North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles
North Carolina permit test: 25 questions
Original North Carolina questions with the law cited under every answer, scored the way NCDMV scores it.
- Exam Simulator25 questions, pass with 20, scored the way NCDMV 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 N.C.G.S. Ch. 20
Work through them in order.
NC Practice Test 1
NC Practice Test 2
NC Practice Test 3
NC Practice Test 4
NC Practice Test 5
NC Full Marathon
NC Road Signs Mini
NC Road Signs Full
NC Right of Way
NC Complex Situations
North Carolina Laws and Limits
NC Alcohol, Phones and Safety
NC Rules of the Road
North Carolina 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.
North Carolina is one of the few states that grades road signs as a separate examination rather than as questions inside the main paper, and it writes both bars into one administrative rule, 19A NCAC 03B .0201. The knowledge test passes at 80 percent of the questions answered correctly. The sign test passes when an applicant for a regular Class C license correctly identifies 9 of the 12 signs shown, while Class A and Class B applicants have to name every one. The rule fixes those shares and never says how many knowledge questions there are, and neither does the NCDMV tests page, the North Carolina Driver Handbook or the sample questions page, so this page quotes the percentage and not a length. Fail either test for a regular Class C license and NCDMV lets you try again after 7 calendar days. Behind the exam, a Level One limited learner permit costs 25.50 dollars, has to be held nine months, and expires on the holder's eighteenth birthday rather than on a fixed schedule.
Honest note: NCDMV does not publish the exam format in a place we could confirm, so the 25 question count and the pass mark of 20 shown here are our best information rather than a verified fact. The practice questions themselves teach North Carolina law either way. Confirm the format with North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles before your appointment.
NCDMV: format figure not published; checked 2026-08-28
What the process looks like.
The knowledge test is written from the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Laws, N.C. General Statutes Chapter 20, with driver licensing under the Uniform Driver's License Act in Article 2. 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.
The Level One limited learner permit is for applicants at least 15 and under 18, and it requires a certificate showing 30 hours of classroom and six hours of behind the wheel driver education before you can sit the test.
For the first six months on a Level One permit you may drive only between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. with your supervising driver. After six months you can drive at any hour, still supervised.
A Level One permit must be held nine months, and the holder must keep a driving log covering at least 60 hours including 10 hours at night, before applying for the Level Two limited provisional license.
Level Two drivers must be at least 16 and under 18, may drive unsupervised from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. plus trips directly to or from work or volunteer emergency service, and must hold the license six months before applying for the Level Three full provisional license.
State rule spells out who faces the full examination: first time applicants, anyone whose North Carolina license expired more than two years ago, and anyone holding an out of state license expired more than two years.
Applicants who do not pass the knowledge test or the driving test for a regular Class C license may try again after seven calendar days.
North Carolina permit test questions, answered.
How many questions are on the North Carolina permit test?
NCDMV does not publish a count. The rule that defines the exam, 19A NCAC 03B .0201, sets the bar at 80 percent of the questions answered correctly but never says how many questions there are. The NCDMV driver license tests page, the North Carolina Driver Handbook and the NCDMV sample test questions page all leave the number out too, and that sample page is only nine illustrative questions, not the exam length. Driving schools in the state quote 25 questions, which at 80 percent works out to the 20 correct shown here, and the count is the unconfirmed half.
What score do I need to pass the NC knowledge test?
Eighty percent, and this figure is not folklore. It is written into 19A NCAC 03B .0201, the North Carolina administrative rule that defines the driver license examination, readopted on 1 November 2021. The rule fixes the share you must get right, not the number of questions you will see, so the percentage is the safe thing to plan around.
How does the North Carolina road sign test work?
It is graded separately from the knowledge test, and the same rule puts a number on it: an applicant for a regular Class C license must correctly identify 9 of 12 road signs. Class A and Class B applicants have to get every sign right.
What happens if I fail the NC permit test?
NCDMV says applicants who do not pass the knowledge test or the driving test for a regular Class C license may retake the test in seven calendar days.
How long do NC teens have to hold a learner permit?
A Level One limited learner permit must be held nine months, with a completed 60 hour driving log, before you can apply for the Level Two limited provisional license.
How long is a North Carolina Level One learner permit valid, and what does it cost?
It costs $25.50 to obtain, per NCDMV's licenses and fees page, and under N.C.G.S. 20-11 it stays valid until the holder's eighteenth birthday rather than expiring on a fixed schedule the way an adult license does.