Must You Pass Subject One Before Taking Subject Two?
3 Answers
According to Article 36 of the "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses": The vehicle management office shall arrange the test according to the scheduled test site and time. After passing the Subject One test, applicants can schedule the Subject Two or Subject Three road driving skills test. Students must first pass the Subject One test before they can schedule the Subject Two or Subject Three road driving skills test. The registration requirement for Subject Two is completing 26 study hours, including 2 hours of theoretical knowledge, 3 hours of simulated driving, and 21 hours of practical operation. For a C1 driver's license, you can schedule the Subject Two test online 10 days after completing Subject One. Each Subject Two test appointment comes with two attempts. If you fail the first attempt, you can retake it for free once. If you do not take the retest or fail the retest, the test ends, and you can reschedule the Subject Two test after 10 days. During the validity period of the driver's license learning, the number of Subject Two test appointments must not exceed five. If you fail the fifth appointment, the results of other passed subjects will be invalidated. To continue learning for the driver's license, you need to start over from Subject One. Subject Two test content: Completing test items by driving a motor vehicle within a designated area; Mastering motor vehicle driving skills; Judging the spatial position of the motor vehicle. Subject Two, also known as the small road test, includes five required items: reversing into a garage, parallel parking, stopping and starting on a slope, turning at a right angle, and driving through curves. Subject Two test precautions: After getting into the car, adjust the seat and rearview mirror to a suitable position and state, and always fasten the seat belt. When parallel parking, find the correct angle, turn the steering wheel quickly, react promptly, and coordinate with the car's speed. When stopping on a slope, remember to pull the handbrake, turn on the left turn signal when starting, release the handbrake, stabilize the clutch, and simultaneously press the accelerator while releasing the clutch to avoid stalling or rolling back. When turning at a right angle, find the point and react quickly to turn, coordinating with the car's speed to prevent deviation. For curve driving (S-curve), slow down and drive carefully. Those with good driving sense during practice can pass through quickly. When reversing into a garage, control the speed, find the reference point, and make slight adjustments when observing deviations in the rearview mirror. There are three subjects in the driving test: Subject One, Subject Two, and Subject Three. Subject One refers to the test on road traffic safety laws, regulations, and related knowledge; Subject Two refers to the field driving skills test; Subject Three is divided into two parts, referring to the road driving skills and safe and civilized driving knowledge test. The safe and civilized driving knowledge test is conducted after Subject Three, so it is commonly referred to as Subject Four. However, in official terms (i.e., the Ministry of Public Security Order No. 123), there is no such thing as Subject Four.
Indeed, you must pass Subject 1 before taking Subject 2 in the driver's license test, as this is the prescribed procedure. Subject 1 tests theoretical knowledge of traffic rules, such as identifying signs and handling accidents. Only after passing can you register for Subject 2. I've encountered many students eager to learn driving skills, but they must first clear the theoretical hurdle before getting behind the wheel. Driving schools wait for Subject 1 results before arranging Subject 2 training and exams; otherwise, even practice driving isn't allowed. This arrangement is very reasonable—understanding the rules before driving helps avoid dangers from blind operations. I recommend focusing on mastering the Subject 1 question app first, practicing mock tests extensively to score high. Passing it in one go will significantly speed up your progress later. Skills like reverse parking in Subject 2 will also feel more natural, as theory supports practical operations. Don't skip steps—taking it step by step is safer and more efficient.
As someone who has been through it, I also encountered this issue when getting my driver's license: you must pass Subject 1 before taking Subject 2. After enrolling in driving school, you need to attend classes and complete Subject 1 exercises first. Only after obtaining a passing certificate are you allowed to practice Subject 2 in the car. This made me understand the reasoning behind the sequence—mastering the rules before learning driving skills helps reduce mistakes in practical situations. My advice is to use mobile apps extensively to practice for Subject 1 and aim to pass it in one go to save time. Later, when moving on to Subject 2, combining theory with practical exercises like reverse parking and parallel parking will make the process smoother. There are no exceptions to this process—the system simply won’t allow you to register for Subject 2 without passing Subject 1. Allocate your time wisely: solidify your theoretical knowledge first, then move on to hands-on practice. This approach makes the journey more reliable. After passing Subject 1, you can focus entirely on driving practice without splitting your attention between two tasks.
