The permit test: what to expect
The short answer
It depends on your state. In the states we checked it ranges from 18 questions with 15 to pass (Pennsylvania) to 50 questions with 40 to pass (New Jersey), and Texas needs 70 percent. See the table below for each state’s official source.
Use your state’s driver handbook to check what to bring and how to prepare.
Last checked against the sources: · Report a mistake
This page is general. For the rules that apply to you, use your state’s driver handbook and your state driver licensing agency’s website. Getting your permit in Texas? Read the Texas permit test explained.
Where the permit test fits
Every US state has graduated driver licensing, which lets new drivers (in most states, those under 18) earn a license in stages. The first stage is the learner’s permit, for supervised driving while you learn (IIHS, CDC). To get the permit you take your state’s knowledge test. Each state writes its own test from its own driver handbook, and its driver licensing agency (often called the DMV) runs it.
Read our guide to graduated driver licensing for the three stages.
What every state shares: the national sign manual
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) sets one national standard for traffic signs, signals and markings on roads open to public travel (MUTCD Section 1A.01). States use it as it is, add a state supplement, or publish a state version that must closely match it (FHWA). So the shapes and colors of signs and markings carry the same meanings in every state:
- An octagon is always STOP, a downward triangle is always YIELD, and a pennant is always NO PASSING ZONE (Section 2A.05).
- Yellow means warning, red means stop or prohibition, black and white mean regulation, and orange means work zones and other temporary traffic control (Section 1D.05).
- Yellow lines separate traffic going in opposite directions, and white lines separate lanes going the same way.
Work through the US road sign library: 31 signs and markings, each with a quick question, or start with sign shapes and colors.
How many questions are on the permit test? State by state
See how many questions you can miss, with a state checker.
Each state sets its own number of questions and pass mark. These are the states we have checked so far, each on the state’s own website on October 20, 2026. If your state is not here, its driver handbook has the answer; we add states only when we have read their official page.
| State | Questions | To pass | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Not stated on the DMV’s permit page | 80 percent | Learner’s permits, California DMV |
| Georgia | 20 on road signs and 20 on road rules | 15 of 20 on each part | Drivers Manual, Georgia Department of Driver Services |
| New Jersey | 50 | 40 (80 percent) | Sample knowledge test, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission |
| New York | 20 | 14, including at least 2 of the 4 road sign questions | Driver’s Manual, New York State DMV |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 15 | Driver’s Manual: testing, PennDOT |
| Tennessee | 30 (online test for ages 15 to 17, with a parent as proctor) | 80 percent | Knowledge permit test online, Tennessee Department of Safety |
| Texas | DPS’s handbook and rules do not state the number of questions | 70 percent | Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Texas DPS |
| Virginia | 10 on road signs and 30 on general knowledge | All 10 sign questions, and 24 of the 30 | The knowledge exam, Virginia DMV |
| Washington | 40 | 32 | Do I need to take a test?, Washington State Department of Licensing |
Rules change, and some states test teens and adults differently, so check the number again on your state’s site before test day.
What to look up in your state’s handbook
These differ from state to state. Check each one with your state’s driver licensing agency before test day:
- How many questions the test has, and how many you must get right.
- The minimum age for a learner’s permit, and how long you must hold it.
- Which documents to bring, the fee, and whether you need an appointment.
- Which languages the test is offered in, and whether there is a vision test on the same day.
- State traffic laws that are tested, such as right-of-way at all-way stops, turning on red and passing a stopped school bus.
- Supervised driving hours, night driving limits and passenger limits for new drivers.
How to get ready
- Read your state’s driver handbook. The test is written from it, and it has your state’s laws.
- Learn the signs and markings. They are national: try the road signs quiz and the free permit practice test.
- Test yourself out loud. Ask a parent or friend to quiz you, and explain why each answer is right.
- For parents: CDC suggests a parent-teen driving agreement, so you and your teen write down your rules for the permit stage and beyond.
Quick check
Who sets the number of questions on your permit test?
A. The federal government · B. Your state · C. The car manufacturer
Show answer
B. Your state. Each state writes its own permit test, so check your state’s handbook. Source: Learner’s permits, California DMV
Which sign shape is the same in every state and used only for STOP?
A. Octagon · B. Diamond · C. Rectangle
Show answer
A. Octagon. The MUTCD reserves the octagon for STOP signs (Section 2A.05). Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2A, General (signs): Section 2A.05, FHWA
What does a yellow sign color mean in the national color code?
A. Warning · B. Regulation · C. Services
Show answer
A. Warning. MUTCD Section 1D.05: yellow means warning. Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, General: Section 1D.05, FHWA
Common questions
How many questions are on the permit test?
It depends on your state. Of the states we checked, Pennsylvania asks 18, New York 20, Tennessee 30, Washington 40 and New Jersey 50. Texas and California do not publish a number on the pages we read. Your state’s driver handbook or licensing agency website has the number for your test.
What score do you need to pass the permit test?
Your state sets it. In the states we checked it ranges from 70 percent (Texas, and 14 of 20 in New York) to about 83 percent (15 of 18 in Pennsylvania). California, New Jersey, Tennessee and Washington ask for 80 percent, and Georgia for 15 of 20 on each part. Some states also have a separate rule for road signs: Virginia needs all 10 sign questions right.
Can you take the permit test online?
In some states. Tennessee, for example, has an online knowledge test for 15 to 17-year-olds with a parent or guardian as proctor, and in Texas a driver education provider may give the test to its own students. Check your state’s agency website for what it allows.
What is on the permit test?
Your state’s traffic laws, safe driving and road signs, all from your state’s driver handbook. Signs, signals and markings follow one national standard (the MUTCD), so they mean the same in every state.
Sources
- MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, General: Sections 1A.01, 1D.05, FHWA
- MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2A, General (signs): Section 2A.05, FHWA
- MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025
- State MUTCD information, FHWA
- Teenagers, IIHS
- Reducing risk for teen drivers, CDC
- Learner’s permits, California DMV
- Drivers Manual, Georgia Department of Driver Services
- Sample knowledge test, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
- Driver’s Manual, New York State DMV
- Driver’s Manual: testing, PennDOT
- Knowledge permit test online, Tennessee Department of Safety
- Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Texas DPS
- The knowledge exam, Virginia DMV
- Do I need to take a test?, Washington State Department of Licensing