How to Plan a Route in the TfL Topographical Assessment (2026)

Route planning is the biggest part of the TfL Topographical assessment. It’s worth 66 of the 100 marks, and you need 60 to pass. Do the maths: even a perfect score on every multiple-choice question only gets you 34 marks, so you can’t pass without doing well on the routes.

This guide explains what the route questions look like, how TfL marks them and how to avoid the mistakes that cost the most marks. Everything about the test format comes from TfL’s own Topographical assessment guidelines.

What the route questions look like

The test is on a computer, using a digital map on screen. For each route question you’ll see two markers:

• a green marker where the route starts
• a red marker where it ends

Your job is to plot the most direct route between them. There are three route planning questions:

1. a short route
2. a short route with a road closure
3. a long route

TfL’s own example route question is: “What is the most direct route between London Zoo (the green marker) and Piccadilly Circus (the red marker)? NOTE: Regent Street is CLOSED.”

There are also true-or-false questions about a route planning scenario, which TfL calls route planning essentials. They are separate from the three route questions, so they count towards the 34 multiple-choice marks, not the 66 route marks.

How you draw a route on screen

TfL’s instructions for the route questions work like this:

1. Click the Start Drawing button.
2. Click once on the start point (the green marker).
3. Move along the roads and click at each next point of your route.
4. When you reach the red marker, click Stop Drawing. The Clear button removes your line if you want to start again.

To move the map, hold down the left mouse button and drag. To zoom in or out, turn the mouse wheel. Zoom in before you draw: one-way arrows are easier to see and you can click exactly on the road. You can’t use a pen or make notes, so check the route on the screen before you move on.

How TfL marks your routes

A TfL Topographical Assessor marks every route, and then a second assessor checks the marking. According to TfL, you lose marks for:

• not starting or ending 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 isn’t allowed

TfL doesn’t give detailed feedback on your answers or copies of the test, so you won’t find out exactly where you lost marks. That’s why it pays to get the habits right before the day.

A worked example

Here’s a practice map we drew to show how closures and one-way streets change a route. Try it before you look at the answer.

The question: plan the most direct route from the green marker (Hill St and Ash Rd) to the red marker (King St and Oak Rd). King St is closed between Ash Rd and Elm Rd. The arrows show one-way streets.

Most people’s first idea is one of these, and every one of them loses marks:

• Along Ash Rd, then down King St. It’s the most obvious route, but King St is closed between Ash Rd and Elm Rd.
• Down Hill St, then along Oak Rd. Hill St is one-way northbound below Elm Rd, and the last stretch of Oak Rd is one-way westbound, so you’d be driving the wrong way twice.
• Along Ash Rd, down Mill St, then along Elm Rd. Elm Rd is one-way westbound between Park St and Mill St.

The answer: along Ash Rd to Park St, down Park St to Elm Rd, along Elm Rd to King St, then down King St to Oak Rd. It’s five blocks, the same as the obvious route would have been, and it’s the only five-block route that’s legal.

The lesson: check the closure first, then check every arrow on the line you’ve drawn before you move on.

A method for every route question

1. Read the question twice. Look for words like CLOSED, and note which road it is and where.
2. Find both markers before you click anything. Know which is green and which is red.
3. Work out the general direction first, using the compass. North is usually at the top of the map, but check.
4. Draw the route in your head, then follow it street by street on the map.
5. Check every symbol on your line. One-way arrows, no-entry signs and banned turns are where most marks disappear.
6. Look for a shorter option. If you’ve gone around three sides of a block, there’s probably a more direct way.
7. Check both ends. The route has to start exactly at the green marker and finish exactly at the red one, in that direction.

How to practise

The best practice is the real thing: a detailed map of London, a start point, an end point and a time limit. Ask a friend to pick two places and add a closure. Then compare your route with theirs.

Practising with someone who knows the test helps a lot. Inside our Topographical bundles you’ll find contact details for two independent instructors we recommend for in-person route practice. They aren’t connected to us.

For the multiple-choice third of the test (map symbols, places, streets, road numbers and compass directions), try our free Topographical practice questions.

Test format and marking rules checked against TfL’s Topographical assessment guidelines in November 2026. The example map is our own practice diagram, not a real London map.