How to Remember Demerit Points for the G1 Test

Demerit points trip a lot of people up on the G1 test. The reason is simple: there are two sets of numbers, one for new drivers and one for fully licensed drivers, and they are easy to swap. The good news is you only need to remember a few, and a couple of small tricks make them stick.

Start with the one number that matters: 9

As a G1 driver, you are a "new" or "novice" driver. For you, 9 is the line. Reach nine or more points in a two-year period and your licence is suspended for 60 days.

If you remember nothing else from this page, remember this: nine points suspends a new driver. It is the fact the test asks about most.

Points don't last forever: 2 years

Demerit points are not permanent. Each one comes off your record two years after the offence.

The memory hook: two years, then gone. One small catch to know for the test: the clock starts on the date of the offence, not the day you were convicted.

The warnings come first: 2 and 6

You don't jump straight to a suspension. Before that, the Ministry sends warning letters. For a new driver the path is:

• 2 points: a first warning letter.
• 6 points: a second warning letter.
• 9 points: licence suspended.

Say it as a countdown to trouble: two, six, nine.

Don't mix up new drivers and full drivers

This is the trap the test loves. Fully licensed (Class G) drivers get more room before anything happens:

Notice the overlap: the same 9 that suspends a new driver only earns a full driver a second warning. So the memory hook is:

Nine ends a new driver, but only warns a full one.

And a full driver has almost double your room (15 points) before losing the licence. As a new driver, your numbers are smaller because you are held to a tighter standard.

One more to know: you don't restart at zero

Here is a detail worth remembering. When a new driver's 60-day suspension ends, the points on your record are reduced to four, not zero. So you begin again close to the line. The lesson: keep it clean so you never have to test this.

What about the points for each offence?

Different offences carry different points: the bigger the risk, the more points (for example, not wearing a seatbelt is two). You do not need to memorise a long table for the G1. The test checks the thresholds above far more than the exact points for any one offence, so put your memory there.

Lock it in by practising

Reading the numbers once is not enough. The fastest way to make them automatic is to answer them as questions until they feel obvious, with the reason shown each time. Start a free round of rules practice and let the numbers stick through repetition.

Want the full picture? Read demerit points in Ontario, explained. Related study pages: speed limits and penalties and the zero-alcohol rule for new drivers.