Theory test app notes don't cover the question? Where to look it up for free
Updated •6 min read
If a practice question asks about something your app's study notes never covered, look it up in the Highway Code, which is free on gov.uk. The real theory test questions are based on the Highway Code, Know Your Traffic Signs and Driving - the essential skills, so those books are the full syllabus and any app's notes are a summary of them.
App notes are written by each publisher, and they can skip a topic, put it under an odd heading or explain it in dense text with no pictures. This page shows where to find any topic in the free official sources, which we checked on 26 October 2026, and how to use them when the notes let you down.
What the questions are really based on
gov.uk says the multiple-choice questions are based on three books (gov.uk: revision and practice):
| Book | Free to read? | What it has |
|---|---|---|
| The Highway Code | Yes, on gov.uk | The rules, numbered, with pictures of signals, signs and road markings |
| Know Your Traffic Signs | Yes, as a 172-page PDF on gov.uk | Every type of road sign, with a picture of each |
| Driving - the essential skills | No, sold in bookshops | DVSA's guide to driving technique |
If a topic appears in a practice question, it should be somewhere in these. So when your app's notes are missing something, these are where to look, not a second app.
The free DVSA syllabus: the checklist apps rarely mention
The DVSA also publishes a free learning to drive a car syllabus. It is written for learner drivers, full licence holders and instructors, and sets out what a learner needs to know and understand. It has four units:
- Preparing a vehicle and its occupants for a journey: being fit to drive, keeping your vehicle legal, and carrying passengers, loads and animals.
- Guide and control a vehicle: moving off and stopping safely, different road surfaces and weather, and towing.
- Driving a vehicle in accordance with The Highway Code: junctions, signs, signals, markings and crossings.
- Drive safely and efficiently: other road users, reducing risk, incidents and fuel-efficient driving.
The syllabus is a syllabus for driving, not a list of theory test questions, but it is a useful checklist. Unit 3, for example, says you need to know how to act when approaching all pedestrian crossings, whether controlled or uncontrolled. If your app's notes never mention a crossing type, that line tells you it is still something you are expected to know.
For the seven subject areas the law says the car theory test must examine, see what topics are in the car theory test.
A worked example: pelican and puffin crossings
Say a practice question asks what to do when the amber light flashes at a pelican crossing, and your notes have nothing on it.
- Find the rule. Open the Highway Code section using the road (159 to 203) and search the page for "pelican". Rule 196 says you must stop when the red light shows, and must give way to pedestrians on the crossing when the amber light flashes.
- Read the rules either side. Rule 197 says a pelican crossing that goes straight across is one crossing, even with a central island. Rule 199 covers puffin and toucan crossings, which have no flashing amber phase. Nearby rules often answer the next question.
- Write the rule in your own words, then answer a different question on the same rule to check you understand it rather than remember it.
Our guide to pedestrian crossings in the theory test sets out all four crossing types in one table.
Searching the official sources quickly
- Search the right page. The Highway Code on gov.uk is split into sections. Open the section, then use your browser's find option (Ctrl+F on a computer, or "Find on page" in your phone browser's menu).
- Signs are pictures, so start with pictures. The Highway Code's traffic signs and road markings pages are mostly images with captions. Know Your Traffic Signs goes into more detail.
- Use the rule number. Many practice apps and guides give the rule number with an answer. Searching the Highway Code for "Rule 196" takes you straight there.
Our Highway Code guide explains which edition to use and why "must" and "should" matter in answers.
If reading the notes is the problem
Some learners find dense study text hard going whatever the topic. Short sessions help: read one Highway Code section, then answer questions on it straight away. If you have dyslexia or another reading difficulty, you can ask for support in the real test, such as extra time, a reader or listening through headphones. See our guide to theory test support for reading difficulties. For ways to revise when dense text is the problem, see revising for the theory test with dyslexia.
For a full revision plan built around the official books, see how to revise for the theory test.
How theorytest.ai handles this
theorytest.ai is a web-based UK car theory test practice site, independent and not affiliated with the DVSA. In flash practice, including the free Daily Review of the questions you got wrong, the results page shows an explanation for each wrong answer and links to the Highway Code rule the question tests where there is one, so you can read the source straight away. Full practice tests are part of Premium. theorytest.ai does not offer hazard perception clips at the moment.
Start free
Find the topics your notes have left you shaky on. Take the free 10-question theorytest.ai diagnostic: no payment and no account, and it shows which topics to work on first.
Frequently asked questions
What are the theory test questions based on?
gov.uk says the multiple-choice questions are based on three books: the Highway Code, Know Your Traffic Signs and Driving - the essential skills.
Why does my theory test app ask about things its notes don't cover?
App notes are each publisher's own summary of the official books, so they can leave things out. Look the topic up in the Highway Code, which is free on gov.uk.
Is there a free official theory test syllabus?
The DVSA publishes a free learning to drive a car syllabus on gov.uk. It covers driving as a whole, not just the theory test, but works as a checklist.
Where can I see pictures of road signs for the theory test?
The Highway Code's traffic signs page on gov.uk is mostly pictures, and Know Your Traffic Signs is a free 172-page PDF with a picture of every sign type.