United States Permit and License Passing Scores

Total Passing Scores in all States

The following is a list of the passing scores in all states.

In states where the knowledge test has two parts with a separate road sign test, we have used the average score for both tests.

You should, however, be aware that the road sign part usually has a higher passing score, like Virginia, where you must correctly answer all ten road sign questions (100%).

A lower passing score does not necessarily mean the DMV test is more manageable. The number of questions on the test and the type of questions are also significant. Some states have “true-or-false” statements, generally considered less challenging. Other states focus more on road signs, which is also easier.

 

State & Questions		Passing Score
Alabama	30	80%
Alaska	20	80%
Arizona	30	80%
Arkansas	25	80%
California	40*	80%
Colorado	25	80%
Connecticut	25	80%
Delaware	25	76%
District of Columbia	25	75%
Florida	50	80%
Georgia	40	75%
Hawaii	30	80%
Idaho	40	85%
Illinois	35	80%
Indiana	50	84%
Iowa	35	80%
Kansas	25	80%
Kentucky	40	80%
Louisiana	40	80%
Maine	30	80%
Maryland	25	88%
Massachusetts	25	72%
Michigan	80	70%
Minnesota	40	80%
Mississippi	30	80%
Missouri	25	80%
Montana	33	82%
Nebraska	25	80%
Nevada	50	80%
New Hampshire	40	80%
New Jersey	50	80%
New Mexico	50	70%
New York	20	70%
North Carolina	25	80%
North Dakota	25	80%
Ohio	40	75%
Oklahoma	50	80%
Oregon	35	80%
Pennsylvania	18	84%
Rhode Island	25	80%
South Carolina	30	80%
South Dakota	25	80%
Tennessee	30	80%
Texas	30	70%
Utah	25	80%
Vermont	20	80%
Virginia	35	86%
Washington	40	80%
West Virginia	25	76%
Wisconsin	50	80%
Wyoming	25	76%

*/ California renewal test has 25 questions with 80% passing score.

Summary

Four states (Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, and Texas) have the lowest passing score, 70 percent. In addition, Massachusetts and New York have only 20 questions on their test.

Texas has 30 questions on the test.

States with the lowest passing score on the written test:

State	Passing Score
Michigan	70%
New Mexico	70%
New York	70%
Texas	70%
Massachusetts	72%

In 7 states, the passing score is higher than 80%.

Three states (Idaho, Maryland, and Virginia) have a passing score of 85 percent or more. Idaho has 40 questions on its test, Maryland has only 20, and Virginia has 35 questions (of which 10 are road sign questions).

States with the highest passing score on the written test:

State	Passing Score
Maryland	88%
Virginia	86%
Idaho	85%
Indiana	84%
Pennsylvania	84%
California	83%
Montana	82%

80% is Most Common

In most states, you need a score of 80 percent to pass.

Thirty-two states have a passing score of 80 percent. Most of these states have 25 questions on the test, which means you must correctly answer 20 questions to pass the exam.