What the MPU is
The MPU is ordered by the driving licence authority and carried out by officially recognised assessment centres for driving aptitude.
The colloquial German nickname „Idiotentest“ is misleading: it is not about intelligence, it is about whether the causes of your earlier behaviour have been worked through.
At the end there is an assessment report. It turns out positive or negative, it is not passed like a school test.
The three parts
An MPU always consists of the same three building blocks. In the vast majority of cases, the interview decides it.
Medical examination
A doctor takes your medical history, examines you physically and reviews any laboratory findings. In alcohol and drug cases you are also asked about your consumption.
Performance test on the computer
Simple tasks measure your reaction speed, concentration and attention. For most healthy people this is not a problem. If you struggle with the controls, a driving behaviour observation in a driving school car is possible.
Psychological interview
The heart of it. The assessor goes through your file, your offences and your history and examines what has changed since. What counts is openness, insight and being able to explain plausibly how it came about and what will be different in future. On top of that come a realistic view of your risks and workable strategies for critical moments.
Who has to take an MPU
The driving licence authority orders an MPU when there are doubts about your fitness to drive. These are the four most common reasons.
Alcohol
From 1,6 ‰ an MPU is usually mandatory. If there were signs of impairment or it happened repeatedly, it can also be ordered below that level.
Go to MPU because of alcoholDrugs
Proven use of illegal substances regularly leads to an MPU, often combined with the question of proof of abstinence.
Go to MPU because of drugsPoints
At 8 points in the German driving aptitude register your licence is withdrawn, and for a new licence the authority requires an MPU.
Go to MPU because of pointsCriminal offences
Traffic offences and offences linked to aggressive behaviour can also lead to an assessment.
Go to MPU because of criminal offencesThe numbers
The German Federal Highway Research Institute records how many people have to take an MPU each year and how the assessments turn out.
MPU assessments in 2024
assessments in 2021, 82.261 in 2023: the number has been falling for several years
remains the most common reason, followed by drugs and medication
does not get a positive assessment report at the first attempt, nationwide
Source: Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt), survey year 2024, published in December 2025.
Why preparation decides it
The MPU is not a knowledge test. The assessor notices whether someone is reciting learned lines or has genuinely understood what happened.
People who turn up unprepared regularly underestimate how deep the interview goes. That is why we work on your story with you until it holds.
pass rate after our preparation
passed MPUs
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