Tips to Pass Your MTO Air Brake Test on the First Try

In Canada, it is required that you have an official air brake endorsement on your license before you take to the road. It is the rare individual who enjoys tests, but that doesn’t mean you can’t excel at them.

You know you need to go into your test well-prepared. That means knowing you’ve done all the things you need to in order to walk in knowing you can pass your test on the first try.

Read The Official Handbook

You need to buy or download The Official Air Brake Handbook. A lot of people try to skirt around doing this. It would be easier to find another way to learn all the things you need to know. It feels like actively handling an air brakes system is more efficient and practical than reading a book. However, you will be taking a written test. Learning all of the practical details covered in your handbook is essential for success. Yes, this is a commitment, and that intimidates some people. They want to find a way around committing to reading the entire thing, probably more than once. But it’s the commitment that puts you on the path to success.

Remember, it’s just a book. You can read the book in manageable chunks at a time. It helps to read with a highlighter or with paper to take notes on. The act of engaging with the text and pulling out key pieces of information will help you commit this to memory.

Take a Practice Test

Once you’ve read through the handbook the first time, take a practice test. You haven’t done too much studying yet at this point, but taking this test the first time through will help you see where you’re at and how much information you’ve retained. This will give you a starting point as you move onto the next step.

You can take the class AZ practice test free online, so you can do this as many times as you’d like. Keep in mind that the practice test isn’t the same as the real test, but does give you an idea of the format and types of questions you will be asked.

Study, Study, Study

Now that you’ve taken your first practice test, you have a better idea of where you’re at. Hopefully, you could see the things you know at this point, and the information you still need to work on. It’s good to continue reviewing the information you already know to keep it fresh, but also to dive deeper into the information you’re unfamiliar with.

Plan far ahead of your test date and work on studying a little each day. Some days you can skim through the material and other days you’ll want to dive in and read it slowly and with care. Mixing up the routine helps keep your mind sharp and focused.

Retake The Practice Tests

You can do this as often as you’d like, but make sure you are doing it repeatedly. The action makes you feel comfortable with the test environment, it puts your brain to work recalling the information and sets you on the path for passing your MTO air brake test on the first try.

Run Yourself Through A Step-by-Step Process

If you don’t have access to a vehicle with air brakes, that is fine. Put your hands out in front of you like they’re on the wheel and run the actions through in your mind while you act them out. This will help you make the practical knowledge you’re learning feel real and stay in your mind.

Think it through. What do you do, step by step, for a MTO air brakes test? The engine on, brakes on. You check your gauges. You want to see that the governor cuts the compressor off at 120 PSI. Act out the motions for doing this. And then what do you do next?

You can always stop to consult your notes if you need to. You can also record yourself doing this on your phone and then watch the video while checking your actions against your notes to see if you did it correctly as a way to test yourself.

Prepare For the Day

As with any test, make sure you take care of yourself the day before and the day of your test. Get a good night’s sleep, hydrate, and have a good breakfast. If your body isn’t in the best shape, your mind will focus on that instead of answering questions about air brakes.

Be Confident

When you’re out on the road, you want to be with a first-time driver who is nervous enough to take things seriously, but not so scared they’re likely to cause an accident. This is the same when you take your test. If you do the above actions, you will have studied appropriately. You can handle this. Stay positive and take your MTO air brake test with confidence.