The knowledge exam
The knowledge exam is two tests. The Road Signs Test asks you to identify signs, signals and markers. The Road Rules Test covers driver responsibility, laws and safe driving practices.
Each test has 20 questions. You need 15 right on each one to pass. DDS prints this on its Test and Exams page and in the Drivers’ Manual.
The two tests are scored on their own. If you fail one, you retake only the part you failed. DDS does not print a time limit for the exam.
Where and when
You take the exam at any DDS Customer Service Center. No appointment is needed. You must be at the computer at least 30 minutes before the center closes. Check the hours before you go (Test and Exams page).
You may not bring pens, paper or a phone into the testing area. You may speak only to the examiner. Breaking these rules counts as a failure (Section 3: Testing Information).
If you have a reading disability, you can ask for an oral test at a center. If you are hearing impaired, you can schedule an interpreter. Both are offered on the same Section 3 page.
Languages
Both tests are offered in 26 languages, English among them. The list includes Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese (Test and Exams page).
The 2023-2024 Drivers’ Manual still says the Road Signs Test is in English only. The newer DDS page is the current word. You must still read and understand simple English, like the words on highway signs.
Fees and retakes
The test fee is $10.00, paid before you test. You pay it again before every try, and DDS gives no refund if you fail (Drivers’ Manual).
After a first failure, wait 1 day before you retest. After a second failure, wait 7 days. Retests need an appointment and the permit fee (Test and Exams page).
DDS offers a free practice test on its Practice Test page. It says everything you need to succeed is in the Drivers’ Manual.
On this site, a practice test like the real one has 40 questions in two parts of 20. You may miss up to 5 in each part.
Practice that test here, free. A right answer passes without comment. A miss is explained where it happens, because that is the moment it teaches.