Gaimen50-question practice tests in the real exam formatJapan License Conversion Driving Test: Deductions & Instant Fails
Updated: 2026-10
The practical test (技能確認) starts you at 100 points and you pass with 70. That leaves only 30 points to lose: forget a head check (10 points) three times and you are at the limit. Under the National Police Agency (警察庁) scoring standard, rolling through a stop sign, not stopping before a railroad crossing or a serious curb strike ends the test on the spot, regardless of your score.
How scoring works: you can only lose 30 points
The conversion guidelines (要領) say the practical test is scored 'in line with the driving-test implementation standard' (技能試験実施基準). In other words, the same yardstick as a Japanese applicant taking the regular test, using the deductions for the test-center course (場内). With the October 2025 tightening, the NPA said signal failures and incorrect turns would be scored as strictly as for new licences.
Deductions are counted per occurrence: repeat a mistake and you lose points each time. The exception is the 'special deduction' (特別減点) items, which on the course include lane-change and turn signals, stalling and engine-braking errors. The first one is held back, but a second one triggers the deduction for both.
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pass mark | 70 out of 100 (30 points of deductions at most) |
| Deduction sizes | 20, 10 or 5 points |
| Per-occurrence | Every repeat of a mistake is deducted |
| Special deduction (特別減点) | First one held; on the second, all are deducted |
| Test stopped (試験中止) | Dangerous act, examiner intervenes, ignoring instructions, too many points lost |
From getting in to pulling away
Niigata Prefectural Police (新潟県警) say everything from the moment you get in until you get out is scored, except the warm-up drive (ならし走行). What you do before the car moves counts too.
- No seatbelt: 10 points
- Door not fully closed, not checking the mirrors are set before moving off, driving with the handbrake on: 5 points each
- Automatic: starting the engine, or moving the selector while stopped, without using the footbrake or handbrake: 5 points each
- Not turning your head to look right-rear just before pulling away: 10 points
- Not using, holding or cancelling the indicator when pulling away: 5 points
- Rolling back (e.g. on the hill): about 0.3–0.5 m is 10 points, 0.5–1 m is 20 points, about 1 m or more stops the test
- Opening the door to get out without looking back: 10 points
Checks and signals: turn your head, 30 m, 3 seconds
Safety checks mean looking with your own eyes. Niigata Police ask for checks by direct look plus the mirrors. Experienced drivers from abroad often glance only at the mirror, but the examiner judges by whether your head moves.
Signal timing is set by Article 21 of the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Order (道路交通法施行令): for a turn, signal from 30 m before the near edge of the intersection; for a lane change, 3 seconds before. If the course is too short to allow 30 m, signalling before the turn or lane change is not penalised.
| Check | Points | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Lane-change check | 10 | Look directly and in the mirror at the side and rear you are moving into |
| Left-turn blind-spot check | 10 | Check the left side of the car directly or in the mirror |
| Intersection check | 10 | Cross traffic, oncoming right-turners, people crossing |
| Railroad crossing check | 10 | Open the driver's window and look both ways |
| Rear-view mirror check | 10 | Deducted if you never check behind while driving (once per test) |
| Turn signal | 5 | From 30 m before, keep it on through the turn, cancel after |
| Lane-change signal | 5 | 3 seconds before, keep it on until done, then cancel |
Left and right turns: where to position and how to turn
Each part of a turn can cost points: signal, check, positioning, slowing to a crawl (徐行) and the line you take. Not slowing down is 20 points, two-thirds of your margin in one go. Japan drives on the left, so left turns are tight and right turns go wide, passing just inside the centre of the intersection.
Finish moving over about 30 m before the intersection. Where the course layout makes that impossible, finishing about 15 m or more before is not penalised, but practise to the 30 m mark to be safe.
| Mistake | Points | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Not slowing down for a turn | 20 | Slow down enough before turning |
| Not moving left, or moving late | 5 | Be positioned left about 30 m before |
| Moved left but too far from the edge | 5 | Within about 1 m of the left edge (to stop bikes slipping inside) |
| Swinging right just before a left turn | 5 | Turn straight in without swinging out |
| Wide left turn | 5 | Left rear wheel no more than about 1 m from the edge |
| Not moving right, or moving late | 5 | Be at the centre line about 30 m before |
| Too far from the centre line | 5 | Within about 0.5 m of the centre |
| Cutting a right turn, or passing outside the centre | 5 | Pass just inside the intersection centre |
| Inconveniencing oncoming straight traffic on a right turn | 10 | Actually blocking it stops the test (進行妨害) |
Stop signs, rail crossings, lights, crosswalks: instant fails
The acts below do not cost points; they end the test. At a stop sign (止まれ), come to a full stop right before the stop line. Stopping with the car over the line also counts as not stopping. Stopping about 2 m or more short of the line costs 5 points for stop position, and if you then fail to stop again within 2 m of the line it counts as not stopping and the test ends.
Since October 2025 a pedestrian crosswalk (横断歩道) is a required task. Under Article 38 of the Road Traffic Act, if someone is crossing you must stop right before the crosswalk. Entering when traffic ahead means you will end up stopped on the crosswalk costs 20 points.
| Situation | Test stopped | Points deducted |
|---|---|---|
| Stop sign (止まれ) | Not stopping right before the stop line | Stopping about 2 m or more short (5) |
| Railroad crossing (踏切) | Not stopping within about 2 m before it, entering while alarms sound, stalling on the tracks | Not opening the window to look (10), changing gear on the crossing in a manual (5) |
| Traffic lights | Crossing the stop line on red, or on yellow when you could have stopped safely | Entering so you stop on a crosswalk or inside the junction (20) |
| Right of way | Blocking a car from the left, on a priority road, or oncoming straight traffic when turning right | Inconveniencing without blocking (10) |
| Other | Driving on the right side, examiner using the brake or wheel | — |
Speed, curbs and contact: common failures on course tasks
On the S-bend (曲線) and crank (クランク), going off the edge is treated very differently depending on whether you stop at once. Niigata Police say that if a wheel goes off, you must stop immediately, back up to before the point and drive it again; if you cannot stop at once, the test is stopped.
| Mistake | Points | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel slightly off the course | 5 | Per wheel |
| Mounting the curb or dropping off, stopping within about 1.5 m | 20 | Stop at once and back up |
| Same, but driving on about 1.5 m or more | Test stopped | Serious wheel-off |
| Lightly touching an obstacle | 20 | Hitting it hard stops the test |
| Too little clearance from parked cars or objects | 20 | About 1 m from cars that may be occupied, about 0.5 m from fixed objects |
| Faster than a safe speed | 10 / 20 | Under about 5 km/h over: 10; about 5 km/h or more: 20 |
| Exceeding the instructed speed | 20 | Speeding |
| Slower than the instructed speed | 10 | About 5 km/h or more under in the set section |
| Harsh braking | 10 | Brake early, in several steps |
| Stalling | 5 | Special deduction; on a rail crossing it stops the test |
Final checklist before test day
According to the NPA, the practical-test pass rate in October–December 2025 was 13.1% (30.4% in 2024). Most fails come from one big mistake or a pile of small ones. Practise these until they are automatic, saying each step out loud. Taking a wrong turn is not penalised, but your driving while returning to the route is still scored (NPA implementation standard).
To reach the practical test you must first pass the knowledge test (知識確認, 45 of 50 correct). menkyopass practice exams use the same 50 questions in 30 minutes, in Vietnamese, English, Chinese and Japanese.
- Getting in: seatbelt, mirrors, door, handbrake
- Before pulling away: look right-rear first, then signal
- Turns: signal at 30 m, position, head check, slow down
- Lane change: signal, wait 3 seconds, head check, then move
- Stop signs and rail crossings: full stop right before the line; at crossings open the window and look both ways
- Wheel off the course: stop at once and back up as the examiner directs
- Finish: stop at the marked spot, handbrake, gear, engine off, then get out (5 points each)
FAQ
Q. How many mistakes can I make in the practical test?
A. You pass if total deductions are 30 points or less. That is three missed head checks (10 each), or one failure to slow for a turn (20) with 10 to spare. Any act that stops the test is an immediate fail.
Q. How far before a turn should I signal?
A. From 30 m before the near edge of the intersection (Article 21 of the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Order). For a lane change, 3 seconds before.
Q. What if I stop a little short at a stop sign?
A. Stopping about 2 m or more before the line costs 5 points. If you do not stop again within 2 m of the line, it counts as not stopping and the test ends.
Q. Do I fail if I take the wrong route?
A. Under the NPA implementation standard, the wrong turn itself is not penalised, but your driving while getting back to the correct route is scored.