Permit tests by state/California
California DMV · knowledge test · free practice
California DMV Permit Practice Test
- RetakeWait 7 days (under 18)
- Free here20 questions, no signup
This free California DMV permit practice test covers the 2026 knowledge exam: 46 questions (36 for adults 18+) with an 83% passing score, written directly from the official California Driver's Handbook.
How many questions are on the California permit test, and what score passes?
The California DMV Permit test has 46 questions. You need 38 correct (83%) to pass, so you can miss 8 questions. Applicants under 18 take 46 questions; adults 18+ take 36 and need 30 correct.
Source: California Driver's Handbook.
Gauges
What the California permit test covers
Each gauge is one topic's share of the 300 questions in this bank, written from the California Driver's Handbook. Tap one to read its free questions.
How strict is California?
California asks for 83%. The average of the 36 states that publish a pass mark is 79%; 32 states ask for less.
- Lowest
- 70% New Mexico
- Average
- 79% 36 states
- Highest
- 88% Maryland
From each state agency’s own page; every state’s format.
Warning lights
California permit test rules that fail people
What California DMV says ends an attempt.
Three attempts per application.
Source: California Driver's Handbook.
Route planner
How to pass the California permit test
A study plan built from the California Driver's Handbook and the test's own rules, in the order to do it.
Master speed rules first: 65 mph highway default, 25 in districts, 15 in alleys
Drill right-of-way, intersections, and curb colors until they're automatic
Memorize the alcohol numbers: 0.08% adult, 0.01% under 21
Finish with timed 46-question practice benchmarks at 90%+ before test day
California numbers the test asks about
- Speed limits65 mphMost California highways, unless postedSpeed Limits
- Distances100 feetStart signaling before a turnSignaling
- Parking and curbs15 feetNo parking within this distance of a fire hydrant or fire station drivewayIllegal Parking
- Alcohol0.08%Illegal BAC at 21 and overBlood Alcohol Concentration Limits
- Fines and penaltiesUp to $1,000Passing a stopped school bus with flashing red lights (plus 1-year suspension)Around Children — School Buses
- Speed limits55 mphTwo-lane undivided highways, and any vehicle towing a trailerSpeed Limits
From the California Driver's Handbook · Every number on one printable page
Practice
Free California permit practice questions
Six of the 20 free questions, one topic at a time. Answer them in the quiz, or read every answer and its source on the questions page.
- SpeedWhat is the maximum speed on most California highways unless posted otherwise?
- AlcoholWhat BAC can get a driver age 21+ arrested for DUI in California?
- FollowingWhat minimum following distance should you keep in good conditions?
- ParkingWhen parallel parking, how close must your wheels be to the curb?
- RightofwayWho has the right-of-way at an unmarked crosswalk?
- SignalsHow far before turning must you signal in California?
Trip
California permit test: booking, test day and after
From California DMV's own pages. Read it before you book.
If you fail the California permit test
- Wait to retake
- 7 days if you are under 18, not counting the day you failed; none published for adults
- Attempts
- 3 attempts per application
- Fee
- After 3 failures you reapply and pay the application fee again
Source: California Driver's Handbook, Section 3 · Retake rules in every state
Test drive
California permit mock test, timed
46 questions on a 46-minute practice clock, one at a time, scored at the end like the real test.
- No feedback until you hand in, like the DMV’s screen
- Flag questions and come back to them
- A score for every topic, measured against the 83% pass mark
The free mock is 20 questions from the free set.
Take the free 20-question mockGlovebox
Free California permit study tools
- Printable cheat sheetEvery number on the test on one page
- Permit test by stateQuestions and pass marks in 42 states
- Road signs & meaningsEvery common sign, drawn, with what to do
- Printable road sign flashcardsEvery common US road sign as a printable card, with a quiz you can embed.
- California DMV Written Test 2026: Format, Pass Mark & 46 Practice Questions8 min read
- DMV Permit Test in Spanish: California, Texas and Florida Rules for 2026, and How to Prepare6 min read
- How Many Questions Are on the DMV Written Test? State-by-State List (2026)4 min read
- California Motorcycle Permit Test (M1): Requirements by Age, the 80% Pass Mark, and Riding on a Permit4 min read
- Failed the DMV Written Test? What Happens Next in California, Texas and Florida5 min read
- The 8 DMV Test Rules Most Drivers Get Wrong — Compared Across California, Texas and Florida10 min read
Service record
How every question is checked
- Source
- Written from the California Driver's Handbook, never copied from a real test
- Answer
- Every explanation says why the right answer is right and cites where it comes from
- Machine
- No duplicates, no missing explanations, no answer given away by its length
- Date
- Checked October 15, 2026
Spot an error? [email protected] · Editorial policy · Not affiliated with or endorsed by California DMV.
Start the free California permit practice test
20 free questions written from the California Driver's Handbook, each with the answer and where it comes from.
California permit test FAQ
Answered from California DMV’s own pages and the California Driver's Handbook.
The official California DMV permit test has 46 questions for applicants under 18 (need 38 correct, or 83% to pass) and 36 questions for applicants 18 and older (need 30 correct, or 83% to pass).
If you are under 18, you can miss up to 8 questions on the 46-question test. If you are 18 or older, you can miss up to 6 questions on the 36-question test.
Yes. California DMV offers an eligible remote online knowledge test (via MVProctor) for applicants under 18 with parental consent, as well as an interactive eLearning course alternative for renewing adults.
You get 3 attempts to pass within the 12-month period of your paid application. If you fail, you must wait 7 days (if under 18) before retaking the test. If you fail 3 times, you must submit a new application and fee.
Run the 46-question benchmark under no time pressure first, review every miss with its source note, then repeat until you clear 90% twice in a row.
It is manageable if you study. The DMV handbook covers speed limits, right-of-way, road signs, and safe driving. QuizCram drills original practice questions based on those topics; review every miss with handbook citations rather than memorizing answers.
Yes. California offers the knowledge test in many languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic at DMV touch-screen terminals.
California tests exact Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limits: 0.08% or higher for drivers 21 and older, 0.01% for drivers under 21 under Zero Tolerance laws, and 0.04% for commercial drivers. The test also covers California's Implied Consent law (refusing a chemical test results in an automatic license suspension) and open container laws.
Yes. All questions on the California knowledge exam are derived directly from the official California Driver's Handbook, including speed laws, roundabout right-of-way, bicycle 3-foot passing buffers, and hands-free cell phone rules.
Here, with no signup: 20 free California DMV Permit practice questions, each with the correct answer, why the other options are wrong and the source it comes from. You can answer them one by one, read them all with answers on the questions page, or sit a timed mock test of 20 questions that scores you in each exam area.
Permit tests by state
Find your state’s permit test
42 states: the knowledge test format, the pass mark, how long you wait to retake it, and practice questions from the state’s own handbook.
- AK
- Maine permit test, 80% to pass
- Vermont permit test, 80% to pass
- New Hampshire permit test, 80% to pass
- Washington permit test, 80% to pass
- Idaho permit test, 85% to pass
- MT
- ND
- Minnesota permit test, 80% to pass
- Illinois permit test
- Wisconsin permit test, 80% to pass
- Michigan permit test
- New York permit test, 70% to pass
- RI
- Massachusetts permit test, 72% to pass
- Oregon permit test, 80% to pass
- Nevada permit test, 80% to pass
- WY
- South Dakota permit test, 80% to pass
- Iowa permit test, 80% to pass
- Indiana permit test, 80% to pass
- Ohio permit test, 75% to pass
- Pennsylvania permit test, 83% to pass
- New Jersey permit test, 80% to pass
- Connecticut permit test, 80% to pass
- California permit test, 83% to pass
- Utah permit test, 80% to pass
- Colorado permit test
- NE
- Missouri permit test, 80% to pass
- Kentucky permit test, 80% to pass
- West Virginia permit test, 76% to pass
- Virginia permit test, 80% to pass
- Maryland permit test, 88% to pass
- Delaware permit test, 81% to pass
- Arizona permit test, 80% to pass
- New Mexico permit test, 70% to pass
- Kansas permit test
- AR
- Tennessee permit test, 80% to pass
- North Carolina permit test, 80% to pass
- South Carolina permit test, 80% to pass
- DC
- Oklahoma permit test, 75% to pass
- Louisiana permit test, 80% to pass
- MS
- Alabama permit test
- Georgia permit test, 75% to pass
- Hawaii permit test
- Texas permit test, 70% to pass
- Florida permit test, 80% to pass
Road signs
Signs the permit test asks about
31 signs, each with its meaning and real questions. Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina and Virginia test road signs as a separate section, so learn them on their own.