Free California permit practice tests
California is the only big state that publishes the exact scoring criteria for its road test, and its statewide pass rate of 67.7% comes from a public records release covering more than ten million tests.
- Questions
- 46 36 if 18 or older
- Correct to pass
- 38 38 of 46
- Questions here
- 295 all free, all cited
Format verified against California DMV on 2026-08-27. Check the official page before you book, because states do change their rules.
Work through them in order.
The essentials
Start here. Five distinct sets drawn from across the whole bank, plus a marathon that keeps going until you have seen everything.
CA Practice Test 1
A broad first pass across signs, right of way, rules and safety.
CA Practice Test 2
A completely different set of questions from test 1.
CA Practice Test 3
More scenarios, no repeats from the first two tests.
CA Practice Test 4
Fresh questions again, weighted toward the tougher end.
CA Practice Test 5
The last of the five distinct sets in the essentials block.
CA Full Marathon
Every question in the bank, and anything you miss comes back later in the same run until you get it right.
Signs, signals and right of way
The two areas that fail the most people. Work through the sign tests until every shape and color is automatic, then handle the intersection scenarios.
CA Road Signs Mini
A ten question warm up on shapes, colors and the signs people mix up.
CA Road Signs Full
Every sign, signal and pavement marking question in the bank.
CA Right of Way
Intersections, four way stops, roundabouts, pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
CA Complex Situations
Only the questions rated hard. Short, unpleasant, and the fastest way to find your gaps.
The rules that get you fined
Speed, alcohol, phones, seat belts and the state specific limits that carry real penalties. These questions cite the statute so you learn the rule, not just the answer.
California Laws and Limits
Only the questions drawn from this state's own code: its limits, its penalties, its restrictions.
CA Alcohol, Phones and Safety
Impairment, distraction, seat belts, child restraints and sharing the road with trucks and bikes.
CA Rules of the Road
Speed, lane use, passing, parking, headlights and railroad crossings.
The exam simulator
The real thing: your state's exact question count and pass mark, scored the way the licensing agency scores it.
Your missed questions
Every question you get wrong anywhere on this site saves to a review deck on your own device. It comes back after a day, then three days, then a week, and retires once you have answered it correctly three times running. Open any test above and the review button appears as soon as the deck has something in it.
What the process looks like
- Applicants under 18 take the 46 question test and need 38 correct. Applicants 18 and older take a 36 question test and need 30 correct.
- Teens must hold the provisional permit for at least six months and log 50 hours of supervised practice, 10 of them at night, before the behind the wheel test.
- The provisional license carries passenger and night driving limits during the first year.
The $46 driver license application fee covers three attempts at the knowledge test and the behind the wheel test.
If you use all three attempts on one application you must reapply and pay the fee again.
The knowledge test is written from the California Vehicle Code. Our questions teach those same rules and cite the section behind each answer, so what you learn holds up on test day and on the road afterwards.
How the California written test is scored and what happens at the California road test.
What the records show
California permit test questions, answered
How many questions are on the California permit test?
46 questions if you are under 18, and you need 38 correct to pass. If you are 18 or older the test is 36 questions and you need 30 correct. Verified against the California DMV on 27 August 2026.
How much does the California permit test cost?
The $46 driver license application fee covers up to three attempts at the knowledge test plus the behind the wheel test. There is no separate per test fee unless you exhaust all three attempts and must reapply.
What happens if I fail the California permit test?
You must wait at least seven days before retaking it. Your application fee covers three attempts in total.
Is the California permit test multiple choice?
Yes. Every question offers a set of answers and exactly one is correct. Our simulator mirrors that format, the real question count, and the real pass mark.