. What really made the difference for me was doing timed practice questions instead of just reading through notes. Something about the pressure of a timer made the information stick way better.
The vocational rules section caught me off guard though. I'd been so focused on geography that I underestimated how many scenario-based questions there'd be about passenger handling and duty of care. Spend real time on those if you haven't already. Once I started treating those scenarios like actual situations I'd face on the job rather than just test answers, it clicked a lot faster. You've got this.