What is the pass rate at Athlone driving test centre?

46.3% over the 12 months to August 2026, from 3,469 car tests (1,607 passes). The national rate over the same months was 52.4%.

Is Athlone an easy test centre?

Athlone has one of the lower pass rates in Ireland: number 52 of 56 centres. Pass rates also reflect who books where and how prepared they are, so the gap between centres is not all down to the roads or the examiners.

How long is the wait for a driving test at Athlone?

The CSO’s estimate for the end of August 2026 was 10 weeks until an invitation to book, compared with 11.6 weeks for Ireland as a whole. It is an estimate of the queue at that date, not a guaranteed date.

Athlone driving test centre

McCormacks Shopping Centre, Dublin Road, Athlone, N37 Y0X8 · Co. Westmeath

Pass rate, last 12 months

46.3%

Ireland 52.4%

Weeks to test invite, Aug 2026

10weeks

Ireland 11.6 weeks

Tests, last 12 months

3,469

1,607 passed

Key facts

46.3% of car driving tests at Athlone were passed in the 12 months to August 2026, 6.1 points below the Irish average of 52.4%.
That ranks Athlone number 52 of 56 test centres by pass rate, where 1 is the highest.
At the end of August 2026 the CSO estimated 10 weeks from applying to being invited to book a test here, against 11.6 weeks nationally.
Number 9 for the shortest wait, of 57 centres.
3,469 car tests in the 12 months to August 2026; number 25 among Irish centres by tests conducted.

Practice routes around Athlone

5 loops from the centre, 56 km in all, with 30 roundabouts and 128 marked turns, driveable in 3D on your phone. They are built from the road network around Athlone, not the RSA’s own test routes, which it does not publish.

Route 1 · via Ballymahon Road
11.9 km loop with 8 roundabouts, 13 right turns, 12 left turns and a stretch of Castlemaine Street.
11.9 km · 33 turns · 8 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 2 · via Athlone Bypass
11.6 km loop with 6 roundabouts, 13 right turns, 6 left turns and a stretch of Dublin Road.
11.6 km · 25 turns · 6 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 3 · via Ballymahon Road
11.7 km loop with 7 roundabouts, 10 right turns, 12 left turns and a stretch of Cornamagh Road.
11.7 km · 29 turns · 7 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 4 · via Retreat Road
9.5 km loop with 4 roundabouts, 10 right turns, 8 left turns and a stretch of Coosan Point Road.
9.5 km · 22 turns · 4 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 5 · via Brawny Road
11.2 km loop with 5 roundabouts, 7 right turns, 7 left turns and a stretch of Ballymahon Road.
11.2 km · 19 turns · 5 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route

Pass rate at Athlone, year by year

Share of car tests passed each calendar year; * 2026 (Jan–Aug) is the year so far. Dashed line: Ireland over the last 12 months.

Month by month, last 12 months

By year

Year	Tests	Pass rate	Ireland
2026 (Jan–Aug)	2,308	48.1%	52.3%
2025	2,996	44.1%	51.8%
2024	3,179	45.5%	49.0%
2023	3,217	46.1%	50.6%
2022	1,895	52.1%	50.2%
2021	2,130	59.8%	53.3%

Waiting time for a test at Athlone

The CSO’s estimate, at the end of each month, of the weeks from applying for a test to being invited to book one. Dashed line: Ireland in August 2026.

Month end	Weeks to invite
August 2026	10
July 2026	13
June 2026	8
May 2026	13
April 2026	14
March 2026	11

Getting there

McCormacks Shopping Centre, Dublin Road, Athlone
Co. Westmeath N37 Y0X8

Directions in Google Maps · Book or check your test on rsa.ie

Nearby test centres

Roscommon
Co. Roscommon · 29 km
56.0%
+3.6 vs IE
9 wks
to invite
Tullamore
Co. Offaly · 34 km
52.7%
+0.3 vs IE
14 wks
to invite
Longford
Co. Longford · 35 km
58.1%
+5.7 vs IE
15 wks
to invite
Birr
Co. Offaly · 36 km
50.4%
-2.0 vs IE
9 wks
to invite
Mullingar
Co. Westmeath · 42 km
50.8%
-1.6 vs IE
13 wks
to invite
Loughrea
Co. Galway · 49 km
65.0%
+12.6 vs IE
10 wks
to invite

Questions learners ask about Athlone

What is the pass rate at Athlone driving test centre?: 46.3% over the 12 months to August 2026, from 3,469 car tests (1,607 passes). The national rate over the same months was 52.4%.
Is Athlone an easy test centre?: Athlone has one of the lower pass rates in Ireland: number 52 of 56 centres. Pass rates also reflect who books where and how prepared they are, so the gap between centres is not all down to the roads or the examiners.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Athlone?: The CSO’s estimate for the end of August 2026 was 10 weeks until an invitation to book, compared with 11.6 weeks for Ireland as a whole. It is an estimate of the queue at that date, not a guaranteed date.
Where is Athlone driving test centre?: McCormacks Shopping Centre, Dublin Road, Athlone, N37 Y0X8, Co. Westmeath.

Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Road Safety Authority driving test statistics (ROA30, ROA36), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Car (category B) tests. Passes are worked out from the CSO’s monthly tests and pass rate.