Communication problems during the driving test: interpreter and examination record

The first step is a precise classification. Section 3(6) FSG-PV concerns people with reading or comprehension difficulties who cannot read written texts or understand texts they have read. It requires an application and a psychological report. The authority may then approve an oral form of the theoretical test.

A lack of understanding of the test language is not automatically the same as the reading or comprehension difficulty regulated by section 3(6) FSG-PV. Anyone requesting an interpreter should therefore record the specific difficulty, the test part and the requested support in writing rather than relying only on a verbal request. The article on a failed driving test deals with the general result and the next steps.

If a relevant reading or comprehension difficulty is supported by a psychological report, the authority must decide on the application for an oral form of the test. The appointed driving examiner goes through the prescribed questions on screen orally with the candidate and, where necessary, enters answers on the candidate’s instructions. The testing time must be extended accordingly.

The support does not replace the test or the professional assessment. It is intended to make the questions accessible. The application, report, authority decision, examination documents and result should therefore be kept in one chronology. If the report is missing or the authority’s basis for the decision is not recorded, the later review has an incomplete foundation.

Under section 11(5) FSG, the candidate must be told the reason for failing. If the practical test is failed, the candidate must receive the copy of the examination record. The record is therefore a key document, but it does not automatically answer every question about how the test was conducted.

For the practical test, section 11(4) FSG-PV requires the course of the test to be documented in a traceable manner. Review not only the result and one individual assessment, but also the test part, recorded observations, reasons, support provided and any deviation from the prescribed process. The article on access to the file explains how to bring the examination record, authority file and personal notes together.

A communication problem does not automatically lead to a new test. First establish whether the test was actually failed, which part was affected and whether the result or record states a comprehensible reason. Mere dissatisfaction with the assessment is not enough for this classification.

For the target date of 1 September 2026, section 11(6) FSG provides a twelve-day waiting period for a failed test part. The theory test must also be taken again if the practical test is not passed within 18 months after the theory test was passed. These periods do not decide whether a specific procedural defect needs separate legal review.

Keep the registration or summons, the request for support, the psychological report, the authority’s response, the test result, the examination record and any written communication from the driving school or authority. Add a personal chronology stating the date, test part, persons present and the precise communication problem.

Also record whether questions were explained orally, whether entries were made for you, whether the testing time was adjusted and what reason was given for the failure. In a purely language-related situation, record the language used and the precise request for support without prematurely inferring a right to a particular procedure.