DGT Practical Test Faults Explained (2026)

Updated: September 2026. The DGT grades every error on the practical test as minor, deficient or eliminatory, and those three levels feed a fixed pass mark: you fail on one eliminatory, two deficient, one deficient plus five minor, or ten minor. That means nine minor faults still pass, but a single deficient fault cuts your remaining allowance from nine to four. This guide explains how the DGT decides which level an error lands in, which is more mechanical than most candidates expect.

The three levels, as the DGT defines them

Each definition is about the effect of what you did, not about which manoeuvre you were performing. This is why the same physical error can be graded differently on two different runs.

Key takeaways

01. One word separates minor from deficient. Obstructing. The criteria list dozens of errors twice, once in each column, with nothing changed but whether another road user was held up.

02. A deficient fault costs more than it looks. It is not "one of two". It also collapses your minor-fault allowance from nine to four in the same moment.

03. The circuit test is stricter than the road test. Four minor faults fail you on the closed circuit. Ten fail you on the road.

04. Some minor faults escalate if you ignore the examiner. Several sections say the fault is recorded, you are told to fix it, and failing to fix it turns it eliminatory.

The rule that decides most grades: obstructing

Read the criteria side by side and a pattern appears immediately. Across sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 the same error is listed in both the deficient and the minor column, and the only difference in wording is obstaculizando, meaning while obstructing another road user.

The practical implication runs against instinct. An empty road is forgiving of hesitation and a busy one is not, for identical driving. It also means that when traffic is heavy, the cost of dithering rises sharply, because almost every hesitation now has somebody behind it.

Try any combination

Set the counters to a mix of faults and the calculator applies the DGT baremo. Switch between the on-road test and the closed circuit to see how much stricter the circuit is.

Why the ninth and tenth minor fault matter so differently

The baremo has a step in it that is easy to miss. With no deficient faults recorded, you can accumulate nine minor faults and still pass. The moment one deficient fault is recorded, the threshold drops: one deficient plus five minor is a fail, so your remaining minor allowance becomes four.

This is the strongest argument for treating an early deficient fault as a reason to tighten up rather than to give up. The test does not end, but the margin for the remaining twenty minutes has more than halved.

The closed circuit uses a different scale

The manoeuvres test is graded under a separate document with its own baremo, and it is considerably tighter.

The definitions differ too. On the circuit, an eliminatory fault is about vehicle control rather than danger: insufficient control preventing execution of the manoeuvre, or manifest lack of skill in handling the vehicle or its controls. That is a different standard, and it is why stalling repeatedly matters much more on the circuit, where each stall is a minor fault against a budget of four. The manoeuvres guide covers the circuit in detail.

Faults that change level

Several parts of the criteria describe an escalation: the fault is recorded at one level, the examiner tells you to correct it, and not correcting it moves it up. Knowing these stops a recoverable moment becoming a fail.

• Lights. Not using the required light is a minor fault. You are then told to switch it on. Not doing so is graded eliminatory under section 12.1.
• Automatic headlights that do not come on. If visibility makes lights essential and the automatic system has not activated, you must switch them on by hand. Not doing so is minor; still not doing so after being told is eliminatory.
• Minimum speed signs. Breaching one is recorded, then you are required to comply. Not complying when you could is eliminatory.
• Vehicle controls. Pedal confusion, clutch misuse and similar are normally deficient or minor, but the criteria state plainly that if circumstances of danger arise they are graded eliminatory instead, under the accident or evasive-manoeuvre headings.
• Ignoring the examiner. Repeatedly not following directions is eliminatory, and the document defines repeatedly as at least three times after being warned each time.

One escalation runs the other way. Mounting the kerb is eliminatory in general, but it is only a minor fault when a car mounts it with a rear wheel, and it is not graded at all on lowered or low kerbs during joining traffic, parking, stopping and changing direction.

Where minor faults actually come from

If ten minor faults fail you, it is worth knowing where they accumulate. The answer is not dramatic errors. The criteria repeat a near-identical block of observation and signalling faults across six different manoeuvre families: joining traffic, lateral movements, overtaking, junctions, changing direction, and stopping and parking. Each one carries these, and each is minor:

• Not observing the traffic in front, behind and to the side
• Omitting the regulatory signal
• Signalling the opposite way
• Signalling without sufficient notice
• Signalling with excessive notice
• Not cancelling the signal once the manoeuvre is complete, depending on its duration

Six families times up to six faults each is where a ten-fault budget goes. A candidate who indicates late at three roundabouts, forgets to cancel twice and misses two mirror checks is already at seven without having done anything that felt like a mistake. One useful detail from section 7.1: transverse observation does not always require turning your head, depending on the visibility of the area, the vehicle and the position you have adopted.

Stalls are the other quiet accumulator. The criteria record one minor fault per stall, with no cap.

Frequently asked questions

How many minor faults can I make and still pass?

Nine, if you have no deficient faults. Ten minor faults is a fail. If one deficient fault has been recorded, the limit drops to four minor faults.

Does an eliminatory fault end the test immediately?

It determines the result. The criteria set the pass mark so that a single eliminatory fault means no apto regardless of the rest of the drive.

Is a stall a serious fault?

A stall is a minor fault, recorded once each time it happens. On the road that is one of ten. On the closed circuit it is one of four, which is why stalling matters far more during the manoeuvres.

Can the same mistake be minor for one candidate and deficient for another?

Yes, and that is by design. Dozens of errors appear in both columns, distinguished only by whether another road user was obstructed. Traffic conditions at the moment of the error change the grade.

Do faults from the circuit and the road test add together?

They are graded under separate documents with separate baremos, and the circuit scale is stricter. Treat the two as separate budgets rather than one running total.

Sources

• DGT, Subdirección Adjunta de Formación Vial, Criterios de Calificación, March 2026. Fault definitions, the baremo, the deficient and minor columns across sections 3 to 11, and the escalation rules in sections 11.4, 12 and 15.3.
• DGT, Subdirección Adjunta de Formación Vial, Criterios de Calificación de la Prueba de Control de Aptitudes y Comportamientos en Circuito Cerrado, January 2013. The circuit baremo and its fault definitions.
• DGT, Examen práctico, official process page.

Last updated: September 2026. Criteria checked against the March 2026 edition: September 2026.

The calculator applies the DGT's published baremo and is a study aid, not a prediction of any individual result. Criteria are revised periodically; confirm current details with the DGT or your driving school.