According to Tarnow Nasze Miasto, the unnamed candidate began taking the theory test at the Małopolska Road Traffic Center in Tarnow in 2017. Despite repeated failures over nearly a decade, he consistently re-registered for the exam. With a fee of 56 zloty (about 15 USD) per attempt, he is estimated to have spent over 2,000 USD solely on the theory portion.

Pawel Gurgul, Director of the Tarnow testing center, noted that not giving up after hundreds of failures shows how significant obtaining a driver's license is to this candidate. He is now preparing for the practical road test, which costs 229 zloty (about 60 USD).

Illustrative photo: Unsplash

Regarding the reason for the man's 138 previous failures, Mr. Gurgul stated that the issue stemmed from his study methods. Previously, the candidate only used trial versions of test preparation software, which had a limited number of questions. Upon switching to the full version and gaining access to all content, his results immediately improved, and he passed the exam.

According to statistics from Road Traffic Centers (WORD) across Poland, the national average pass rate for the theory test ranges between 50-60%. Notably, in some major cities, less than half of candidates pass the exam on their first attempt.

What makes this exam a "nightmare" is the official question bank from the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, which contains over 2,000 questions. The test not only covers traffic laws but also includes intricate details, from standard license plate dimensions and technical specifications to the location of the engine coolant reservoir.

Furthermore, the passing conditions are stringent, requiring candidates to achieve at least 68 out of 74 points (equivalent to 92%). This combination of challenging difficulty and the rule of unlimited re-attempts has resulted in Poland seeing numerous records of failing dozens, or even hundreds, of times.

While 139 attempts is a significant number, it is not a record in Poland. One individual in Piotrkow Trybunalski had to take the theory test 163 times over 17 years before finally passing.

At the Tarnow center itself, dozens of re-attempts are not uncommon. One person previously took 71 attempts to pass the practical exam, while another individual, after 58 attempts, has yet to succeed.

Nhat Minh (Source: Tarnow Nasze Miasto, tvpworld)