Texas permit test: what to know before the DPS knowledge test
The short answer
You need 70 percent to pass the Texas knowledge test. The Texas Driver Handbook and the state’s rules do not say how many questions it has, so practice for a full test.
Source: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7, revised January 2026), Texas DPS
In Texas the permit is called a learner license, and you can get one from age 15 after passing the classroom phase of an approved driver education course.
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DriveQuiz is not connected to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) or the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Every fact below links to the DPS handbook, a TDLR page or the Texas statute it comes from, checked on October 20, 2026.
Practice now with the 40-question Texas mock test: 20 Texas law questions and 20 all-states rules-and-signs questions, scored against 70 percent.
Use the permit test pass-mark checker to work out how many questions you can miss.
The Texas learner license at a glance
| Minimum age | 15 (and under 18 for a learner license) § 521.222 |
|---|---|
| Before you apply | Pass the classroom phase of an approved driver education course § 521.222 |
| Pass mark | 70 percent (Texas Driver Handbook, chapter 1) |
| Number of questions | Not published by DPS |
| What it covers | Texas traffic laws, highway signs (in English), duties toward bicyclists, and phones and other distractions § 521.161 |
| Languages | English or Spanish; sign text stays in English § 521.162 |
| Tries | Three per application and fee § 521.161 |
| Where | A DPS office, or your driver education provider § 521.1655 |
What the knowledge test covers
Texas law says the examination must test your knowledge of Texas traffic laws, your understanding of highway signs in English, the rights and duties of drivers toward bicyclists, and how using a phone or other distractions affects driving (Transportation Code § 521.161(b)). Study the Texas Driver Handbook from cover to cover, and learn the signs until you know them on sight.
How many questions are on the Texas permit test?
The Texas Driver Handbook, the Texas Administrative Code and the Transportation Code do not state how many questions the test has. We read these sources on October 20, 2026; they give the pass mark but no time limit. Many websites say 30 questions with 21 to pass; we could not confirm that in any DPS source, so treat it as unconfirmed.
What is confirmed: you need 70 percent or better on the knowledge exam (Texas Driver Handbook, chapter 1).
Who can get a learner license
- You must be at least 15 and under 18, and have passed the classroom phase of an approved driver education course (§ 521.222(a)).
- A parent or guardian with custody signs the application of anyone under 18 (§ 521.145(a)).
- You show school attendance with a Verification of Enrollment and Attendance (VOE) form. TDLR says it is valid for 30 days, or 90 days in June to August (TDLR). Home school counts: at least 80 days of attendance in the previous fall or spring semester is one way to qualify (§ 521.204(a)(3)).
DPS lists what to bring on its learner license page for teens.
Driving with a learner license
- Carry your license, and drive only with an adult in the seat beside you who holds a license for that vehicle, is at least 21 and has at least one year of driving experience (§ 521.222(d)).
- That adult must stay alert: sleeping while you drive is an offense for them (§ 521.222(g)).
- Until you turn 18 you may not use a phone while driving, even hands-free, except in an emergency (§ 545.424).
From learner license to provisional license
- Hold your learner license for at least six months, and be at least 16 (§ 521.204).
- Watch the Impact Texas Teen Driver program, a free two-hour video, within 90 days before your driving test (TDLR).
- Pass the driving test. It cannot be waived for anyone under 18 (§ 521.165(d)).
Limits until you turn 18
With a provisional license, and without a qualified adult beside you (§ 545.424(a-1)):
- at most one passenger under 21 who is not a family member;
- no driving between midnight and 5 a.m. unless it is for work, a school-related activity or a medical emergency.
A provisional license issued to a US citizen expires on your 18th birthday (§ 521.271(a)).
Parent-taught driver education in brief
Texas lets a parent teach driver education, which suits families who want to practice together.
- Who can teach: a parent, stepparent, foster parent, legal guardian, grandparent or step-grandparent, or an adult designated on the TDLR form who is at least 25, has seven years of driving experience and teaches for free (Education Code § 1001.112(b)).
- The instructor must have held a valid license for the past three years and have no conviction for driving while intoxicated in the past seven years (§ 1001.112(b)(2)–(3)).
- The course materials must come from a licensed provider with a parent-taught endorsement (§ 1001.112(a)), and TDLR authorizes one instructor for one student, so each child needs their own application (TDLR).
- In the car: 14 hours of instruction plus 30 hours of practice, at least 10 of them at night, starting only once DPS has issued the learner license (TDLR).
TDLR’s pages give different classroom hours (24 hours for the course on one page; 32 hours, or 6 with the concurrent method, before the written exam on another). Check the current number with TDLR or your course provider.
How to practice
- Texas practice test: 40 questions mixing Texas law and all-states rules and signs, scored against 70 percent. Free, in your browser.
- Road signs quiz and the road signs library: signs are a required part of the test.
- All-states permit practice test: signals, markings and rules that are the same in Texas as everywhere else.
Our questions are our own, drafted with AI help from the Texas Transportation Code, the Texas Driver Handbook and TDLR’s pages, and checked against them. They are not the real test questions, and DPS, TDLR and driving instructors have not reviewed them: how we write and check our questions.
Common questions
How many questions are on the Texas permit test?
We could not find the number in any Texas Department of Public Safety source. The Texas Driver Handbook, the Texas Administrative Code and the Transportation Code that we read all leave it out. Many websites say 30 questions; we could not confirm that in any DPS source. What is published is the pass mark: 70 percent.
What score do you need to pass the Texas permit test?
70 percent or better. The Texas Driver Handbook says you need “a grade of 70 percent or better to pass any knowledge exam”.
How many times can you take the Texas permit test?
Each application and fee covers three tries at each part of the examination (Transportation Code § 521.161(d)). After that you apply and pay again.
Can I take the Texas permit test in Spanish?
Yes. DPS offers the test in English or Spanish. On the Spanish test the text of highway signs stays in English (Transportation Code § 521.162).
Can I take the permit test through my driver education course?
Texas law lets a driver education provider give the knowledge test to its own students, and a licensed parent-taught provider may give the highway sign and traffic law parts (Transportation Code § 521.1655). Ask your course provider how they give it. Otherwise you take it at a DPS driver license office.
Sources
- Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7, revised January 2026), Texas Department of Public Safety
- Texas learner license as a teen, Texas Department of Public Safety
- Texas Transportation Code, chapter 521 (driver’s licenses)
- Texas Transportation Code, chapter 545 (operation of vehicles)
- Texas Education Code, chapter 1001 (driver and traffic safety education)
- Parent-taught driver education, TDLR
- Getting the learner license (parent-taught), TDLR
- Behind the wheel instruction (parent-taught), TDLR
- Getting a provisional driver’s license (parent-taught), TDLR