It's an expression that we talk about more and more: the famous "psychometric tests". But what exactly are they? This medical examination of the driving license allows to evaluate the physical and mental capacity of a person to recover or to take again his license, in case of invalidation, cancellation or suspension of license.
Psychotechnical tests for the driver's license (which includes all licenses, license B, license A ...) are a mandatory step for some drivers who have suffered a cancellation or suspension of their license. These tests are conducted to evaluate the cognitive, psychological and behavioral abilities of drivers to determine their ability to resume driving in a safe and responsible manner.
Don't worry, these tests are not required to drive a light quadricycle (e.g., buggies) or a moped (e.g., scooters) with an AM license. They only concern the B driving license, for classic cars. More details on the AM license here: How to take the AM licence?
Psychotechnical tests: what do they consist of?
Psychological aptitude tests: mandatory medical visit to perform psycho
Psychotechnical tests consist of several tests that evaluate different aspects of the driver's cognitive and psychological abilities. Here are the main tests that can be included in this medical examination for the driving license:
- Entretien individuel : il s’agit d’un entretien avec un psychologue ou un spécialiste de la sécurité routière pour évaluer les motivations du conducteur à récupérer son permis de conduire. Permet d’évaluer l’état psychique de l’automobiliste, en parlant notamment d’éventuels antécédents médicaux (alcool au volant, consommation de drogues, de médicaments…), les causes de la suspension de permis ou de l’annulation et l’utilité du permis pour sa vie personnelle et professionnelle.
Physical ability tests and practical test
As for the practical exercises, they will be carried out on computer by the candidate in test centers, to test his reflexes and the way he processes information. This allows us to judge his ability to control his driving: concentration, reaction... This can also be done via a driving simulation, with a joystick in each hand and a screen, pedals...
To test his attention for example, a photo of a specific traffic situation will be displayed for a few seconds, then he will be asked to describe it as precisely as possible. Here are some examples:
- Reactivity test: this test evaluates the driver's ability to react quickly to visual or auditory stimuli and studies the reaction time, your motor coordination...
- Memory Test: This test evaluates the driver's ability to recall information such as numbers, words or images.
- Concentration test: This test evaluates the driver's ability to concentrate on a given task for a prolonged period of time.
- Perception Test: This test assesses the driver's ability to correctly perceive distances, speeds and movements of surrounding objects.
- Reasoning Test: This test assesses the driver's ability to solve logical problems and make decisions quickly, analyzing whether you have good logical reasoning skills.
- Stress management test: this test evaluates the driver's ability to handle stressful or unexpected situations on the road.
Psychometric tests: if you pass the tests
If the license was suspended, the candidate who passed the tests will be able to recover his or her license (restitution).
On the other hand, he/she will have to retake the license exam following a cancellation (code only or full license, depending on the situation/infraction (serious like alcohol/drinking and driving, driving under the influence of drugs, speeding...) and the sanction that caused the invalid license and the judicial decision). Any new test for the demerit points license or the highway code will be at the expense of the license candidates who have to retake the driver's license tests. They will therefore have a new license. After passing the test, you have 2 years to retake the license.
Please note that the tests are valid for 6 months.
In case of an unfavorable opinion, you can retake the test.
Psychometric tests: where and how much?
The psycho-technical tests for the driving license last from 45 minutes to 2 hours. The cost is approximately 100€, at your expense. If you pass the psychometric test, you are allowed to retake the test for a maximum period of 2 years. If you fail, you can retake the psychometric tests.
Les tests psychotechniques sont réalisés dans un centre agréé par les autorités compétentes. À l’issue de ces tests, le spécialiste évaluera les résultats obtenus et pourra donner une recommandation pour la reprise de la conduite ou pour la poursuite d’un suivi psychologique ou médical ou ou passer une visite médicale complémentaire par un médecin agréé.
The psycho-technical tests for the driving license must be done with psychologists recognized and approved by the prefecture. The list of these approved psychologists and doctors and the list of centers are available on the websites of the prefectures: public service websiteYou can then make an appointment to take your series of psychomotor tests!
Psychometric tests: why take them?
Ces tests sont nécessaires pour de nouveau avoir le droit de conduire si :
- You have lost all your license points and therefore have a license invalidation
- You have a license cancellation pronounced by a judge following an infraction (you will have to wait for the end of the cancellation)
- You have a suspended license, for infractions or medical reasons
Attention ! Si les tests se révèlent positifs, ils attestent seulement que vous êtes aptes physiquement et psychologiquement à conduire mais dans le cas d’une invalidation ou annulation du permis, vous devrez repasser le permis de conduire et/ou le code de la route en fonction de votre situation.
In case of license suspension, these tests will allow you to get your license back. However, there is no recovery of points, your balance of points will be the same as before the suspension.
Toute infraction au code de la route, causant un retrait de permis, un permis invalidé ou une suspension administrative par décision judiciaire peut mener à effectuer des test psychotechniques et des examens complémentaires.
