Illinois written test: 28 of 35, a 30 day cheating penalty

The format is set by rule. 92 Illinois Administrative Code 1030.80(b) provides that a Class D applicant takes a written test of at least 35 questions and must answer 80 percent of them correctly to be eligible for a license, which works out at 28 of 35 and a margin of seven wrong answers. The Secretary of State's own Rules of the Road Review Course workbook, form DSD DS 9, splits that paper into 15 traffic sign identification items and 20 multiple choice or true and false questions on traffic law and safe driving. Sign recognition is therefore about 43 percent of the exam, a much heavier weighting than in most states, so the signs chapter deserves the same study time as the rules. There is no at home version: the car knowledge test is taken in person at an Illinois Secretary of State Driver Services facility.

Illinois attaches attempts to the application rather than charging for each sitting. The driver license application fee covers three attempts at the written and road tests within a one year window that starts on the date of your first attempt, so a second try does not cost a second fee. You may usually sit the written test a second time the same day at the same Driver Services facility, subject to staff and time. The rule also names a penalty most states leave unwritten: an open book in view, looking around, or touching a phone counts as cheating, fails the exam outright, and blocks any retest for 30 days. Oral versions of the written test can be requested in person Monday through Thursday for applicants facing a language barrier or a reading or learning difficulty.