Carlow SPSV test: Area Knowledge practice

The SPSV test in Carlow: what the Area module asks

Since October 2025 the NTA tests where the well-known places are and how the county fits together, not turn-by-turn routes: which road or district a hotel, hospital, station or venue sits in, one-way streets and bridges in the centre, motorway junctions, and the main roads between towns. You choose the county when you book the test, and it is printed on your driver display card as the area where you may work.

The Carlow bank here is 274 questions in 10 topics; the largest are routes (73), adjoining (54), geography (52) and roads (49). They are built on 48 real places around Carlow, among them 8 well-known restaurants, 7 hotels, 5 landmarks and 5 well-known pubs, each on a map with the road it stands on. Route questions also reach the main towns of the neighbouring counties, Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford, Kilkenny and Laois, because the test can ask how you get there.

The nearest of the five NTA test centres to Carlow are Dublin Greenhills (Tallaght, D24 PX63) and Dublin Northpoint (Swords, K67 EH30). You can sit at any centre and still choose Carlow as your county; the booking call (0818 064 000, 90 euro) sets both. Addresses and what to bring are in how to book the SPSV test.

Study the Carlow place list first, then practise here, then sit a timed Carlow Area Knowledge mock test. What changed in 2025 and how to study is in the Area Knowledge guide; the Industry half of the test is the same for every county and starts with 28 free SPSV test questions.