How Many Questions Can You Get Wrong on the Permit Test?
Reviewed by Chad HenryAfter 25 years of teaching driver education
The Short Answer
It depends on your state. In the 30 states that publish both the number of questions and the pass mark, you can get between 3 (Maryland and Pennsylvania) and 10 (Florida, New Jersey, Ohio and Utah) questions wrong and still pass. The most common answer is 6.
Georgia, Virginia and Wisconsin score road signs and road rules as separate parts, so you must pass each part on its own - Virginia needs every one of its 10 sign questions right. 20 states do not publish how many questions their test has, so there the number you can miss depends on the test you get.
Most states that publish a pass mark set it at 80% (31 of 42); the full range is 70% to 88%. Every figure below comes from the state's own DMV or handbook.
Find your state's exact number ↓How Long Is the Permit Test, Really?
Each state writes its own exam, so there is no single national number. Among the states that publish their test length, a single test runs from 18 questions (Pennsylvania) to 50 (Florida, New Jersey and Utah). Wisconsin gives two tests: 50 questions on traffic laws and 15 on highway signs.
This guide breaks down the numbers, shows what they mean for how many you can miss, and links you straight to a matching practice test for your state.
Why the Number Varies
Every state's licensing agency - whether it is called the DMV, DPS, BMV, MVD, or something else - builds its own knowledge test from its own driver's handbook. That is why the count and the passing bar differ: a state might ask 20 questions and require 70% (14 correct), while another asks 50 and requires 80% (40 correct). The topics are similar everywhere - road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving - but the format is local.
Questions and Passing Scores in All 50 States
Every state's official figures, including the few states that score road signs and road rules as separate parts - there you have to pass each part on its own:
| State | Questions | Correct needed | You can miss | Min. age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | not published | not published | - | 15 years old |
| Alaska | 20 | 16 (80%) | 4 | 14 years old |
| Arizona | 30 | 24 (80%) | 6 | 15½ years old |
| Arkansas | not published | not published | - | 14 years old |
| California | not published | 80% | - | 15½ years old |
| Colorado | not published | 80% | - | 15 years old |
| Connecticut | 25 | 20 (80%) | 5 | 16 years old |
| Delaware | not published | 80% | - | 16 years old |
| Florida | 50 | 40 (80%) | 10 | 15 years old |
| Georgia | 20 road signs + 20 road rules | 15/20 + 15/20 | 5 + 5 | 15 years old |
| Hawaii | 30 | 24 (80%) | 6 | 15½ years old |
| Idaho | 40 | 34 (85%) | 6 | 14½ years old |
| Illinois | 35 | 28 (80%) | 7 | 15 years old |
| Indiana | not published | 80% | - | 15 years old |
| Iowa | not published | not published | - | 14 years old |
| Kansas | 25 | 20 (80%) | 5 | 14 years old |
| Kentucky | not published | 80% | - | 15 years old |
| Louisiana | 40 | 32 (80%) | 8 | 15 years old |
| Maine | 30 | 24 (80%) | 6 | 15 years old |
| Maryland | 25 | 22 (88%) | 3 | 15 years 9 months old |
| Massachusetts | 25 | 18 (72%) | 7 | 16 years old |
| Michigan | not published | not published | - | 14 years 9 months old |
| Minnesota | not published | 80% | - | 15 years old |
| Mississippi | not published | 80% | - | 15 years old |
| Missouri | 25 | 20 (80%) | 5 | 15 years old |
| Montana | not published | not published | - | 15 years old |
| Nebraska | 25 | 20 (80%) | 5 | 15 years old |
| Nevada | 25 | 20 (80%) | 5 | 15½ years old |
| New Hampshire | 40 | 32 (80%) | 8 | 15½ years old |
| New Jersey | 50 | 40 (80%) | 10 | 17 years old |
| New Mexico | not published | 70% | - | 15 years old |
| New York | 20 | 14 (70%)incl. 2 of 4 road signs | 6 | 16 years old |
| North Carolina | not published | 80% | - | 15 years old |
| North Dakota | not published | not published | - | 14 years old |
| Ohio | 40 | 30 (75%) | 10 | 15½ years old |
| Oklahoma | 20 | 15 (75%) | 5 | 15 years old |
| Oregon | 35 | 28 (80%) | 7 | 15 years old |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 15 (83%) | 3 | 16 years old |
| Rhode Island | not published | not published | - | 16 years old |
| South Carolina | not published | not published | - | 15 years old |
| South Dakota | not published | 80% | - | 14 years old |
| Tennessee | 30 | 24 (80%) | 6 | 15 years old |
| Texas | not published | 70% | - | 15 years old |
| Utah | 50 | 40 (80%) | 10 | 15 years old |
| Vermont | 20 | 16 (80%) | 4 | 15 years old |
| Virginia | 10 road signs + 30 general knowledge | 10/10 + 24/30 | 0 + 6 | 15½ years old |
| Washington | 40 | 32 (80%) | 8 | 15½ years old |
| West Virginia | 25 | 19 (76%) | 6 | 15 years old |
| Wisconsin | 15 highway signs + 50 traffic laws | 12/15 + 40/50 | 3 + 10 | 15 years old |
| Wyoming | not published | 80% | - | 15 years old |
How Many Can You Miss?
The passing score tells you your margin. At an 80% bar on a 25-question test, you can miss 5 and still pass. At 70% on a 20-question test, you can miss 6. But aiming for the bare minimum is risky - questions are drawn randomly, and a couple of unlucky topics can sink a borderline score. Target comfortably above the cutoff every time you practice.
What the Questions Cover
No matter the count, the questions come from the same families:
- Road signs - shape, color, and meaning. Drill them on our road signs practice test.
- Right-of-way - four-way stops, roundabouts, and crosswalks. See our right-of-way guide.
- Speed limits and stopping - residential, school-zone, and highway limits.
- Signs, signals, and markings - lights, lane lines, and what each permits.
- Impaired and distracted driving - BAC limits and phone laws.
Does a Longer Test Mean a Harder Test?
Not really. A 50-question exam at 80% and a 20-question exam at 70% both demand that you actually know the handbook - a longer test just gives each question less weight. What reliably separates people who pass from people who retake is not the length; it is practice. Research on the testing effect shows that quizzing yourself beats re-reading, which is the whole idea behind our format.
Bottom Line
Expect somewhere between 18 and 50 questions and a passing bar of 70% to 88% (80% in most states), depending on your state. Look up your exact numbers, then practice until you clear that bar consistently. Start now with a free permit practice test for your state, and read how to pass on your first try to lock in a plan.