Know where you stand before the DGSA exam, not up to 8 weeks after it
Sit a timed Core, All Classes or Road paper in the format of the official sample papers, written answers and references, and see your mark in about a minute.
- Written answers, marked point by point
- ADR, CDG2009 or derogation cited
- Model answer every time
- Core1 h 15 min10 questions, 50 marks: classification, packing, marking, documents, LQ/EQ, exemptions, legal framework
- All Classes1 h 45 min8 questions, 50 marks: classification across the classes, packing instructions and tanks, marking, documents, LQ/EQ, exemptions
- Road1 h 45 minone case study (35 marks) + compulsory questions (15 marks): plates, equipment, 1.1.3.6, tunnels, CDG2009
Sit a timed Core, All Classes or Road paper in the format of the official sample papers, written answers and references, and see your mark in about a minute: every point that earned marks, every point you missed with its ADR, CDG2009 or derogation reference, and a model answer. Fix it before you sit a £135 paper.
What a marked answer looks like
An example answer to our free Core question, marked the way every answer in our practice papers is marked: what earned marks, quoting the answer, and each point missed with its reference.
Your company has developed a new liquid solvent blend (it is not a pesticide). It has a flash-point (closed cup) of 30 °C, an initial boiling point of 150 °C and an LD50 (oral) of 150 mg/kg. It is not toxic by the dermal or inhalation routes, has no other hazards, is not listed by name in Table A, and no more specific collective entry applies. State its class and packing group, showing how you reached your answer, and give an appropriate UN number and proper shipping name.
Flash-point 30 °C and boiling point 150 °C, so Class 3, PG III. LD50 150 mg/kg makes it toxic too, Class 6.1. Answer: Class 3, PG III with a 6.1 subsidiary hazard. UN 1992 Flammable liquid, toxic, n.o.s.
Your references: none given
What earned marks
- +1 Flammability: flash-point 23-60 °C with initial boiling point above 35 °C gives Class 3, packing group III.
Flash-point 30 °C and boiling point 150 °C, so Class 3, PG III
- +1 Final answer: Class 3, packing group III, with a Class 6.1 subsidiary hazard.
Class 3, PG III with a 6.1 subsidiary hazard
- +1 UN 1992 FLAMMABLE LIQUID, TOXIC, N.O.S. (classification code FT1), packing group III entry.
UN 1992 Flammable liquid, toxic, n.o.s.
Points you missed
- -1 Toxicity: oral LD50 150 mg/kg (above 50 and up to 300) gives Class 6.1, packing group III.ADR 2.2.61.1.7
- -1 Table of precedence: Class 3 PG III against Class 6.1 PG III gives 3, III (footnote a gives 6.1 only for pesticides, which this is not).ADR 2.1.3.10
- -1 References for the steps (2.2.3.1.3, 2.2.61.1.7, 2.1.3.10, 2.2.3.3).Reference box
Fix first: Show each step with its paragraph: the 6.1 packing group and the table of precedence are marks of their own, and so are the references.
Free: one Core question, marked in full
Answer as you would on the paper, with your ADR references. About 8 minutes. No sign-up.
Question 1 6 marks
Your company has developed a new liquid solvent blend (it is not a pesticide). It has a flash-point (closed cup) of 30 °C, an initial boiling point of 150 °C and an LD50 (oral) of 150 mg/kg. It is not toxic by the dermal or inhalation routes, has no other hazards, is not listed by name in Table A, and no more specific collective entry applies. State its class and packing group, showing how you reached your answer, and give an appropriate UN number and proper shipping name.
0 words · at least 50 needed for feedback. Answer as fully as you would on the day.
The 9 papers
One payment unlocks every paper
- 9 timed papers: 3 Core, 3 All Classes, 3 Road, each 50 marks, laid out like the official sample papers
- Write full answers with a reference box, as on the paper; the clock runs to the real time
- Every answer marked point by point: what earned marks (your own words quoted), what you missed and the regulation reference for it
- A model answer and references for every question
- Your total against both pass marks, the areas where you scored below 70 % (with at least 4 marks at stake) and what to read next
- Up to 3 marked attempts per paper
The DGSA exams in 2026-27
- Papers to pass
- Core, All Classes, and one of Road, Rail or Inland Waterways. Re-qualify every 5 years.
- Format
- Written answers on paper. You may take printed copies of ADR (or RID or ADN), CDG2009, the emergency action code list and the approved derogations into the exam.
- Pass mark
- The syllabus says 65 %. The official sample papers say "You need to gain 32 marks to pass this paper" (32 of 50). We show your score against both.
- Next sittings
- 26 November 2026 (apply and pay by 5pm on 12 November 2026); 4 March 2027 (applications open 27 November 2026 and close at 5pm on 18 February 2027); 10 June 2027; 9 September 2027; 25 November 2027.
- Fee
- £135 per exam, so £405 for the three you need to qualify.
- Venues
- Birmingham, Bristol, Greater Manchester, Middlesbrough, Northampton, Surrey, Yorkshire, Aberdeen, Stirling and Belfast.
- Results
- By letter, with a certificate if you pass all three; it can take up to 8 weeks.
Source: GOV.UK: Book a dangerous goods safety adviser exam and the GOV.UK DGSA exam syllabus, read 28 October 2026.
Questions
How is my answer marked?
Each question has a marking rubric that splits its marks into points, each tied to an ADR or CDG2009 reference. An AI model checks your answer against every point and must quote your own words for any mark it gives; the totals, the pass lines and your weakest areas are calculated from those points. The rubrics are our own, not the official marking scheme, so the split of marks within a question is ours. Each paper follows the layout of the official sample paper for that exam; each Road paper has one case study, where the real exam offers a choice of three.
Which pass mark do you use?
Both. The GOV.UK syllabus says 65 %, while the official sample papers say 32 marks out of 50. Your result shows where you stand against each.
Which edition of ADR do the questions use?
ADR 2025, the current edition, with CDG2009 as amended and the GB approved derogations. Check the edition stated for your sitting.
Do I need my own copy of ADR?
Have ADR to hand: these papers are written from it, and the real exam lets you take in printed copies of ADR (or RID or ADN for Core and All Classes), CDG2009, the emergency action code list and the derogations. ADR is free to download from UNECE; practise finding the paragraph, because references earn marks.
Does it cover Rail or Inland Waterways?
No. The pack covers Core, All Classes and Road. Road is the certificate most DGSAs hold: 2,120 of the 2,149 holders in February 2024 had Road, 52 of them with Rail too (SQA, now Qualifications Scotland).
Can I try it first?
Yes. One Core question is free and marked in full, with no sign-up.
I am renewing my 5-year certificate. Is this for me?
Yes. Renewal means passing the same three exams again in the final year of your certificate. The papers are written from ADR 2025 and the UK rules they reference, not from the edition you last sat.
Disclaimer
Is this the official exam? No. These are our own practice questions written from ADR 2025 and CDG2009 in the format of the official DGSA papers. ProSyllabus is independent and not affiliated with Qualifications Scotland, the DVSA or the Department for Transport.
Independent: ProSyllabus is not affiliated with Qualifications Scotland, the DVSA or the Department for Transport. Questions are our own, written from ADR 2025 (UNECE) and CDG2009; no official paper is reproduced.