Wisconsin written test: free in person, $10 online

Wisconsin runs a 50 question knowledge test needing 40 correct and, alongside it, a separate highway signs test of 15 questions needing 12. Both are graded at 80 percent and neither needs an appointment. Ten misses passes the knowledge test while only three misses passes the signs test, so the shorter paper is the tighter one and is worth the same revision attention as the long one. Both draw on the Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook, and the sitting takes about 45 minutes, which matters because you have to finish before the customer service center closes.

Taking the knowledge test at a DMV customer service center costs nothing. The alternative is KnowTo Drive at 10 dollars per test, charged whether you pass or fail, and it is open only to applicants aged 17 and under, so adults in Wisconsin have no at home route. The retake limits differ by route as well. Online you get two attempts, and anyone who fails both has to take the third in person at a DMV service center. In person the same test may be taken up to five times within a one year period, and a failed test cannot be retaken any sooner than the next day.