The Short Answer
California: 36 multiple-choice questions if you are 18 or older, 46 if you are under 18. You must get 83% — 30 of 36, or 38 of 46. Texas: 30 questions; you must get 70%, which is 21 correct. Florida: 50 questions in 60 minutes; you must get 80%, which is 40 correct. None of the three uses a percentage that rounds in your favour: one question below the line is a fail.
| California | Texas | Florida | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of questions | 36 (18+) · 46 (under 18) | 30 | 50 |
| Correct answers needed | 30 of 36 · 38 of 46 (83%) | 21 of 30 (70%) | 40 of 50 (80%) |
| Questions you can miss | 6 · 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Time limit | None published | None published | 60 minutes |
| Format | Multiple choice, on a touchscreen at the DMV | Multiple choice, on a computer at DPS or inside a driver-education course | Multiple choice, at a licence office or online (under 18, approved providers) |
| Official name | Class C knowledge test | Class C knowledge exam | Class E Knowledge Exam |
Every figure above is from the state's current driver handbook; our state-by-state comparison has the fees, ages and retake rules alongside. To see the questions themselves, the free sets — California, Texas, Florida — are written from the same handbooks.
Why the Number Depends on Your Age in California
California is the only one of the three that changes the test by age. Applicants under 18 get 46 questions and must answer 38 correctly; applicants 18 and over get 36 and must answer 30. The pass mark is the same 83% either way — the teen test is simply longer, drawing more items from the same pool, because a provisional licence comes with its own rules (passenger and night-driving restrictions in the first twelve months) that the longer test can cover. If you turn 18 between applying and testing, you take the test for the age you are on the day you sit it.
What the Questions Are About
All three states draw from the same four kinds of material, in roughly these proportions:
- Traffic laws and rules of the road — right of way, speed limits, turning, passing, parking, alcohol and licence rules. The largest share everywhere and where most misses happen.
- Signs, signals and pavement markings — shapes and colours, what a flashing yellow arrow means, what double solid lines forbid. Usually a fifth to a quarter of the test.
- Safe-driving practice — following distance, hydroplaning, night driving, sharing the road with motorcycles and trucks.
- State-specific numbers — insurance minimums, fines, distances from hydrants and crosswalks, the under-21 alcohol limit. These are the questions that separate a pass from a fail, because they cannot be reasoned out.
The questions are selected from a larger pool each time you sit, so two attempts on the same day are not the same test — and a retake on the same knowledge usually lands in the same score band.
How Long the Test Takes
Florida is the only one of the three with a published clock: 60 minutes for 50 questions, which is more than a minute a question. California and Texas publish no time limit, and most candidates finish in 20 to 30 minutes. Read every option before answering; the wrong answers are usually a number or a word away from the right one ("15 feet" against "20 feet", "may" against "must").
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the California DMV written test?
36 for applicants 18 and older, 46 for applicants under 18. The pass mark is 83%: 30 correct of 36, or 38 correct of 46.
How many questions are on the Texas DPS knowledge test?
30 multiple-choice questions, and you need 21 correct (70%) to pass. Many applicants under 25 take it inside an approved driver-education course rather than at a DPS office.
How many questions are on the Florida Class E knowledge exam?
50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, and you need 40 correct (80%). Applicants under 18 may take it online through an approved third-party provider; everyone else takes it at a driver licence or tax collector office.
How many can I get wrong and still pass?
California: 6 (adults) or 8 (under 18). Texas: 9. Florida: 10.
Is the written test multiple choice?
Yes, in all three states. There are no written-answer or fill-in questions; each item has one correct option.
Sources
- California Driver's Handbook, Section 3 — the knowledge test and attempts; question counts and pass marks from the DMV's knowledge-test information.
- Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Texas Department of Public Safety — the 30-question, 70% knowledge exam.
- Florida Class E Driver License Handbook, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles — the 50-question, 80%, 60-minute Class E Knowledge Exam.
