Topographical
Mock Tests

How the TfL Topographical assessment works

The Topographical assessment checks that you can read a map and plan a direct route around London. You need to pass it to get a London private hire (PCO) driver licence. It is taken on a computer at TfL’s assessment centre at Pier Walk, using an on-screen digital map, so you only need basic mouse skills. It costs £40 for your first attempt and £30 for a re-sit.

The assessment lasts 70 minutes and has 24 questions. A countdown timer on the screen shows how much time you have left, and you can’t use a pen or make notes.

What is in the assessment

The assessment is marked out of 100 and the pass mark is 60%.

• Route planning (66 marks): three questions where you plot the most direct route between a green start marker and a red end marker: one short route, one short route with a road closure, and one long route.
• Multiple choice (34 marks): the other 21 questions. They include true-or-false questions about a route planning scenario (TfL calls these route planning essentials), and questions on map symbols, places of interest, specific streets, road numbers, and compass points and directions. Some questions have one correct answer and some have two; the question tells you which.

No A–Z book since May 2026. The multiple-choice questions show a still image of a map on the screen (you can’t zoom in or out), and you may be given a copy of the map reference page, which explains the symbols, colours and shading used on the maps.

How route answers are marked

Route planning carries the most marks. Our step-by-step route planning guide has a worked example. You lose marks for:

• not starting or finishing in the right place
• planning the route in reverse
• not following the most direct route
• using a road or making a turn that the map symbols show is not allowed (for example a one-way street or a banned turn)

How to prepare

1. Learn the map key. One-way arrows, no-entry signs and banned turns decide whether a route is legal, and symbol questions come straight from the key.
2. Know your compass points. Be quick with North, South, East and West and the in-between points such as North East.
3. Learn the big picture of London: which areas are north, south, east and west of the centre, the main motorways and where they join the M25.
4. Read every question twice. Look for road closures in route questions and for “choose two answers” in multiple-choice questions.
5. Practise under time pressure with mock tests until the multiple-choice sections feel easy, so you have more time for the route questions.
6. Practise route planning on a real map. Because route planning is worth two-thirds of the marks, practise it with an instructor or study partner as well as on your own.

Common mistakes

• Missing a road closure mentioned in the question.
• Choosing a “quick” route that uses a one-way street the wrong way.
• Selecting one answer when the question asks for two.
• Spending too long on one multiple-choice question and rushing the routes.

Information checked against the official TfL Topographical assessment guidelines, November 2026. Always check TfL’s website for the latest fees and rules before you book.