Passing The Test

Learner permit

Requirement in months (aged 18 years+)

Total cost

License fee and tests ($)

Knowledge test

% needed to pass
No. of free attempts before reapplying

Road test

No. of graded elements
No. of free attempts before reapplying

Find your state

U.S State	Learner permit (over 18 years)	Cost ($)	Knowledge test	Road test	Difficulty score /100
WA Washington	None	$85	80% to pass	19 elements	80
MA Massachusetts	Required	$50	72% to pass	16 elements	77
MD Maryland	Required	$9	85% to pass	15 elements	75
SC South Carolina	Required	$5	80% to pass	17 elements	73
KS Kansas	None	$10	80% to pass	17 elements	72
VA Virginia	None	$4	86% to pass	17 elements	71
KY Kentucky	Required	$5	80% to pass	15 elements	70
DC District of Columbia	Required	$26	75% to pass	13 elements	69
OK Oklahoma	Required	$16	80% to pass	14 elements	69
NM New Mexico	Required	$5	68% to pass	16 elements	68
AL Alabama	None	$9	80% to pass	16 elements	67
PA Pennsylvania	None	$9	83% to pass	18 elements	67
FL Florida	None	$6	80% to pass	14 elements	67
VT Vermont	Required	$67	80% to pass	10 elements	66
CA California	Required	$7	83% to pass	15 elements	66
MS Mississippi	Required	$6	70% to pass	15 elements	64
TN Tennessee	None	$5	77% to pass	16 elements	64
OR Oregon	None	$22	80% to pass	12 elements	64
NJ New Jersey	None	$10	80% to pass	14 elements	63
NC North Carolina	None	$5	80% to pass	16 elements	63
MO Missouri	None	$3	80% to pass	15 elements	62
RI Rhode Island	Required	$34	80% to pass	10 elements	62
LA Louisiana	None	$6	80% to pass	13 elements	62
IN Indiana	None	$3	70% to pass	16 elements	62
MI Michigan	Required	$6	70% to pass	14 elements	62
GA Georgia	None	$14	75% to pass	12 elements	61
ND North Dakota	Required	$14	80% to pass	10 elements	61
MN Minnesota	Required	$6	80% to pass	12 elements	61
WI Wisconsin	Required	$19	80% to pass	12 elements	61
ID Idaho	None	$35	85% to pass	11 elements	61
CT Connecticut	Required	$52	80% to pass	10 elements	61
WV West Virginia	Required	$6	76% to pass	14 elements	60
NH New Hampshire	None	$17	80% to pass	14 elements	59
AK Alaska	None	$19	80% to pass	12 elements	59
TX Texas	None	$15	72% to pass	14 elements	59
DE Delaware	Required	$5	80% to pass	10 elements	59
HI Hawaii	Required	$15	80% to pass	8 elements	58
WY Wyoming	None	$10	80% to pass	12 elements	57
MT Montana	None	$5	82% to pass	13 elements	57
IA Iowa	Required	$4	80% to pass	10 elements	57
ME Maine	None	$15	80% to pass	9 elements	57
IL Illinois	None	$8	80% to pass	13 elements	57
UT Utah	None	$6	80% to pass	13 elements	57
NV Nevada	None	$31	80% to pass	7 elements	54
AZ Arizona	Required	$5	80% to pass	12 elements	53
CO Colorado	Required	$5	80% to pass	10 elements	52
NE Nebraska	None	$5	80% to pass	11 elements	52
NY New York	None	$20	70% to pass	10 elements	49
AR Arkansas	None	$5	80% to pass	7 elements	49
OH Ohio	None	$7	75% to pass	9 elements	45
SD South Dakota	None	$9	80% to pass	6 elements	42

This information has been compiled on the basis of:

Official Driver Handbook (or equivalent) issued by the Department for Motor Vehicles (or equivalent) in each state,
Official websites of the Department for Motor Vehicles (or equivalent) in each state
Information on driver testing from comparison websites Driving-Tests.org, DMV.org

All the information about licensing, driving tests, and associated requirements was collected on the assumption of the applicant being 18 years old and not having any mitigating circumstances, such as a veteran status or disability.

All information has been collated in September 2018 based on the latest materials available from the sources as noted above.

Notes for specific states

In Washington, costs of both knowledge and road test varies depending on testing location. Cost given in the graphic represents a typical cost of testing in Seattle.

In Hawaii, costs of license and testing vary depending on the county where the applicant lives. Cost given in the graphic are based on fees charged in Honolulu county.

In Iowa, Texas, and Utah, applicants aged 18 or older aren’t required to have a learner permit (or equivalent) before applying for a full license, but are required to complete a driver’s education course.

In Colorado, applicants aged 18 or older are required to obtain a learner permit but there is no minimum period for holding it prior to applying for a full license.

Difficulty ranking has been compiled on the basis of the following factors:

Learner permit requirement. Whether it's necessary to have a learner permit or equivalent prior to application for a full license and the duration this permit should be held.
License cost. Cost of a license per year of validity.
Testing cost. Total cost of written and road test.
Knowledge test difficulty. Passing grade, i.e. % of questions one needs to get right
Knowledge test fail permissiveness. Number of free attempts before reapplication or re-testing fee.
Road test - Maneuvers. Number of graded maneuver elements, e.g. 3-point turn, parallel parking.
Road test - Vehicle control. Number of graded vehicle control elements, e.g. turn signals, steering, etc.
Road test - Adherence. Number of graded adherence elements, e.g. adhering to traffic signs and speed limits.
Road test - Driver behaviors. Number of graded driver behaviors, e.g. observation, posture.
Road test failure permissiveness. Number of free attempts before re-application.

Weightings and factors were approved by an expert at driving-tests.org.

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