NSW Hazard Perception Test: format, cost and a timing trainer

The NSW HPT is 15 short film clips of real traffic, sat at a service centre for $58 an attempt. You touch the screen when you would slow down, overtake or turn, and not at all when it isn't safe. If you're under 25, you can sit it after 10 months on your Ls. Below are the rules from nsw.gov.au, then a free trainer for the one skill you can drill here: timing.

Scenarios
6
Scored on
When to act
Trainer
Free
Start the simulator

The real test: 15 film clips at a service centre

What nsw.gov.au and the Hazard Perception Handbook say about the real test:

Format
15 short film clips of real traffic, after 2 practice clips
You respond by
Touching the screen when you would slow down, overtake or turn at an intersection, and not touching it when no action is safe
Who can sit it
Learner licence holders: after 10 months on your Ls if you're under 25, or when you feel ready if you're 25 or older
Where
At a service centre, booked in advance
Cost
$58 each attempt (from 1 July 2026)
A pass lasts
15 months: pass the Driving Test in that time or sit the HPT again

The official advice is to prepare by downloading the Hazard Perception Handbook, brushing up on safe driving behaviour, doing the Safer Drivers Course, and getting as much driving experience as you can. Bookings and current fees live on the NSW Government's HPT page.

How it works

Each scene plays out in real time. Read the instruction, watch the scene develop, and click RESPOND (or press space) at the moment a careful driver would act. You get one response per scenario. Respond too soon and it scores as too early, or as not safe if you'd pull into a gap that isn't there. In one scene the safe answer is not to respond at all.

New South Wales HPT questions, answered

Where does the HPT sit in the NSW licence journey?
Between your learner licence and the Driving Test: you must pass the HPT before you can take the Driving Test and get your P1 licence.
Is there an official practice test?
No. NSW says practice tests on other websites aren't the same as the NSW HPT and won't help you pass. Its own preparation advice is on its Hazard Perception Test page and in the Hazard Perception Handbook. The real test gives you 2 practice clips before it starts. This page is a warm-up for one skill, the timing of your response, not a copy of the NSW test.
Should I respond if I'm not sure?
The Handbook says that if you think it would be unsafe to take any action, you should not touch the screen. Holding back is sometimes the right answer: in one of the scenarios here, the correct response is not to respond at all.
What happens if I fail?
You can take the test as many times as you need to pass, but you pay the test fee each time.

Timing comes from practice on real roads

A simulator trains your eyes; an instructor trains your habits. After the HPT comes the driving test on real roads, and that's what an instructor gets you ready for.

Find a NSW instructor