Questions about DriveKata and the practical test

What is DriveKata?

An iPhone app for rehearsing the practical driving test you take when converting a foreign driver's license in Japan. You drive an exact 3D replica of Course B at the Samezu Driver's License Center. The examiner's instructions play in Japanese or English, and each run is scored by deduction: 100 points, 70 to pass.

Is it the official test?

No. DriveKata is an independent practice app, built from the real course layout and the real scoring method. It is not affiliated with the test center or the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The real test may differ, and no app can guarantee a pass.

Which courses can I drive?

Samezu Course B today. Test centers outside Tokyo are next. "B" is the app's name for the route; the test center doesn't publish official names.

Is the examiner's voice in Japanese?

Yes, as it is spoken at Samezu, with subtitles. You can switch it to English.

How is it scored?

Every run starts at 100 points and faults cost points. 70 or more passes. In the Full exam, the big mistakes end the run, as they would on the day. The method matches the real test. The point values are set by DriveKata for practice.

How does it fit with driving lessons?

Learn the route and every check in DriveKata before you pay for time in a real car. You can rehearse as often as you like, so each lesson goes on polishing, not on learning the map.

Do I need to speak Japanese?

No. The app is in English today (Japanese, Vietnamese and Russian are planned), and the examiner's voice can be Japanese or English.

Is there an Android version?

Not yet. DriveKata is on iPhone first.

Does it work offline?

Yes, with no account.

Does it help with the written test?

DriveKata is for the practical test. For the written test, documents and exam-slot alerts, use MenkyoHub.jp, from the same founder.

How much does it cost?

DriveKata is free to download and free to start. To keep practising, choose a plan in the app, where the prices are shown.

Can I pass if I just memorise the course?

Knowing the route helps, but the test scores procedure. The examiner watches the mirror, signal and shoulder check before each turn, a full stop behind every stop line, your speed into bends and the railroad crossing routine. You start at 100 and need 70. Learn the route first. Then rehearse the checks at each point until they are automatic.

I drove perfectly. Why did I fail?

Because the test scores driving by the book, not getting round safely. Common reasons: a safety check the examiner couldn't see (turn your head, not just your eyes), a late signal, a stop that wasn't a full stop, a wheel on the line or the kerb, or too much speed into a bend. Each one costs points, and below 70 is a fail. Some mistakes end the test on the spot. Examiners rarely explain, so practise with something that lists every fault.

Where can I practise on a course like Samezu?

The Tokyo police open the Samezu and Fuchu courses on some Saturdays and holidays, for ¥2,000 plus ¥200 insurance an hour. You need your own car, a licence holder with 3+ years of driving beside you and a Tokyo address, and you book by phone in Japanese. Slots are almost impossible to get. Driving schools coach on the test course for about ¥18,000–¥27,000 an hour. DriveKata lets you drive an exact replica of Course B on your iPhone, as often as you like.

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department: course opening

What does the examiner say, in Japanese?

Short, fixed phrases. On Course B: 準備ができたら発進してください (when you are ready, pull away), 5番を左 (left at 5; the numbers are posted at the junctions), 突き当たりを左 (at the end of the road, turn left), コーンの手前で止まってください (stop before the cone), 50キロまで加速してください (speed up to 50 km/h) and 1番のポールの前に止まってください (stop before pole number 1).

What ends the test on the spot?

The national test standard lists them as 試験中止: dangerous driving, such as hitting something hard (接触大), a wheel well off the course (脱輪大), not stopping where you must (指定場所不停止) or at the railroad crossing (踏切不停止), running a red light (信号無視) or rolling far back on the hill (逆行大); the examiner having to brake or steer for you; not following an instruction; and losing so many points that 70 can no longer be reached.

Source: National 技能試験実施基準 (published by the Toyama police)

What changed in October 2025?

From 1 October 2025 the practical test has a crosswalk task. Failing to signal (合図不履行) and improper turning (右左折方法違反) are scored as strictly as on a new-licence test. The written test went from 10 questions to 50, with 45 needed to pass, and a 住民票 (residence record) is now required. Nationally, 13.1% passed the practical test in October–December 2025, against 30.4% in 2024.

Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (the changes)

Source: NPA figures reported by Nikkei, 2 Mar 2026 (the pass rate)

If I fail the practical test, do I take the written test again?

Not necessarily. The national rules allow a retake of the practical without the written test within 6 months of the day you took the written test; after that, the written test comes back. Tokyo’s pages don’t restate this rule, so confirm your dates at the counter when you rebook.

Source: National Police Agency, foreign-licence procedures (2026)