Swiss Category A Theory case studies
Swiss Category A Theory · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Swiss Category A theory examination is the written knowledge test that must be passed before a learner may take the practical motorcycle test for the A licence (unrestricted) or the A1/A2 categories, depending on the route chosen. It is administered at cantonal examination centres on an official computer workstation, and the questions are drawn from a nationally harmonised catalogue covering traffic law and priority, signs and signals, motorcycle technology and equipment, riding technique, hazard perception, behaviour toward other road users, first aid and accident conduct, and economical riding. The Swiss Category A Theory case studies are 5 cases and about 3,928 words.
1Left turn at an unsigned village junction
It is 17:40 on a wet October evening. You ride a 700 cc motorcycle north along Bahnhofstrasse through a Swiss village at about 40 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, with a pillion passenger on board.
745 words, about 4 min2Single-lane roadworks with a flashing amber signal
At 08:20 on a weekday you ride a motorcycle along a two-lane cantonal road towards a town, in an 80 km/h section. A 'Baustelle' advance sign appeared 600 m ago; 150 m ahead your lane is closed by red-and-white barriers standing in the middle of the road, and the left-hand lane is used by oncoming traffic.
736 words, about 4 min3Pre-trip check before a two-up Alpine tour
Your 2018 650 cc motorcycle has done 24,000 km and you are due to leave tomorrow for a four-day Alpine trip with a pillion and about 30 kg of luggage. Doing the pre-ride check in the garage at 8 °C you find: chain slack 42 mm at the tightest point, measured as the manual prescribes with the bike unloaded on the side stand (specification 30-35 mm); one chain link stiff and dry with surface rust; rear tyre 1.5 mm tread at the centre, 3.0 mm at the edges, DOT 2016; front tyre 2.6 mm; cold pressures 2.2 bar front and 2.4 bar rear, while the manual gives 2.3/2.5 solo and 2.5/2.9 for two-up with luggage; brake fluid last changed three and a half years ago and the reservoir is at the minimum mark; front pads have 1.5 mm of friction material left (limit 1.0 mm); the ABS warning light stays on after you pull away; rear preload and headlight are still set for solo riding.
840 words, about 4 min4Deer at night on an unlit cantonal road
It is 22:40 in November. You ride a 600 cc motorcycle on a cantonal road in open countryside, in an 80 km/h section, at an indicated 75 km/h.
757 words, about 4 min5First on scene at a motorcycle crash at dusk
It is 18:30 in late October, already dusk. You ride around a right-hand bend on a rural road outside a village and immediately see a motorcycle lying on its side in the middle of your lane, about 15 m ahead, its headlight still on.
850 words, about 4 min