Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV)
Ohio CDL practice tests
How Ohio handles the commercial learner permit, the fees and the skills test.
- General Knowledge24 questions, required of every applicant
- Air Brakes20 questions, skip it and an L restriction applies
- Combination Vehicles18 questions, needed for Class A
- Hazardous Materials20 questions, endorsement H
- Tank Vehicles16 questions, endorsement N
Every knowledge area
The 145 questions are the same in every state. Start with general knowledge, then sit the areas Ohio will write onto the permit.
General Knowledge
Required of every applicant: inspection, control, space and speed management, hazard perception, emergencies and hours of service.
Air Brakes
Air brake knowledge and vehicle checks for applicants who may drive vehicles with air brakes.
Combination Vehicles
Coupling, the fifth wheel, off tracking and trailer swing. Needed for Class A.
Hazardous Materials
Placards, shipping papers, segregation and the security threat assessment.
Tank Vehicles
Liquid surge, baffles, outage and why a tanker rolls over so readily.
Doubles and Triples
Rearward amplification, converter dollies and coupling a second or third trailer.
Passenger Transport
Bus inspection, standee lines, passenger supervision and railroad crossings.
School Bus
Danger zones, loading and unloading, student crossing and evacuation.
What is different in Ohio
Ohio in particular
Ohio routes CDL licensing through its network of privately run deputy registrar agencies rather than state offices alone, so a driver has to buy the skills test receipt from a deputy registrar before the test can even be scheduled at a state or third party site.
The written exams themselves are federal
Ohio decides the permit rules, the fees and who runs the skills test, but the knowledge you are tested on comes from 49 CFR Part 383 and is the same in every state, which is why the 145 questions here work wherever you apply.
What changes in this state
Commercial learner permit
An Ohio commercial learner's permit is valid for 12 months, and a holder must wait at least 14 days after it is issued before taking the CDL skills test.
Ohio BMV - Driver License & ID Cards (CDL Classes), checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
An Ohio CDL skills test can be taken either at a state run highway patrol CDL examination station or at an approved third party testing facility, but the test receipt must first be purchased from a deputy registrar license agency.
Ohio BMV - Driver License & ID Cards (CDL Classes), checked Aug 28, 2026Ohio CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Ohio's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.