Hawaii Department of Transportation, with permits issued by the four county driver licensing divisions
Hawaii permit test: 30 questions, pass mark set by rule
Original Hawaii questions with the law cited under every answer, scored the way HDOT scores it.
- Exam Simulator30 questions, pass with 24, scored the way HDOT scores it
- Practice Test 120 questions, a broad first pass across signs, right of way, rules and safety
- Road Signs Full197 questions, every sign, signal and pavement marking question
- Laws and Limits12 questions drawn from the HRS
Work through them in order.
HI Practice Test 1
HI Practice Test 2
HI Practice Test 3
HI Practice Test 4
HI Practice Test 5
HI Full Marathon
HI Road Signs Mini
HI Road Signs Full
HI Right of Way
HI Complex Situations
Hawaii Laws and Limits
HI Alcohol, Phones and Safety
HI Rules of the Road
Hawaii Exam Simulator
Every question you miss saves to a review deck on this device. See how the review deck works.
Know the format before you book.
Hawaii has no single state DMV at all. Four counties issue the actual permit, and each sets its own price for the identical online exam: $12 in Honolulu, $11 in Hawaii County, $20 in Kauai County and $25 in Maui County, each a county test fee plus a flat $10 online transaction charge. Testing in person in Honolulu instead costs the $2.00 test fee. What is fixed statewide is the pass mark, and it sits in law rather than guidance: Hawaii Administrative Rules section 19-122-10(f) treats an applicant as having passed once at least eighty per cent of the questions are answered correctly. The City and County of Honolulu, which issues most of the state's permits, states 30 questions on two separate official pages, putting the bar at 24 correct with a 60 minute limit. An HDOT page for the same online test still says 25, a discrepancy left on the record here rather than tidied away.
Format verified against Hawaii Administrative Rules section 19-122-10, Knowledge tests for original license, and City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services on 2026-08-28. Check the official page before you book, because states do change their rules.
Source: Hawaii Administrative Rules section 19-122-10, Knowledge tests for original license, and City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services, verified 2026-08-28
What the process looks like.
The knowledge test is written from the Hawaii Revised Statutes. 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.
Hawaii has no single state DMV. Each of its four counties, Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai, issues instruction permits and licenses once an applicant passes the knowledge test.
The knowledge test for the Class 3 car permit runs online through the KnowTo Drive platform set up by the state Department of Transportation, so applicants no longer need to visit a county office just to sit the written test. The online option covers Class 3 only and is not offered for the Class 2 motorcycle license.
You need a desktop or laptop with a webcam and a mouse or trackpad. Phones, tablets, and touchscreen devices are barred, and the test comes in English and Spanish with a read-aloud option.
Pick the right county when you register. A certificate of completion issued for the wrong county may be refused at your licensing appointment.
In Honolulu an applicant under 18 needs an adult aged over 21 present for the registration step, and that adult must then stay out of the webcam view during the test itself.
The software watches your cursor. Let it drift outside the marked area and you get two warnings; on the third the test ends and is recorded as a fail.
Honolulu gives you 60 days after passing to book an appointment and bring your certificate of completion, application form, birth certificate, social security number, and two proofs of Hawaii address.
Between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am a learner's permit holder must specifically be supervised by a parent or guardian rather than any licensed adult 21 or older, and a Provisional License holder cannot drive at all in that window except for narrow, documented exceptions such as work or a school-authorized activity.
In Honolulu, which issues most of the state's permits, the written test itself is $2.00 in person or $12.00 online ($10 online transaction charge plus the $2.00 test fee), and the instruction permit is a separate $5.00. Other counties charge their own test fee plus the same flat $10 online transaction and card charge: about $11 in Hawaii County, $20 in Kauai County, and $25 in Maui County for the online route. Issuing the permit itself costs extra at your county appointment, and a failed test is not refunded.
You can test as often as you need but only twice in one day, each attempt costs another full fee, and failing on knowledge means waiting seven days before trying again.
What the records show.
Pass mark. State rule treats an applicant as having passed a knowledge test once at least eighty per cent of the questions are answered correctly.
Hawaii Administrative Rules 19-122-10(f), verified 2026-08-27Time limit. The online learner's permit test has a one hour limit that starts once you finish registering.
City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, verified 2026-08-27Wait after a fail. Applicants who fail on knowledge wait seven days before retesting, and each new attempt costs the full county fee again.
City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, verified 2026-08-27Fee by county. One exam, four online prices: $12 Honolulu, $11 Hawaii County, $20 Kauai County, $25 Maui County, each a county test fee plus a flat $10 online transaction charge. Testing in person in Honolulu costs just the $2.00 test fee.
City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, verified 2026-08-27Road test fee. Honolulu's road test costs $8.00, non-refundable, and the pass result is only valid for 30 days.
City and County of Honolulu, Driver's License Requirements, verified 2026-08-28Hawaii permit test questions, answered.
How many questions are on the Hawaii permit test?
30. The City and County of Honolulu, which issues most of the state's permits, states this on two separate official pages: its online permit test page describes a 30 question exam with a one hour limit, and its Graduated Driver Licensing Program page separately tells applicants to pass a 30 question multiple-choice written examination. A state Department of Transportation page describing the same online test instead calls it a 25 question test, and the underlying state rule sets only a floor, requiring examination sets of not less than twenty five general questions. We use Honolulu's consistently repeated 30 here, since it issues most of the state's permits and the same KnowTo Drive platform serves every county.
What score do I need to pass the Hawaii knowledge test?
80 percent, and this one is fixed in law rather than in guidance. Hawaii Administrative Rules section 19-122-10(f) provides that an applicant has passed a knowledge test once at least eighty per cent of the questions have been answered correctly, and the same section covers original Class 3 car applicants. On a 30 question test that means 24 correct.
Where do I take the Hawaii permit test?
Online through the KnowTo Drive platform run for the state Department of Transportation, from home on a webcam-equipped computer in English or Spanish, before you ever visit a county office. If you would rather test in person, county licensing centers take written test appointments, though Honolulu restricts in-person written testing to set weekdays at each center.
What does the Hawaii online permit test cost, and what if I fail?
Your county fee plus a flat $10 transaction charge: $12 in Honolulu, $11 in Hawaii County, $20 in Kauai County, and $25 in Maui County, paid online by card and never refunded for a failed attempt. Fail on knowledge and you wait seven days, then pay the full fee again.
Which office issues my Hawaii learner's permit?
Whichever county you live in: the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii County, Maui County, or Kauai County. In Honolulu you have 60 days after passing to get to an appointment with all your documents, and if anything is missing you will be turned away.
How long do you have to hold a Hawaii learner's permit before the road test, and what does it cost?
180 days, with no pending violation, and the minimum age for the permit itself is 15 years and 6 months. Applicants aged 16 to 17 also need a Driver Education Student Completion Certificate and a Behind-the-Wheel Student Completion Certificate. In Honolulu the road test costs $8.00, is non-refundable, and the passing score is valid for only 30 days, so clearing your record with the State Traffic Violations Bureau promptly matters: miss that 30 day window and you retake the road test.