Free District of Columbia permit practice tests
DC charges three different prices for the same knowledge test, $10 at a DC DMV service center, $39.95 at a test proctoring center, or $49.95 virtually from home, and it quietly runs two separate car exams: applicants aged 16 to 20 sit a GRAD test with a 75 minute limit while everyone else gets 60 minutes.
- Questions
- 25
- Correct to pass
- 20 25 questions on DC DMV's own practice exam; no pass mark is published
- Questions here
- 263 all free, all cited
Honest note: DC DMV does not publish the exam format in a place we could confirm, so the 25 question count and the pass mark of 20 shown here are our best information rather than a verified fact. The practice questions themselves teach District of Columbia law either way. Confirm the format with District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles before your appointment.
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.
DC Practice Test 1
A broad first pass across signs, right of way, rules and safety.
DC Practice Test 2
A completely different set of questions from test 1.
DC Practice Test 3
More scenarios, no repeats from the first two tests.
DC Practice Test 4
Fresh questions again, weighted toward the tougher end.
DC Practice Test 5
The last of the five distinct sets in the essentials block.
DC 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.
DC Road Signs Mini
A ten question warm up on shapes, colors and the signs people mix up.
DC Road Signs Full
Every sign, signal and pavement marking question in the bank.
DC Right of Way
Intersections, four way stops, roundabouts, pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
DC 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.
District of Columbia Laws and Limits
Only the questions drawn from this state's own code: its limits, its penalties, its restrictions.
DC Alcohol, Phones and Safety
Impairment, distraction, seat belts, child restraints and sharing the road with trucks and bikes.
DC 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
- DC DMV runs two different automobile knowledge tests: a non commercial test with a 60 minute limit, and a GRAD or learner permit knowledge test with a longer 75 minute limit.
- The GRAD program, short for Gradual Rearing of Adult Drivers, is mandatory for novice drivers aged 16 to 20 and moves them through a learner permit, a provisional license, and then a full license.
- You must be at least 16 to apply for a learner permit, and a REAL ID learner permit is valid for two years and cannot be renewed. If it expires you take and pass the knowledge test again.
- Learner permit holders may only drive between 6:00 am and 9:00 pm, and only with a fully licensed driver aged 21 or older next to them in the front passenger seat.
- After you pass the knowledge test you have 14 business days to reach a DC DMV service center with your documents, or the result stops counting and you test again.
- The knowledge test is offered in more than 20 languages, with audio assisted versions for anyone who needs help reading and a language line for applicants who cannot comfortably speak or read English.
- Using a phone, a smart watch, or study material during the test counts as cheating, fails you on the spot, and blocks any retest for 60 days. Smart glasses and other wearable recording devices are barred from testing areas outright.
The knowledge test costs $10 at a DC DMV service center, $39.95 at a test proctoring center, or $49.95 for the virtual version, and the learner permit itself is a separate $20. You pay whether you pass or fail.
You must wait three full calendar days and return on the fourth day. Fail six times inside 12 months and you cannot sit a seventh test until a full year has passed from that first failure.
The knowledge test is written from the District of Columbia Official Code Title 50, Motor and Non-Motor Vehicles and Traffic, with licensing rules at 18 DCMR Chapter 1. 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 District of Columbia written test is scored and what happens at the District of Columbia road test.
What the records show
District of Columbia permit test questions, answered
How many questions are on the DC DMV permit test?
DC DMV never states a number in plain words, but its own practice exam points at 25. The agency links a practice knowledge test from its site, and that test is laid out as 25 questions with a 60 minute limit, which is exactly the limit DC publishes for the standard non commercial knowledge test. DC DMV does warn that the practice test does not reuse real exam questions. Applicants aged 16 to 20 sit the separate GRAD or learner permit test instead, which is allowed 75 minutes rather than 60, and its length is not published at all. We run 25 questions here on that basis.
What score do you need to pass the DC knowledge test?
DC DMV does not publish one anywhere we could find, and that is the honest answer rather than a hedge. The knowledge tests page, the driver manual page, the practice test page, the learner permit page, the virtual testing and permit prep announcements, and the licensing regulation record for 18 DCMR 104 all describe the exam and its rules without naming a passing score. We score 20 of 25 here because 80 percent is the common American standard, but study the whole manual instead of aiming at a number, and ask staff when you book.
How much does the DC permit test cost?
The knowledge test is $10 at a DC DMV service center, $39.95 at a test proctoring center, or $49.95 taken virtually. The learner permit is a separate $20 fee, and you pay the test fee whether you pass or fail.
What happens if I fail the DC DMV knowledge test?
You wait three full calendar days and come back on the fourth day, so a Tuesday failure means Saturday is your earliest retest. If you fail six times within a 12 month period, you cannot take a seventh test until 12 months after that first failed attempt. Getting caught with a phone, a smart watch, or notes adds a 60 day ban on top.
How long is a DC learner permit good for?
Two years, and it cannot be renewed. Once it expires you have to take and pass the knowledge test again to get a new one.
Can I take the DC knowledge test from home?
Yes, for the standard and GRAD car tests. DC DMV offers virtual testing and testing at a local test proctoring center, both by appointment, though motorcycle and commercial knowledge tests still have to be sat in person. Whichever way you test, you have 14 business days to reach a service center with your documents afterwards.
How many practice hours do you need before the DC road test, and what does it cost?
40 hours, certified on a DC DMV form, before a learner permit under 21 can move to a Provisional License, which itself costs $20; a further 10 certified hours are required later before that Provisional License converts to a Full License With Conditions. The learner permit must also be held at least 6 months. The road test itself costs $10, includes parallel parking, and DC DMV bars anyone who drives themselves to their own test without a licensed adult 21 or older along for 6 months.