A citizen in Tarnów, Poland, has gone viral for an unusual reason—it took him 139 attempts to pass the theoretical driving test.
As in many European countries, candidates must first pass a computer-based theoretical test before being allowed to take the practical driving exam. If they fail the theory, they cannot get behind the wheel for the practical test. Most people pass this stage within 1 to 3 attempts, but there are extreme cases that drag on for years.
Recently, the Regional Road Traffic Center in Tarnów announced that a citizen finally managed to pass the theoretical test after 139 attempts. He had started back in 2017 and spent around 1,800 euros just on exam fees.
"This person never gave up on the exam. It shows how important obtaining a driver's license is to him," said the center's director, Paweł Gurgul.
According to Gurgul, one of the reasons the candidate failed so many times was related to his preparation method. He had been using a "demo" version of the practice tests, which did not include all possible questions.
"Once he started using the full version of the program, with all the questions, his results improved significantly, until he finally managed to pass," he added.
Although 139 attempts seem like a lot, this is not the absolute record in Poland. Local media report that another candidate from Piotrków Trybunalski took 17 years and 163 attempts to pass the theoretical test.