Connecticut written test: a fail costs a week and $40

Connecticut DMV sets the knowledge test at 25 questions with a pass mark of 20, which is 80 percent and leaves five wrong answers as the entire margin. The test is taken at a CT DMV office by appointment; walk ins are not accepted, so the exam has to be booked before you can sit it. The $40 license exam fee covers both the vision screening and the knowledge test at the same appointment rather than being charged separately for each. Since 1 January 2026 there is a step before any of that: the free Connecticut Work Zone Safety Course has to be completed and the printed certificate handed over, and that applies to adult applicants as much as to teens.

Connecticut charges the retake twice over, in time and in money. A failed knowledge test means waiting seven days before you can test again, and the $40 exam fee has to be paid again to book the new appointment, because that fee buys the appointment rather than the credential. Combined with the no walk in policy, that makes a rushed first attempt more expensive here than in states that let you retry the next working day or that cover several attempts under one application fee. The practical advice follows from the structure: book the appointment for a date you are ready for, since the exam calendar rather than your own schedule sets how quickly you can come back.