South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles
South Carolina permit test: 30 questions
Original South Carolina questions with the law cited under every answer, scored the way SCDMV scores it.
- Exam Simulator30 questions, pass with 24, scored the way SCDMV 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 S.C. Code Ann. tit. 56, ch. 1
Work through them in order.
SC Practice Test 1
SC Practice Test 2
SC Practice Test 3
SC Practice Test 4
SC Practice Test 5
SC Full Marathon
SC Road Signs Mini
SC Road Signs Full
SC Right of Way
SC Complex Situations
South Carolina Laws and Limits
SC Alcohol, Phones and Safety
SC Rules of the Road
South 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.
South Carolina charges by the sitting. SCDMV takes $2.00 every time you sit the knowledge test, on top of the $2.50 the beginner's permit costs, so a run of failures adds up in a way it does not in states that fold testing into a single license fee. The agency is also unusually open about one half of the exam and silent about the other. It runs a free official practice exam at apps.sc.gov, built from its own storehouse of real exam questions and reshuffled on every start, and the score screen there states that 80 percent or better is what passing takes. What SCDMV has never published is how many questions the real test holds: the 141 page Driver's Manual was searched in full and does not contain the word question, and the governing statutes fix what the examination must cover rather than how long it runs. The 30 questions and 24 correct here are a driver training length applied to that confirmed 80 percent.
Honest note: SCDMV does not publish the exam format in a place we could confirm, so the 30 question count and the pass mark of 24 shown here are our best information rather than a verified fact. The practice questions themselves teach South Carolina law either way. Confirm the format with South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles before your appointment.
SCDMV: format figure not published; checked 2026-08-28
What the process looks like.
The knowledge test is written from the South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 56 (Motor Vehicles), Chapter 1 (Driver's Licenses). 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.
You must be at least 15 to apply for a South Carolina beginner's permit, and applicants under 18 need an authorized adult to sign at an SCDMV branch.
Minors must hold the beginner's permit for at least 180 days before advancing, while applicants 18 or older only need to hold it for 30 days.
Knowledge tests can be taken at any SCDMV branch, and SCDMV also authorizes One Stop driver training schools to administer the knowledge and skills tests on its behalf.
A Class D beginner's permit lets you practice from 6 a.m. to midnight with a licensed driver at least 21 years old with a year of experience beside you, and from midnight to 6 a.m. only with a qualified adult in the front seat.
A motorcycle beginner's permit (Class M) is also available at 15, with its own knowledge test drawn from the Motorcycle and Moped Operator's Manual, and it cannot be renewed more than three times.
SCDMV charges $2 for each sitting of the knowledge test, and the beginner's permit itself is $2.50, which covers original, renewal, duplicate and modified permits.
Knowledge tests are taken at any SCDMV branch. No study material or electronic device is allowed in the testing area, and carrying anything in that could help with the answers is an automatic fail.
South Carolina permit test questions, answered.
How many questions are on the South Carolina permit test?
SCDMV does not publish a count. The Beginner's Permit page, the Driving Tests page and the official South Carolina Driver's Manual all describe the knowledge test without saying how long it is, and the statutes that govern the examination set out what it must cover rather than how many questions it holds. Driver training sources widely report 30 multiple choice questions, which is the length this page's practice test uses, but the number is unconfirmed. Checked against the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles on 27 August 2026.
What score do I need to pass the SC knowledge test?
80 percent. SCDMV runs its own free Driver's License Practice Exam at apps.sc.gov, built from its bank of real exam questions, and the score screen tells you that 80 percent or better is what passing takes. That figure does not appear on the main license pages or in the driver's manual, so it is strongly indicated rather than formally published. At the commonly reported 30 question length, 80 percent means 24 correct.
Does SCDMV run an official practice test?
Yes, and it is free. The Driver's License Practice Exam pulls sample questions from SCDMV's own storehouse of exam questions and reshuffles them every time you start, so you can repeat it as often as you like. Three minutes of inactivity restarts the exam, so do not walk away mid question.
How much does the South Carolina permit test cost?
Two dollars for each sitting of the knowledge test, which is charged separately from the permit. The beginner's permit itself is $2.50, and that same $2.50 covers original, renewal, duplicate and modified permits.
How old do I need to be for a South Carolina beginner's permit?
At least 15. Minors hold the permit for 180 days before moving up, while applicants 18 or older only need to hold it for 30 days.