TwinMilesDMV permit test format in 6 big states: questions and passing score
The knowledge test is not the same everywhere. Some states ask 18 questions, others 50, and the share you need to get right ranges from 70% to 83% in the six large states below. Here is the written test format for each, from official state sources.
The six formats side by side
| State | Questions | To pass | Share | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 46 | 38 correct | 83% | Official page |
| Texas | 30 | 21 correct* | 70% | DPS site (see note) |
| Florida | 50 | 40 correct | 80% | Official page |
| New York | 20 | 14 correct** | 70% | Official page |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 15 correct | 83% | Official page |
| Ohio | 40 | 75% (30 correct) | 75% | Official page |
"Share" is simply the passing number divided by the number of questions, rounded. For Ohio we use the 75% requirement listed on the official page, which works out to 30 of 40. *The Texas DPS pages we checked do not print the question count or pass mark, so the Texas figures (30 questions, 21 correct) come from the Texas Driver Handbook as widely reported and could not be confirmed on a DPS web page; check with your DPS office. **New York also requires at least 2 of the 4 road-sign questions to be right.
What the numbers tell you
- Short tests leave little room. Pennsylvania asks 18 questions and needs 15, so only 3 wrong answers are allowed.
- Long tests forgive more mistakes in total. Florida asks 50 and needs 40, so up to 10 misses are allowed.
- Texas and New York have the lowest bar of the six at 70%: 21 of 30 and 14 of 20.
- California and Pennsylvania ask the most of the six by share: 38 of 46 (about 83%) and 15 of 18 (about 83%).
What we left out, on purpose
Illinois is also among the largest states, but we have not verified its test format against an official source, so it is not in the table. We would rather leave a state out than guess a number. The format above is for the standard written knowledge test; a few states use a different test for teens or for renewals, so read the official page for your own situation. Time limits are not listed here because we have not confirmed them for all six.
How to prepare for each format
Our practice banks for these states hold California 291, Texas 296, Florida 294, New York 292, Pennsylvania 303, Ohio 306 questions (state-specific ones plus rules that apply nationwide), so you can see far more variety than the real test uses. Your goal is to score comfortably above the pass line in a full-length mock test, not just to scrape it. See how to pass your state's DMV test for a revision plan, or the passing scores for every state we have verified.
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