Texas written test: most take it outside a DPS office

Texas DPS sets the knowledge exam at 30 questions and requires 21 correct, which is 70 percent. That figure is regularly misreported, so a prep site telling you Texas needs 80 percent is quoting a different state's rule. Nine wrong answers still passes. Both figures were confirmed against Texas DPS on 27 August 2026, and the passing score is carried on this page as a stat with that source attached, so a reader can check it rather than take it on trust.

Drivers under 18 must complete an approved driver education course, which can be classroom based or parent taught, the latter delivered at home by a parent or guardian who meets state requirements. Applicants under 25 complete a driver education course as well, and the knowledge exam is normally administered by that course provider rather than by DPS. Only adults 25 and over who are exempt from driver education take the exam at a DPS office. The same delegation runs through the practical stage, since Texas allows approved driver education schools as well as DPS offices to conduct road tests, so availability varies a lot by provider, and the Impact Texas Drivers course must be completed shortly before the road test.