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SERU practice test: what to expect and how to prepare
If you are applying for a London private hire driver licence, you have to pass the SERU assessment. A practice test is the cheapest way to find out what you do not know yet.
Quick facts
- Assessment fee: £40, re-sit £30 (TfL)
- English level: CEFR B1 (TfL)
- Computer-based, at a TfL office. Multiple choice and sentence completion (TfL)
- Pass mark, time and number of questions: not published by TfL on its private hire page. TfL states 36 questions, about one hour and a 60% pass mark for its SERU (Notice 06/25, written for the taxi test); it publishes no separate private hire figures.
What the real assessment is
According to TfL, the Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding (SERU) assessment checks your ability to read and write English at an appropriate level and your understanding of safety, equality and regulation. TfL sets the English standard at CEFR level B1.
- It is computer-based and delivered by TfL staff at TfL offices.
- It uses multiple choice questions and sentence completion, where you add missing words.
- It covers ten sections of the PHV Driver's Handbook and six areas of the requirement.
- TfL expects you to complete the online Safeguarding Awareness course before you sit it.
TfL's SERU page does not state the number of questions, the time limit or the pass mark. See SERU pass mark, fees and retakes for what is known and how to check it. For real example questions in our style, see SERU test questions.
The ten handbook sections
TfL's video guides follow these sections: driver licensing, PHV requirements, PHV journeys, staying safe, driver behaviour, parking in London, safer driving, disability, safeguarding, and ridesharing. Your practice should cover all ten, not only the ones you find easy.
How to use a practice test
- Do one cold. Take a timed paper before you study, with no notes. The score by part tells you where to start.
- Keep the time limit. Reading slowly under a clock is a different skill from reading slowly at home.
- Look up every miss in the handbook. Do not just read the right answer. Find the paragraph that gives it.
- Repeat a few days later. If you can answer a missed question after a gap, you learned it. If not, you remembered the letter.
Free practice test
Our free practice paper is timed, needs no sign-up and gives you a score for each part. You can take it once a day. It does not explain the answers. The full course (£45 for 8 weeks) adds explanations, more papers, reading practice and an error queue. These are our own questions, written from the public handbook. They are not real exam questions.
Try a free timed paper
36 questions, a score for each part, no sign-up.
Common questions
What is the SERU assessment?
SERU stands for Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding. It is the TfL assessment that applicants for a London private hire driver licence take. It is computer-based, at a TfL office, and uses multiple choice questions and sentence completion.
What is it based on?
TfL says the assessment is based on the PHV Driver's Handbook. It covers the ten SERU sections, from driver licensing to safeguarding.
Where can I take a free SERU practice test?
Our free practice test is on this site: 36 questions, timed, no sign-up. It is an independent practice paper, not an official TfL test.
Does TfL publish sample questions?
TfL provides online learning materials, video guides and knowledge checks for each section, plus the handbook. It does not publish a full past paper.
More guides
Sources
- TfL, SERU for private hire drivers (checked 2026-10-12)
- TfL, Apply for a private hire driver licence (checked 2026-10-12)
- TfL, Notice 14/21, changes to private hire driver licensing requirements