How the Japanese driving licence written test is scored

Updated 8 October 2026

All three written tests in ViMai Menkyo (Karimen, Honmen and licence conversion) share one pass mark: 90% of the total. That sounds simple, but Honmen has two kinds of question worth different points, so the number of mistakes you can afford is not one fixed figure. This page works it out case by case.

45/50pass mark for Karimen and conversion
90/100pass mark for Honmen
2 pointsper illustration question, all 3 statements right

Karimen and conversion: up to 5 mistakes

The Karimen and licence conversion tests have 50 true/false questions worth 1 point each, in 30 minutes. You need 45 points to pass, which is 90%. In other words you can get at most 5 questions wrong. A blank answer earns nothing, so it counts the same as a wrong one: always pick an answer, even if you have to guess.

These tests have no illustration questions. Every question is a short statement you judge true or false, so your score depends on reading each word carefully.

Honmen: two kinds of question, two point values

The Honmen test has 95 questions in 50 minutes and 100 points in total:

90 true/false questions at 1 point each, up to 90 points.
5 illustration questions at 2 points each, up to 10 points.

Each illustration question shows a picture with 3 statements. You get the 2 points only when all 3 statements are judged correctly. One wrong statement loses both points, and there is no partial credit. You need 90 out of 100 to pass, so the points you lose in total must not exceed 10.

Conversion table: how many true/false mistakes can you afford?

Losing an illustration question costs 2 points and losing a true/false question costs 1. With a budget of 10 lost points:

Illustration questions lost	Points lost there	Most true/false mistakes still allowed
0	0	10
1	2	8
2	4	6
3	6	4
4	8	2
5	10	0

Two things stand out. First, the 5 illustrations are only 5% of the questions but 10% of the points, enough to decide pass or fail. Second, you can make up for a lost scene with a clean true/false section, but if you lose all five, you cannot afford a single other mistake. That is why the scenes deserve their own practice: see how to read the scene and answer all 3 statements.

Take a mock exam that is scored the way the real one is, and see where you sit against the pass mark.

Study and take a free mock test

5 free mock exams for every test type. Opens in your browser, nothing to install.

A worked example

Say you take a Honmen exam, get 5 true/false questions wrong and lose 2 illustration questions. The true/false part scores 90 − 5 = 85. The illustration part scores 10 − 4 = 6. The total is 91, and you pass. Get 2 more true/false questions wrong and the total drops to 89, which is a fail. Keeping the figure "10 points to lose" in mind tells you how much cushion remains while you work.

The pass mark as a percentage, and why to aim higher

All three tests ask for 90%: 45/50 and 90/100. While you practise, treat 90% as the floor and not the target. Your real score can come out lower than a mock score because of nerves, one misread word or a topic you happened to study less. As a suggestion from ViMai, reach 48/50 on Karimen and several points above 90 on Honmen across consecutive mock exams before you sit the real one.

How ViMai scores its mock exams

The mock exams in the app use exactly the formula above: 1 point per true/false question and 2 points per illustration question when all 3 statements are right. When you submit, the app tells you how many questions are unanswered and how many are flagged, so nothing slips through. The result shows pass or fail against the mark for that exam type, your score by topic and each wrong answer with an explanation. The full list of exams and how they are built is on Japan driving mock tests.

Please note that this is the scoring structure ViMai uses for its practice exams. How you submit answers, whether the test is on paper or a computer and which languages are available can differ between prefectures, so confirm with the licence centre where you will test.

Frequently asked questions

How many mistakes are allowed on the Karimen test?

The Karimen test has 50 questions worth 1 point each and you need 45 to pass, so you can get at most 5 wrong, blank answers included.

How many mistakes are allowed on the Honmen test?

The total points you lose must not exceed 10. If you get all 5 illustration questions right you may miss up to 10 true/false questions; each illustration question you lose costs 2 points and so removes 2 mistakes from your allowance.

How many points do I lose for one wrong statement in an illustration question?

Both points for that question. An illustration question scores only when all 3 statements are right, with no partial credit.

Is the licence conversion test scored like Karimen?

Yes. It has 50 true/false questions in 30 minutes, you need at least 45 correct and there are no illustration questions.