The practice driving area is becoming a thing of the past. Will the new driver’s license exam be a better test of skills?
The end of the exam “loop.” Is eliminating the practice area sensible?
The Ministry of Infrastructure plans to remove the practical part of the driving test for categories B and B1, which is currently conducted on a practice area, leaving candidate assessment primarily in actual road traffic. This approach has long been in use in most European countries and, according to the ministry, better aligns with modern standards for driver training.
A notice of the changes appeared as early as March 2026. As Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Stanisław Bukowiec emphasized at the time, the goal of the reform is to create a “modern, user-friendly, and cohesive system that effectively verifies the skills of prospective drivers.” The ministry argues that the current model requires thorough restructuring, with the most important aspect being the assessment of a driver’s behavior in real traffic conditions, including during maneuvers — according to gov.pl.
What is it like today?
To recap — today’s practical exam for category B begins with tasks carried out on a maneuvering area. Candidates must, among other things, inspect the vehicle’s components, prepare for driving, and drive through a characteristic curve. Only after passing this stage do they head out onto city streets. Under the new model, this first stage is set to disappear.
However, this does not mean the end of driving ranges. They must remain an important part of the training process. The ministry emphasizes that, especially at the beginning of a course, they provide a safe place to learn basic car handling, understanding vehicle dimensions, and making initial parking attempts.
Experts believe that simply eliminating driving ranges is not a guarantee of improved exam quality. As Maria Dąbrowska-Loranc from the Road Traffic Safety Center at the Institute of Motor Transport notes, driving ranges have been controversial for years because they largely test the ability to follow “learned patterns in artificial conditions.”
"If, after its abolition, the exam truly focuses on assessing a driver’s behavior in real road scenarios, then this approach can be considered consistent with modern methods of training and testing drivers," an expert commented in an interview with the motofakty.pl portal.
Teach, not just memorize!
In her view, actual road traffic allows for the assessment of much more than just driving techniques. A driver must simultaneously observe their surroundings, react to changing situations, analyze threats, and make decisions under time pressure.
"This allows the examiner to assess not only the technique of performing the maneuver but also the driver’s way of thinking, their awareness of hazards, and their ability to safely interact with other road users," emphasizes Dąbrowska-Loranc.
At the same time, the expert points out the biggest risk associated with the reform. If only the locations where exam tasks are carried out change, rather than the philosophy of evaluation, the benefits may prove limited.
"If the exam still mainly relies on repeating previously practiced patterns, just in different locations, then the real value of the reform might be limited. In that case, instead of an exam site, there will simply be exam roads," she warns.
Changes will also affect the theoretical part
The changes will not be limited solely to the practical exam. The reform will also affect the theoretical part. A new Examination Center will be established to replace the current Commission responsible for verifying and recommending exam questions. Representatives from instructors, examiners, WORD offices, the police, the National Road Traffic Safety Council, and experts in road traffic safety will participate in developing the new system.
The ministry also plans to reduce the number of exam questions and adapt them to modern realities. The current database contains over 3,500 questions, but not all relate to situations that novice drivers actually encounter on the roads. The new questions are intended to be based on traffic safety analyses, accident statistics, and technological advancements in the automotive industry. Importantly, both the questions and answers are set to be public.
New exam format coming next year
According to the infrastructure minister Dariusz Klimczak’s statement yesterday on Tvp Info, the new regulations could take effect as early as the beginning of next year. This would mean a definitive end to the exam “curve,” which has been a symbol of Poland’s driving test for years.
The idea behind the changes seems logical. After all, it’s hard to consider driving between lines and cones as a true test of a driver’s skills. Real challenges only begin on the road, where one must anticipate the behavior of other drivers, adapt to conditions, and make quick decisions. If the reform truly leads to assessing these abilities, it could turn out to be one of the most important steps in modernizing Poland’s driver training system in years.
What will be crucial, however, is whether the elimination of the driving range will also change the way people think about testing. Because it’s not a perfectly completed curve that determines a driver’s quality, but rather how they handle situations that cannot be practiced in advance using a fixed pattern.
Oskar Włostowski
