How Many Questions Are on the Driver's Permit Test? By State (2026)
It depends on the state. Among states that publish the format, the written knowledge test for a regular car license has between 18 and 50 questions, and you usually need about 80% correct to pass. Pennsylvania has the shortest test (18 questions); Florida, New Jersey, Utah and Wisconsin have the longest (50). Many states, though, don't publish the number of questions at all, only the passing score. The full table is below.
Quick summary
- We checked 51 states (including Washington, D.C.), each against its official source.
- 28 states publish both the number of questions and how many you need right.
- 11 states publish only the passing percentage (Texas, for example: 70%).
- The rest publish neither. Ask your local office.
- The most common passing score is 80%. At the extremes: Maryland requires 88% (22 of 25), while New York, Texas and New Mexico require 70%.
Table: questions and passing score by state
"To pass" is the minimum number of correct answers. When a state only gives a percentage, the question count shows "Not published". Click your state for its full guide with practice questions.
| State | Questions | To pass | % | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not published | — | Not published | ALEA |
| Alaska | 20 | 16 | 80% | DMV |
| Arizona | 30 | 24 | 80% | ADOT MVD |
| Arkansas | Not published | — | Not published | State Police (handbook) |
| California | 36 | 30 | 83% | DMV |
| Colorado | Not published | — | 80% | DMV |
| Connecticut | 25 | 20 | 80% | DMV |
| Delaware | Not published | — | Not published | DMV |
| District of Columbia | Not published | — | Not published | DC DMV |
| Florida | 50 | 40 | 80% | FLHSMV |
| Georgia | 40 (2 parts) | 30 | 75% | DDS |
| Hawaii | Not published | — | 80% | HDOT |
| Idaho | 40 | 34 | 85% | ITD DMV |
| Illinois | 35 | 28 | 80% | Illinois Admin. Code |
| Indiana | Not published | — | 80% | BMV |
| Iowa | Not published | — | 80% | Iowa DOT |
| Kansas | Not published | — | Not published | KDOR |
| Kentucky | Not published | — | 80% | KSP (manual) |
| Louisiana | Not published | — | 80% | OMV |
| Maine | 30 | 24 | 80% | BMV |
| Maryland | 25 | 22 | 88% | MDOT MVA |
| Massachusetts | 25 | 18 | 72% | RMV |
| Michigan | Not published | — | 80% | Secretary of State |
| Minnesota | Not published | — | 80% | Minnesota Rules |
| Mississippi | Not published | — | Not published | DSB |
| Missouri | 25 | 20 | 80% | Highway Patrol |
| Montana | Not published | — | Not published | MVD |
| Nebraska | 25 | 20 | 80% | DMV |
| Nevada | 25 | 20 | 80% | DMV |
| New Hampshire | 40 | 32 | 80% | DMV |
| New Jersey | 50 | 40 | 80% | MVC |
| New Mexico | Not published | — | 70% | MVD |
| New York | 20 | 14 | 70% | DMV |
| North Carolina | Not published | — | Not published | NCDMV |
| North Dakota | Not published | — | Not published | NDDOT |
| Ohio | 40 | 30 | 75% | BMV |
| Oklahoma | 20 | 15 | 75% | SOK |
| Oregon | 35 | 28 | 80% | ODOT DMV |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 15 | 83% | PennDOT |
| Rhode Island | Not published | — | Not published | RIDMV |
| South Carolina | Not published | — | Not published | SCDMV |
| South Dakota | Not published | — | 80% | DPS |
| Tennessee | 30 | 24 | 80% | TN Safety |
| Texas | Not published | — | 70% | DPS |
| Utah | 50 | 40 | 80% | DLD |
| Vermont | 20 | 16 | 80% | DMV |
| Virginia | 30 (+10 signs) | 24 | 80% | DMV |
| Washington | 40 | 32 | 80% | DOL |
| West Virginia | 25 | 19 | 76% | WV DMV |
| Wisconsin | 50 (+15 signs) | 40 | 80% | WisDOT DMV |
| Wyoming | Not published | — | Not published | WYDOT |
Percentages are "to pass" divided by "questions", rounded, or the percentage the state publishes.
Special cases
Two-part tests
- Georgia: two separate tests, Road Rules (20 questions) and Road Signs (20 questions). You need 15 right on each.
- Virginia: first 10 road-sign questions, and you must get all 10 right. Then 30 general-knowledge questions, 24 needed.
- Wisconsin: besides the 50-question test, there is a 15-question signs test; you need 12.
- New York: 20 questions, 14 needed, and at least 2 of the 4 road-sign questions right.
- Indiana: two sections (signs and rules), 80% needed on each.
Tests that depend on age or history
- California: 36 questions (30 right) is for applicants 18 and older; under 18 it's 46 questions (38 right). This comes from an official DMV research report from 2006; the current handbook gives no counts, so it may have changed.
- Utah: never-licensed applicants take a 50-question closed-book test; previously licensed applicants take a 25-question open-book test.
Percentage only
The Texas handbook says you need 70% or better, but DPS doesn't publish the number of questions. You'll see "30 questions" online, but we couldn't find it on any official page, so we don't state it. Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan and others are similar.
Nothing published
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington, D.C. and Wyoming publish neither the number of questions nor the passing score (the Kansas handbook says 25 questions but gives no passing score). If you see a number elsewhere, it isn't official.
What this means for you
The passing score matters more than the question count. At 80%, you can miss 5 on a 25-question test, 10 on a 50-question test, and only 3 in Maryland. Aim for 90% or more on practice tests so you have a cushion on test day.
- Study your state's official handbook. The questions come from it.
- Practice in your state's format. If your test has a separate signs section, drill road signs on their own.
- Review the usual traps: right-of-way, parking distances and alcohol rules. See the most-missed DMV test questions.
- Check the language. Not every state offers the test in Spanish; Florida has been English-only since 2026. See the state-by-state list.
For a full plan, read how to pass the DMV written test on the first try.
Practice in your state's format
In the Abuelito Driving School app you pick your state, and the practice test uses that state's format when the state publishes it. There are one-minute video lessons and voiced questions, in Spanish or English, and it works in your browser.
Official sources
Every row in the table links to the official page or handbook with the figure, all checked in October 2026. Special cases: Georgia DDS · Virginia DMV · Wisconsin handbook · New York DMV · California DMV report · Utah DLD · Texas DPS handbook.
Abuelito Driving School is an online school, not the DMV or any government agency. Rules change; if anything here differs from your state's official handbook, the handbook wins.
Practice with Abuelito
Video lessons, voiced questions and practice tests in your state's format.