Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services Division
Minnesota written test: 32 of 40, one attempt a day
See the exact Minnesota scoring rules, what the knowledge test covers, and the state details that change how you take it.
- Exam Simulator40 questions, pass with 32, scored the way DVS 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 Minn. Stat.
People say written test, the DVS says knowledge test
Same exam. You answer on a screen, and what decides your day is the scoring below.
What the questions cover
Everything comes back to the Minnesota Statutes: signals and signs, right of way, speed rules, passing and lane use, parking, alcohol limits, and the licensing rules for new drivers. Multiple choice, one correct answer each.
Read off the DVS's own page and dated
Where the 40 questions and the 80 percent actually come from
Minnesota publishes its pass mark and its question count in two unrelated places. Minnesota Rules 7410.4760 is one sentence long and says a knowledge test is passed with a score of at least 80 percent, and the Class D Driver's Manual repeats that figure. Neither the manual nor the DVS licensing pages say how many questions the test contains. The count comes from a different arm of state government: the Office of the Legislative Auditor's 2021 evaluation of Driver Examination Stations records that a knowledge test is made up of 40 questions drawn from the Minnesota Driver's Manual. Eighty percent of 40 is 32 correct, leaving 8 misses. The subject matter is fixed by rule as well, with Minnesota Rules 7410.4200 requiring the exam to cover highway signs, state traffic laws, the effects of alcohol and drugs, railroad grade crossings, slow moving vehicles, bicycle laws and safe driving practices.
Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, Driver Examination Stations evaluation report (2021), page 12, read 2026-08-28One attempt a day, and a fee from the third try
Minnesota Rules 7410.4780 allows any knowledge test to be attempted only once a day, with at least one calendar day between attempts, so a same day retake is not an option here. Money enters on the third try: the Driver's Manual says that after two failures in a row, the third attempt and every one after it carries a 10 dollar fee. Road testing is governed separately, where a missed appointment or one canceled less than 24 hours ahead costs 40 dollars and every attempt after two failures costs 20 dollars.
Minnesota Rules 7410.4780 and the Minnesota Class D Driver's Manual, read 2026-08-28Sitting the test outside a DVS exam station
Alongside its own exam stations, Minnesota approves third party proctors, mostly deputy registrars, license bureaus, libraries and driver education programs, to run the class D knowledge test online. Proctors may charge up to 10 dollars, may test between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and may supervise no more than 10 test takers at once. The online version runs on a 40 minute limit, which the state's agreement with those businesses requires them to tell every test taker about before starting. Appointments are required for the class D test at DVS stations, which do not take walk ins for it.
Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Third-party online knowledge testing, read 2026-08-27Retrieval sticks, rereading does not
See how to study for the permit test before your next practice run.