How Many Questions Are on the DMV Test?
DMV written tests range from 20 questions in a few smaller states to 50 in places like New York and Massachusetts. Here is the breakdown for the standard car/Class C test in every state.
| State | Agency | Questions | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL DPS | 30 | 80% |
| Alaska | AK DMV | 20 | 80% |
| Arizona | AZ MVD | 30 | 80% |
| Arkansas | AR DFA | 25 | 80% |
| California | CA DMV | 36 | 83% |
| Colorado | CO DMV | 25 | 80% |
| Connecticut | CT DMV | 25 | 80% |
| Delaware | DE DMV | 30 | 80% |
| District of Columbia | DC DMV | 25 | 80% |
| Florida | FL DHSMV | 50 | 80% |
| Georgia | GA DDS | 40 | 75% |
| Hawaii | HI DOT | 30 | 80% |
| Idaho | ID ITD | 40 | 75% |
| Illinois | IL SOS | 35 | 75% |
| Indiana | IN BMV | 50 | 80% |
| Iowa | IA DOT | 35 | 80% |
| Kansas | KS DOR | 25 | 80% |
| Kentucky | KY DOT | 40 | 80% |
| Louisiana | LA OMV | 40 | 80% |
| Maine | ME BMV | 30 | 70% |
| Maryland | MD MVA | 25 | 85% |
| Massachusetts | MA RMV | 25 | 72% |
| Michigan | MI SOS | 50 | 80% |
| Minnesota | MN DPS | 40 | 80% |
| Mississippi | MS DPS | 30 | 80% |
| Missouri | MO DOR | 25 | 80% |
| Montana | MT DOJ | 33 | 82% |
| Nebraska | NE DMV | 25 | 80% |
| Nevada | NV DMV | 25 | 80% |
| New Hampshire | NH DMV | 40 | 80% |
| New Jersey | NJ MVC | 50 | 80% |
| New Mexico | NM MVD | 25 | 72% |
| New York | NY DMV | 20 | 70% |
| North Carolina | NC DMV | 25 | 80% |
| North Dakota | ND DOT | 25 | 80% |
| Ohio | OH BMV | 40 | 75% |
| Oklahoma | OK DPS | 20 | 75% |
| Oregon | OR DMV | 35 | 80% |
| Pennsylvania | PA DOT | 18 | 83% |
| Rhode Island | RI DMV | 40 | 70% |
| South Carolina | SC DMV | 30 | 80% |
| South Dakota | SD DPS | 25 | 80% |
| Tennessee | TN DOS | 30 | 80% |
| Texas | TX DPS | 30 | 70% |
| Utah | UT DPS | 25 | 80% |
| Vermont | VT DMV | 20 | 80% |
| Washington | WA DOL | 40 | 80% |
| West Virginia | WV DMV | 25 | 76% |
| Wisconsin | WI DOT | 50 | 80% |
| Wyoming | WY DOT | 25 | 80% |
States that test in two parts
These jurisdictions split the knowledge exam, so a single question count and pass mark would misdescribe them:
-
Virginia (VA DMV) —
- Part 1 — road signs: 10 questions, 10 correct — All 10 must be correct before part two is offered.
- Part 2 — general knowledge: 30 questions, 24 correct — 80% of part two.
The range: 18 to 50 questions
The shortest standard car test in the country is Pennsylvania's at 18 questions; the longest is Wisconsin's at 50. The national average sits around 32 questions. Counter-intuitively, a shorter test is usually harder per question: with only 18 questions and a 83% bar, Pennsylvania lets you miss just 3, while Wisconsin's longer format absorbs 10 misses. When you check your state in the table, look at the spread between "Questions" and "Pass" — that gap is your real safety cushion.
Why do states differ at all?
Knowledge testing is one of the few parts of driver licensing left almost entirely to the states. Each agency designs its own question bank from its own handbook, chooses its own sampling size, and balances test length against office throughput — a 50-question test simply takes longer per applicant than a 20-question one, which matters at high-volume urban offices. Commercial licensing is the closest thing to an exception: FMCSA regulations set the knowledge areas a CDL general-knowledge exam must cover, which is why CDL study material travels between states better than car-test material does. The number of questions and the mechanics of the sitting are still the state's to set.
Time limits
Most states give you unlimited time on the written test, which surprises first-timers — there is no countdown clock at the testing station. A few states impose a soft 20-45 minute limit, and at busy offices you may be asked to finish before closing time. As a practical benchmark, most prepared test-takers finish a 25-question test in 10-15 minutes. Rushing is the enemy: the most common self-reported reason for a surprise fail is misreading a question stem ("Which of the following is NOT…"), not lack of knowledge.
Test format
All states use multiple-choice questions with 3 or 4 answer options. Most have moved to computer-based touchscreen testing; a handful of rural offices still use paper. Two format details worth knowing before you sit down:
- One question at a time, often no going back. Many computer systems lock each answer as you submit it. Treat every question as final — there's no "review my flagged answers" phase like a school exam.
- Early termination. Several testing systems stop the exam as soon as your result is mathematically decided — pass or fail. Ending after 16 questions isn't a glitch; it means you cleared the bar (or missed too many) before seeing the full set.
Topic distribution
Regardless of length, nearly every state's test draws from the same four buckets in roughly the same proportions: about 40-50% road signs and signals, 30-40% rules of the road (right-of-way, speed, passing, parking), 10-15% safe-driving technique and emergency handling, and 5-10% alcohol, drug, and license-law questions. Because signs are the largest bucket and the most memorization-friendly, they're the highest-return study topic — a test-taker who is solid on all standard signs walks in with nearly half the exam already banked. Our road-sign library covers every standard MUTCD sign, and our practice tests mirror the real category mix.
Motorcycle and CDL tests are counted separately
The table above covers the standard car (Class C/D) knowledge test. Adding a motorcycle endorsement means a separate Class M knowledge test — typically 20-25 questions on motorcycle-specific skills like lane positioning, counter-steering, and gear. CDL applicants sit a general-knowledge exam plus a separate test for each endorsement (air brakes, tankers, doubles/triples, hazmat, passenger, school bus); both the length and the pass mark are set by the state, so check yours. If you are adding a motorcycle endorsement, start from our motorcycle hub — that question pool is completely different from the car test. Our CDL practice tests are offline while we rebuild that question bank.
How to use this table
Click your state to see its full test page: number of questions, passing score, time limits, retake rules, required documents, and free practice tests built from your state's handbook. If you're moving between states, remember the question count follows the issuing state — transfer your license within your new state's grace window and most DMVs will waive the knowledge test entirely.