New UK Theory Test Questions 2026: Cardiac Arrest and What Changed

#What new questions were added in 2026?

The most significant batch of new questions added to the UK theory test in 2026 focuses on cardiac arrest response at road accidents. The DVSA's rationale is straightforward: drivers are frequently the first people at the scene of a serious collision, and knowing how to recognise cardiac arrest and respond in the first few minutes can save lives before an ambulance arrives.

The new questions cover topics including: recognising the signs of cardiac arrest (a casualty who is unresponsive and not breathing normally), the steps to take while waiting for emergency services, how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), and the importance of calling 999 before starting first aid. None of this requires medical training to answer correctly. The DVSA is testing awareness, not clinical skill.

The addition was announced in official DVSA communications and follows a wider public health push to increase bystander CPR rates in the UK. Roughly 30,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year, and survival rates are closely linked to how quickly bystanders act. Drivers spend more time in public spaces than almost any other group, which is why the DVSA chose to target this audience.

#How many new questions are there?

The DVSA does not publish the exact size of its question bank, but it runs to several hundred questions across all topic areas. New questions are added periodically and older questions are retired. The 2026 first-aid addition is one of the more substantial recent updates in the hazard awareness and safety category.

In any given theory test sitting you will face 50 multiple-choice questions drawn at random from the bank. You will not see every new question in a single test; you might see one or two related to cardiac arrest, or possibly none, depending on your draw. The reason to revise them anyway is simple: they are live in the bank and can appear on your test.

#The format and pass marks have not changed

The structure of the theory test stays the same. Fifty multiple-choice questions in 57 minutes, pass mark 43 out of 50, followed by the hazard perception section with 14 to 19 video clips and a pass mark of 44 out of 75. Both sections are taken in the same booking, at the same test centre, on the same day. The theory test fee remains £23. What has changed is purely the content of the question bank.

If you are using revision materials from 2024 or early 2025 you may be missing the new cardiac arrest questions. The simplest fix is to use up-to-date official resources, which update automatically. For a full explanation of the theory test format, the theory test explained guide covers every section in detail.

#How to make sure your revision covers the new material

• Use the official Theory Test Pro app or GOV.UK revision resources, both of which update automatically when new questions go live
• If you are using a printed book, check the edition date: anything published before mid-2025 may predate the cardiac arrest questions
• Search specifically for "cardiac arrest" in your revision app to confirm whether the app has the updated question set
• Run full mock tests in your app: if you are scoring above 43 consistently on multiple recent mocks using current materials, you are genuinely ready
• Do not skip the hazard perception clips: the 44-out-of-75 pass mark catches more candidates than the multiple choice does

#What the cardiac arrest questions actually test

The questions are framed around typical road accident scenarios. You might be asked what to do if you find someone unresponsive at a crash scene, whether to move someone who is not breathing, or how to use an AED if one is available nearby. The correct answers follow standard first-aid guidance published by the British Heart Foundation and St John Ambulance.

Key facts to remember for these questions: call 999 immediately, do not move a seriously injured person unless they are in immediate danger, begin chest compressions if the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally (30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths if trained in CPR, compressions only if not), and use an AED as soon as one is available because they are specifically designed for use by untrained bystanders.

These are straightforward to learn if you give them 20 minutes of focused attention. They are also some of the more memorable questions in the bank because they have a real-world relevance that abstract Highway Code questions can lack.

#First aid has always been in the theory test

The DVSA has included first-aid questions since the theory test was introduced in the mid-1990s. The 2026 addition is not a new category but an expansion of an existing one. Previous question sets covered topics such as dealing with a casualty in shock, the correct way to remove an injured motorcyclist's helmet, and what to do when someone is bleeding severely. The cardiac arrest questions sit alongside these in the safety and first-aid section of the bank.

If you have been working systematically through all the first-aid and hazard-awareness questions in a current revision app, you have very likely already encountered the new questions. The theory test revision strategy guide explains the most efficient way to work through the full question bank in the weeks before your sitting, and the theory test mock tests guide covers how to use mock tests effectively to identify gaps before test day.

#Other recent theory test updates

The DVSA routinely updates the question bank to reflect Highway Code changes, new road markings, updated stopping distances, and changes to motoring law. The most recent Highway Code updates in 2022 introduced new rules on cyclist and pedestrian priority at junctions, and questions covering those rules have been in the bank since then. If you passed your theory test before 2022 and are restarting your learning journey, it is worth reviewing the updated Highway Code sections alongside your general revision. The highway code essentials guide summarises the most commonly tested rules.