Tennessee written test: at home for ages 15 to 17

Tennessee's knowledge exam is 30 multiple choice questions and takes 24 correct to pass, an 80 percent score, with 60 minutes allowed to finish. Six misses passes and a seventh does not. Passing it, together with a vision screening, is what earns the Learner Permit at 15. The permit then has to be held for 180 days before a teen can move up to the Level Two Intermediate Restricted License at 16, a step that also requires passing the road skills test. Before advancing, a parent, guardian or driving instructor must verify at least 50 hours of driving practice, including 10 hours at night.

Tennessee is one of the few states that puts the real permit exam online rather than a practice version of it. Applicants aged 15 to 17 can complete the standard knowledge exam through the Department of Safety and Homeland Security website instead of visiting a driver service center in person. The concession is capped: only two online attempts are allowed, and after those the test has to be taken in person at a driver service center. A failed attempt also carries a 24 hour wait before retesting, whichever way it was sat, so the fastest anyone can work through the at home route and land back in an office is two days.