Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Driver Licensing
Kentucky permit test: 40 questions
Original Kentucky questions with the law cited under every answer, scored the way KYTC scores it.
- Exam Simulator40 questions, pass with 32, scored the way KYTC 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 KRS
Work through them in order.
KY Practice Test 1
KY Practice Test 2
KY Practice Test 3
KY Practice Test 4
KY Practice Test 5
KY Full Marathon
KY Road Signs Mini
KY Road Signs Full
KY Right of Way
KY Complex Situations
Kentucky Laws and Limits
KY Alcohol, Phones and Safety
KY Rules of the Road
Kentucky 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.
Kentucky is the state where earning one credential means dealing with two agencies. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, KYTC, takes the application and issues the permit through its DRIVE program, but Kentucky State Police gives the written and road tests by appointment, an arrangement written into KRS 186.480. That split shows in what gets published. KYTC states an 80 percent pass mark on its graduated licensing page and the Kentucky Driver Manual repeats it, yet neither document says how many questions that 80 percent is measured against, and Kentucky State Police tells the public to phone or email for test details. So the pass mark here is official and the question count is not, which is why this page does not present one as fact. What Kentucky does publish is generous elsewhere: a permit at 15 that stays valid 4 years, 60 hours of supervised practice with 10 of them after dark, and a failed written test you may retake the next available day, against a 7 day wait after a failed road test.
Honest note: KYTC does not publish the exam format in a place we could confirm, so the 40 question count and the pass mark of 32 shown here are our best information rather than a verified fact. The practice questions themselves teach Kentucky law either way. Confirm the format with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Driver Licensing before your appointment.
KYTC: format figure not published; checked 2026-08-28
What the process looks like.
The knowledge test is written from the Kentucky 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.
Kentucky's graduated system runs through a learner's permit at 15, an intermediate license at 16, and a full unrestricted license at 17, all managed through KYTC's DRIVE program.
Before moving up from the permit, a teen must hold it for at least 180 days, reach age 16, and log 60 hours of supervised driving practice with 10 of those hours completed at night.
Intermediate license holders cannot drive between midnight and 6 a.m. unless they can show good cause such as an emergency, school, or work, and a driver under 18 is limited to one unrelated passenger under 20 years old.
Violating an intermediate restriction, or picking up a moving violation under KRS 189 or a DUI under KRS 189A, adds a minimum of another 180 days from the date of the violation before the driver can apply for a full unrestricted license.
KYTC says that if you fail the written test you may return the next available day to retake it. A failed road test is treated differently and carries a seven day wait.
Kentucky permit test questions, answered.
How many questions are on the Kentucky permit test?
Kentucky does not publish the number. KYTC and the Kentucky Driver Manual both state the pass mark and stop there, and Kentucky State Police, which actually runs the test, tells the public to phone or email for test details. The 40 question figure quoted on prep sites could not be confirmed in any official Kentucky source, so treat it as unverified.
What score do I need to pass the Kentucky knowledge test?
80%. Both KYTC's graduated licensing page and the current Kentucky Driver Manual set the minimum at 80% and neither one says how many questions that is out of. On a 40 question paper it would be 32 correct, but Kentucky has never published the official total.
Where do I take the Kentucky driver's test?
Unlike most states, Kentucky splits the process. You apply for the permit or license through a KYTC driver licensing regional office, but the written and road tests are given by the Kentucky State Police Driver Testing Branch, by appointment only. The arrangement is written into state law at KRS 186.480, which puts examination of applicants in the hands of the Department of Kentucky State Police.
What is the Kentucky written test based on?
The Kentucky Driver Manual, and Kentucky State Police is blunt that it is the only approved source material for the written test. The manual covers driving rules, regulations, procedures and highway signs, and it closes with a short set of sample questions and an answer key.
Can I take the Kentucky written test in another language?
Yes. The manual lists more than 30 languages the written test is available in, and every testing office has tablets that read the test aloud in English and several other languages without a special appointment. A fully oral administration or a human interpreter does need one booked in advance, and the road test itself allows no interpreter in the vehicle.
What happens if I fail the Kentucky written test?
KYTC says you may return the next available day to retake the written test. The road test is stricter: fail that and you have to wait seven full days before trying again.