Practice tests
Failed the permit test? When you can retake it
Pick your state: the tool shows how long the agency makes you wait after a failed knowledge test, and how many correct answers you need next time.
If you fail: when you can take it again
Wait before a retake
7 days (minors)
| Questions | 46 |
| To pass | 37 / 46 |
Failing the written permit test is common, and in most states the cost is a short wait, sometimes a fee, never a mark on a driving record. Of the 51 jurisdictions in our data, 22 publish a retake rule. 2 allow another attempt the same day (Oklahoma, Oregon), 9 make you come back the next day or after 24 hours, and 5 impose a week or more, the longest being 15 days in Virginia. Some states also cap the number of attempts covered by one application fee or limit online attempts. The useful part of a fail is the score sheet: the questions you missed point to the chapters to reread. Use the wait to take full practice tests until you clear your state's pass line with a margin of two or three answers, then go back.
Questions and state rules by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the questions are written
Retake waiting periods in each state
The wait column quotes the agency rule for the car knowledge test, as published. It applies to the first fail unless the text says otherwise; several states lengthen it after repeated fails or treat minors differently.
| State | Wait after a fail | Questions | To pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | next day | not stated | not stated |
| California | 7 days (minors) | 46 | 37/46 |
| Connecticut | 7 days | 25 | 20/25 |
| District of Columbia | 3 full calendar days | not stated | not stated |
| Georgia | 1 day (7 days after a second failure) | 40 | 30/40 |
| Idaho | 3 days | 40 | 34/40 |
| Illinois | three attempts per exam within one year of the application fee | not stated | not stated |
| Indiana | next business day | not stated | 80 % |
| Kentucky | next available day | not stated | not stated |
| Nebraska | Not the same day (next day at the earliest) | not stated | not stated |
| Nevada | Next day ($10 retest fee) | 25 | 20/25 |
| New Hampshire | 10 calendar days | 40 | 32/40 |
| North Carolina | 7 calendar days | not stated | not stated |
| North Dakota | One attempt per day (next day) | not stated | not stated |
| Ohio | 24 hours (online: max 2 attempts per 6 months) | 40 | 30/40 |
| Oklahoma | No waiting period stated; may retake as many times as needed (online max 2 attempts), $4 per failed attempt | 20 | 15/20 |
| Oregon | Same day possible at a DMV office (resource permitting); online max 2 attempts per 24 hours, 4 total | 35 | 28/35 |
| Pennsylvania | Next business day | 18 | 15/18 |
| Vermont | 1 day | 20 | 16/20 |
| Virginia | Under 18: a full 15 days; 18+: once per day | 40 | 34/40 |
| Washington | Possible waiting period (not specified; set by testing location) | 40 | 32/40 |
| Wyoming | May take the written test twice in one day; applicants who miss 13 or more questions wait 3 days | not stated | not stated |
No retake rule appears on the pages we read for Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin. In those states, the clerk will tell you the earliest return date after a fail.
Why states make you wait
A waiting period stops applicants from guessing their way through the question bank in one afternoon. A one-day wait mostly blocks same-day repeats; a week or two forces some study. Virginia has the longest wait in our data, 15 days. The wait is counted in calendar days unless the rule says business days, in which case weekends and state holidays do not count.
Read your score before you leave
Most testing systems show the result on screen and some print the topics missed. Note them before you leave the office. A fail is rarely spread evenly: it usually comes from two or three areas, often numbers (distances, speeds, BAC limits), right of way at four-way stops, or signals such as the flashing yellow arrow. Our road signs test isolates the sign and signal questions, and the full written test practice covers the rest.
A study plan for the waiting period
- Day 1. Reread the handbook chapters behind your missed questions. Do not reread the whole book.
- Day 2. Take a full practice test at your state length. Read every explanation, even for correct answers you guessed.
- Each day after. One full test. Track your number of mistakes against the limit of your state, which the question count guide gives.
- Before booking. Three passes in a row, each with two or three mistakes to spare.
Nerves, reading and accommodations
Not every fail comes from a lack of knowledge. Some applicants rush, misread a "not" in the question, or freeze at the screen. Practice tests help with that too: doing several at full length makes the format familiar. If reading in English is the obstacle, ask whether your state offers the test in another language or in audio; the Spanish test guide lists the states that confirm a Spanish version. A documented disability can also justify extra time or a reader, which the agency arranges on request before the test.
On the retake day
Bring the same documents as the first time, plus any receipt or form you were given after the fail. Expect a new set of questions: the bank is large, so memorizing the first test does not help. Take your time on each item, read all the options, and skip none: a blank answer counts as wrong. When you pass, the permit is issued and your holding period starts that day. This site is independent; your state agency sets every rule quoted here.