Failed the CBR theory exam? Resits, costs and refunds explained

When can you retake the theory exam?

You don’t have to wait. You can book a resit as soon as the result of your last exam is processed, which happens within 24 hours. Once the result form is in your inbox, book through Mijn CBR or your driving school. You don’t need to authorise your school again. Taking the exam twice on the same day isn’t possible.

How soon you actually get a slot depends on the location. In late September 2026 the national average wait for a theory exam was 2 weeks. Mijn CBR shows the free slots per location. Another city sometimes has an earlier one.

What does a resit cost?

A resit costs the same as your first attempt. You always redo the whole exam, because separate parts no longer exist since April 2025.

If your driving school books for you, it may charge extra. If you apply by post, postage is added.

Do you get your money back if you fail?

No. The CBR only refunds the exam fee if special circumstances meant you couldn’t take the exam. It lists illness, a death in the family, the birth of your child and a sudden military deployment. You then apply within 14 days through Mijn CBR, with proof. The CBR keeps €12.70 in admin costs.

You can’t cancel a booked theory exam either. You can move it: up to 7 days before, at most 3 times, to an earlier or later slot.

What does your result form tell you?

You see your result on screen straight after the exam. Within a day you also get a result form by email, and it’s in Mijn CBR under Resultaten. For the car theory exam you can’t see which questions you got wrong. But the form does show how you did on each exam topic. That’s your best clue for the resit.

A plan for your resit

1. Take your result form and write down the two or three topics where you lost the most points.
2. Start with the rules behind those topics. Learn why an answer is right, not just which one is right.
3. Practise a little every day, say 20 minutes, with questions from exactly those topics.
4. Then take full mock exams of 50 questions in 30 minutes. Check your score per topic after each one.
5. Only book once you score at least 44 on a few mock exams in a row.

Practising with Permio? Exam Pass and Complete come with a pass guarantee. If you reached your readiness score, took your mock exams and still failed, you get 30 days of extra access for free. It’s an extension, not a refund.