By state
New Mexico permit practice test
Practice the New Mexico MVD knowledge test at its 70 % pass mark, in English or Spanish, and see how quickly a New Mexico teen reaches a provisional license.
Your score · New Mexico
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| Practice target: 14 of 20 (70 %) |
| You can still miss 6 |
Practice questions written from the state handbook and federal rules. Not the official test.
New Mexico's Motor Vehicle Division issues the instruction permit at 15 years, for $10. Applicants under 18 need driver education: TSB-approved driver education with a 3-hour DWI component. The knowledge test is passed at 70 %, one of the lowest marks in the country, and it is offered in Spanish; the number of questions is not stated on the MVD pages we could read, so the practice test uses 20 questions graded at that same 70 %. The permit is held 6 months with 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 of them at night. The provisional license then comes at 15 years 6 months, earlier than in most states; the first teen license is the provisional license, $18. It carries a midnight curfew and a cap of one young non-family passenger, both lifted once the driver earns a full license, at 16 years 6 months at the earliest. Under 21, the alcohol limit is 0.02.
Pass mark of your state's knowledge test
Correct answers needed
not confirmed
| Questions | not confirmed |
| Minimum score | 70 % |
| Mistakes allowed | not confirmed |
| Retake after a fail | not confirmed |
The state publishes a percentage, not a number of answers: the count is derived from it.
Questions and state rules by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the questions are written
What 70 % means in answers
New Mexico publishes a percentage only. The tool turns any state's mark into answers; on New Mexico it shows the percentage and leaves the count as not confirmed.
Pass mark of your state's knowledge test
Correct answers needed
not confirmed
| Questions | not confirmed |
| Minimum score | 70 % |
| Mistakes allowed | not confirmed |
| Retake after a fail | not confirmed |
The state publishes a percentage, not a number of answers: the count is derived from it.
On a 25-question form, 70 % would allow 7 errors; on a 50-question form, 15. The New Mexico motorcycle test uses the same mark: 70%.
The practice test on this page follows the same rule: on its 20 questions, it marks a pass at the New Mexico percentage, not at 80 %. If you want a safety margin, treat 16 or more correct answers as your personal target before the MVD visit; that is what an 80 % state would demand.
New Mexico and its neighbors
| New Mexico | Arizona | Texas | Oklahoma | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pass mark | 70 % | not confirmed | 70 % | 75 % |
| Permit age | 15 years | 15 years 6 months | 15 years | 15 years |
| Provisional license | 15 years 6 months | 16 years | 16 years | 16 years |
| Permit fee | $10 | $7 | $16 | $42.50 |
A New Mexico teen can hold a provisional license at 15 years 6 months, half a year before teens in Arizona, Texas or Oklahoma. Oklahoma has a mark close to New Mexico's, 75 %.
Driving in New Mexico
The New Mexico Driver Manual (version 11.19.19) is the base of the test. Beyond signs, signals and right of way, it covers topics that matter on New Mexico roads: long rural highways where fatigue sets in, high altitude and mountain passes with snow in winter, sudden summer storms and flash flooding, dust and wind, and livestock or wildlife on the road. Alcohol questions get extra weight, matching the DWI module of driver education; the federal background on impaired driving is summarized by NHTSA. Signs follow the MUTCD.
From permit to full license
The New Mexico steps follow each other without gaps. The permit comes at 15 years; after 6 months and 50 hours, the provisional license is possible at 15 years 6 months, exactly when the holding period ends for a teen who started on the first eligible day. The provisional stage then lasts until 16 years 6 months at the earliest, 12 months in all. During that stage the night rule reads: no driving midnight-5 a.m. unless with licensed driver 21+; exceptions for school, work, family/medical need, religious functions.
Because the provisional license can come at 15 years 6 months, a New Mexico teen can drive alone during the first years of high school. The two provisional rules, the curfew and the passenger cap, are designed for exactly that age group, and both end with the full license.
Passenger rule for provisional drivers: no more than one passenger under 21 who is not immediate family, unless a licensed driver 21+ is in the vehicle. The figures on this page come from the New Mexico MVD; this site is independent of the MVD and the Taxation and Revenue Department.