Test Info
Failed the Permit Test? Retake Rules and Waiting Periods by State
5 min readFact-checked against official state and federal sources
Reviewed by Chad HenryAfter 25 years of teaching driver education
Failing the permit test is common - and fixable
Plenty of first-time applicants fail the knowledge test, usually by a question or two. Every state lets you try again; what differs is how soon and how many times. Some states let you retest the next business day, some make you wait a week or more, and some limit attempts before you have to re-apply and pay again.
The table below shows each state's published rule. Where an agency doesn't publish a waiting period, we say so rather than guess.
| State | Retake rule |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Not published - ask the DMV |
| Alaska | May be retaken the following day (per Driver Manual); no published attempt limit. |
| Arizona | 7 days (ADOT MVD extended the retake wait to 7 days; older MVD pages say the following business day); up to 3 attempts without paying a new application fee |
| Arkansas | 5 calendar days (learner's permit/learner's license/intermediate); no published attempt limit; $5 per retest |
| California | 7 days, not including the day of failure (minors); 3 attempts before you must reapply |
| Colorado | Not published - ask the DMV |
| Connecticut | 7 days; must pay the $40 testing fee again to reschedule (no published attempt limit) |
| Delaware | Not published - ask the DMV |
| Florida | None required by rule: after failing the written exam another test may be taken the same day, examining time permitting (Rule 15A-1.016, F.A.C.); no attempt limit published in rule |
| Georgia | Not published - ask the DDS |
| Hawaii | 7 days (applies to in-person and online test) |
| Idaho | At least 3 days; test fee must be re-paid each attempt. |
| Illinois | Not published - ask the SOS |
| Indiana | Next business day. |
| Iowa | At least one business day (cannot repeat the same day; at examiner's discretion) |
| Kansas | No published minimum wait between attempts; 4 chances to pass the written test, after the 4th failure must wait a minimum of 6 months from the most recent failure (in-person re-exam fee $1.50; online KnowTo Drive retest $8.50) |
| Kentucky | May return the next available day to retake; no attempts limit published |
| Louisiana | Not published - ask the OMV |
| Maine | Not published - ask the BMV |
| Maryland | May retake the next day; after failing two or more times must wait at least 7 calendar days before retesting |
| Massachusetts | No published waiting period; retake by paying the $30 exam fee again (via myRMV 'Retake Knowledge Exam' or a new RMV appointment). No published attempts limit. |
| Michigan | SOS knowledge test (adults): failing terminates the test and you must reschedule for a different day. Teen Segment 1 exam retakes are handled by the driver-ed provider. No published attempts limit. |
| Minnesota | Only one knowledge test allowed per day (so earliest retake is the next day); $10 fee applies to the third and any subsequent attempt after two consecutive failures. No attempts limit published. |
| Mississippi | No wait published for first or second failure; after a third failure applicant must wait 30 days. Cheating or banned electronics in the test area bars retesting for 6 months. |
| Missouri | No wait - the written test may be taken up to two times per day until passed |
| Montana | No specific waiting period published; the license receipt (valid 1 year) allows 3 attempts to pass all required exams, after which you must re-apply |
| Nebraska | A failed test may not be retaken the same day (Nebraska Driver's Manual 1D-5). Three successive failed drive tests bars reapplying until a DMV-approved driver training course is completed or an LPD has been held 90 days. |
| Nevada | Next day after a failure; 24 hours if disqualified (online); $10 retest fee each time |
| New Hampshire | 10 calendar days before retesting a failed Operator knowledge test (5 days for CDL); exams are randomized so a retake is a different test |
| New Jersey | 7 days before retaking a failed knowledge test (14 days for a failed road test) |
| New Mexico | No mandatory wait (may retake the same day) but no more than 2 attempts in one week; after 3 failures must wait 6 months from the application date |
| New York | Not published - ask the DMV |
| North Carolina | 7 calendar days (NCDMV states this for the regular Class C knowledge/driving test) |
| North Dakota | One attempt per day ($5 per attempt in person) |
| Ohio | Online: max 2 attempts per 6-month period with a 24-hour wait between attempts; in-person retake wait not published |
| Oklahoma | May retest the next day ('Try again tomorrow'); online exam limited to 2 attempts, further attempts must be in person at Service Oklahoma; $4 fee per failed attempt |
| Oregon | May retest the same day at a DMV office (subject to testing-resource availability). Online: max 2 attempts in any 24-hour period and max 4 online attempts per test type, after which further attempts must be at a DMV office. Cheating = 90-day testing ban. |
| Pennsylvania | May retake the Knowledge Test the following business day; no attempt limit stated for the knowledge test (road test: 3 attempts per permit, 7-day wait if under 18) |
| Rhode Island | Not published - ask the DMV |
| South Carolina | Not published - ask the DMV |
| South Dakota | No statutory waiting period found; the application fee covers up to 3 attempts to pass the examination within 6 months of the application date (SDCL 32-12-2) |
| Tennessee | 24 hours (online test); online test limited to 2 attempts |
| Texas | Not published - ask the DPS |
| Utah | No mandated wait; you may test twice in one day. The fee covers up to 3 attempts within 12 months; after 3 failures a second fee is required. |
| Vermont | At least one day; the test fee is paid each time. |
| Virginia | Under 18: not eligible for retesting for at least 15 days after failing (Va. Code 46.2-334.1). Wait for adults and any attempts limit not verified. |
| Washington | DOL states only that 'there may be a waiting period before you can retest'; no fixed period or attempts limit published. A passing score is valid for 2 years. |
| West Virginia | 7 days after failing the knowledge test; no attempts limit published. Passing score valid 6 months. |
| Wisconsin | In-office: no sooner than the next day. Online: once per calendar day (24-hour period), max 2 online attempts. Maximum 5 attempts per test in a 12-month period; further attempts need DMV permission. |
| Wyoming | Not published - ask the DOT |
What to do in the waiting period
- Write down what you remember. Straight after the test, list the topics that felt unfamiliar - signs, speed limits, alcohol rules, right-of-way.
- Go back to the handbook for those topics, not just the questions you remember. The retake will have different questions on the same rules.
- Practise until you have a margin. If your state needs 80%, aim for 90% on practice tests. Our free state practice tests track your weakest topics, and the review mode re-quizzes you on every question you missed.
- Take a full-length simulator the day before so the real test length and pacing feel familiar.
Money and paperwork
In many states the application fee covers a set number of attempts, and after that you pay again. Keep your receipt or application paperwork - some states require it for the retake - and check whether your appointment must be rebooked online.
How many questions you can miss in every state · How to pass the permit test