Michigan written test scoring: 40 of 50, online at home

The Secretary of State describes its knowledge test as multiple choice in two portions that must both be passed, an Operator section taking about 45 minutes and a Signs section taking about 15. It publishes no question count and no passing percentage for either. Every source checked says the same nothing: the SOS pages for new drivers 18 and older and under 18, the What Every Driver Must Know manual, the licensing FAQs, the department's news release announcing online testing, and the pages of the vendor that runs the official online test. Prep sites fill the gap with figures that contradict each other, which is itself a fair sign that no published number exists. The structure is the fact worth acting on: passing the traffic law half does not carry you if the road sign half falls short.

Applicants 18 and older can take the same test used on the kiosks in SOS offices at home for a 6.50 dollar convenience fee, on a computer with a keyboard and mouse rather than a touch screen, with a webcam taking random photos during the test to check for violations. Testing at a Secretary of State office is free. Online, you may attempt the test twice in a calendar day, paying the fee each time, and a third try waits for the next day. In an office, a failing score ends the session on the spot and you rebook for another day. Anyone who passes one section and fails the other can go to an office and sit the full test again at no charge. A passed knowledge test stays valid for one year.

A Michigan teen's written hurdle is not the SOS test. It is the Segment 1 state exam given by a certified driver education provider, which needs at least 70 percent to pass the course, followed by a Segment 2 state exam carrying the same 70 percent mark. Segment 1 enrollment opens at 14 years and 8 months and the Level 1 License follows at 14 years and 9 months once Segment 1 is complete. The Secretary of State knowledge test is reserved for people aged 18 and over who have not held a license in the past four years.