South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program
South Dakota permit test: 25 questions
Original South Dakota questions with the law cited under every answer, scored the way SD DPS scores it.
- Exam Simulator25 questions, pass with 20, scored the way SD DPS 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 SDCL ch. 32-12
Work through them in order.
SD Practice Test 1
SD Practice Test 2
SD Practice Test 3
SD Practice Test 4
SD Practice Test 5
SD Full Marathon
SD Road Signs Mini
SD Road Signs Full
SD Right of Way
SD Complex Situations
South Dakota Laws and Limits
SD Alcohol, Phones and Safety
SD Rules of the Road
South Dakota 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 Dakota is one of the few states where a teenager can skip the written test altogether. SD DPS waives the knowledge test for an instruction permit when the applicant hands over a certificate for an approved driver education course finished within the last year, and the permit itself is available from age 14. For everyone else DPS states the bar plainly, 80 percent, and applies the same 80 percent to the driving test, but it has never stated the length. The 72 page Driver's License Manual was searched in full and does not contain the word question, so the 25 questions and 20 correct shown here are a driver education default rather than a DPS figure. DPS also says outright that no sample test is provided, which is unusual among states. Each fee paid buys three test opportunities inside a six month window, you cannot retest before the next working day, and anyone caught cheating waits a minimum of two weeks.
Honest note: SD DPS 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 South Dakota law either way. Confirm the format with South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program before your appointment.
SD DPS: format figure not published; checked 2026-08-28
What the process looks like.
The knowledge test is written from the South Dakota Codified Laws, Title 32 (Motor Vehicles), Chapter 32-12 (Driver 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.
South Dakota allows an instruction permit at age 14. You must pass the knowledge and vision tests, though the knowledge test is waived if you present a certificate for an approved driver education course completed within the last year.
For permits issued on or after 1 July 2020, the instruction permit must be held for 275 days, or 180 days if the holder scored 80 percent or better on both the written and driving portions of an approved driver education course.
Moving up to the Restricted Minor's Permit also takes 50 hours of adult supervised driving, including 10 hours in bad weather and 10 hours after dark, plus no traffic convictions in the last six months.
The Restricted Minor's Permit allows driving alone from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with limited exceptions after 10 p.m. for school, church, work, and farm trips.
A full unrestricted license requires the holder to be at least 16, to have driven on the Restricted Minor's Permit for at least six months, and to have stayed free of traffic convictions for six months.
DPS will not retest you before the next working day, and each fee paid buys three test opportunities inside a six month window. Anyone caught cheating waits a minimum of two weeks.
South Dakota permit test questions, answered.
How many questions are on the South Dakota permit test?
DPS does not say. The Driver License Testing Information page gives the pass mark but never the length, the knowledge test paragraph in the official South Dakota Driver's License Manual describes the subject matter without a count, and the teen graduated licensing brochure does not give one either. Driver education sources report 25 questions, which is the length this page's practice test uses, but treat it as unconfirmed. Checked against the South Dakota Department of Public Safety on 27 August 2026.
What score do I need to pass the SD knowledge test?
80 percent. DPS tells applicants plainly that the knowledge test takes a score of 80 percent or higher, and it applies the same 80 percent bar to the driving test. On a 25 question exam that would be 20 correct, but only the percentage is official.
What happens if I fail the South Dakota knowledge test?
You cannot retest before the next working day. Each fee you pay buys three test opportunities inside a six month period, and after three failures in that window the fee has to be paid again. Get caught cheating and the wait jumps to a minimum of two weeks.
Is there an official South Dakota DPS sample knowledge test?
No. The DPS testing page states that no sample test is provided, so applicants study the driver's license manual and use third party practice tests instead.
Can the South Dakota knowledge test be waived?
Yes, for teens. If you hand over a certificate showing you passed an approved driver education course, or an approved equivalent from another state, within the last year, DPS waives the knowledge test for the instruction permit.