Missouri written test: 20 of 25, two attempts a day

The Missouri State Highway Patrol administers the exam and publishes the format itself: 25 questions on the Class E, Class F and motorcycle written tests, with 80 percent to pass. The Patrol puts the margin in plain terms, saying you can miss up to 5 questions and still pass, which makes 20 correct the target. Nothing is charged for the written test or for a non commercial skills test at a Highway Patrol examination station. Because the Patrol runs the testing rather than the licensing agency, the format comes straight from the body that writes and grades the paper.

Missouri is one of the few states that lets you sit the written test twice in one day, and the Patrol allows that repeatedly until you pass. The skills test is stricter: one attempt per day, and no more than three in any rolling 12 months without special permission from the Department of Revenue. Passing does not end the process, because the score document the Patrol issues is not valid for driving on its own. You take it to a Department of Revenue fee office and buy the permit or license there, which is where the money changes hands.