DMV permit test · South Dakota
As of October 26, 2026, the South Dakota Driver Licensing Program requires a knowledge test score of 80% or higher, on rules of the road and safe driving practices.
South Dakota’s Department of Public Safety issues the instruction permit to applicants who are at least 14 years old.
An instruction permit and a Restricted Minor’s Permit each cost $38 at South Dakota Driver Licensing (per sd.gov, checked on Oct 26, 2026).
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OneTryPass wrote these questions from the Driver Licensing Information for Teen Drivers and Parents | South Dakota Department of Public Safety. Pick an answer to see if you got it; each explanation names the part of the handbook it comes from.
South Dakota issues the instruction permit at 14. You apply in person at a Driver Licensing location and pass the knowledge test, unless a recent driver education certificate waives it.
The Driver Licensing Program requires 80% or higher on the knowledge test, which covers rules of the road and safe driving. The driving test uses the same 80% bar.
Without driver education the permit is held 275 days, so the drive test can be booked from day 276. Finishing an approved course cuts that to 180 days.
South Dakota asks for at least 50 supervised hours, with 10 after dark and 10 in inclement weather. A parent signs the Supervised Driving Affidavit at the exam station.
Solo driving is allowed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. a parent or legal guardian sits beside you, unless you take the most direct route to or from school, church, work or farm work.
For six months after the Restricted Permit is first issued, no passengers outside your immediate family or household are allowed. After that, one such passenger may ride along.
Instruction and Restricted Minor’s Permit holders may not use any wireless communication device while driving on public roads. That covers phones, texting devices and laptops.
South Dakota requires a full stop before reaching a stopped emergency vehicle with red lights. For amber, yellow or blue lights, you move over or slow down instead.
A first zero tolerance offense is a Class 2 misdemeanor punished by a fine and losing the license for 30 days. A second offense means 180 days without a license.
South Dakota requires 3 feet when the posted limit is 35 mph or less and 6 feet when it is higher. You may partly cross the center line to do it if that is safe.
From South Dakota Driver License Manual (revised 11/2024) · Sharing the Road — Bicyclists
You need 80% or higher. The test covers rules of the road and safe driving practices, and the state does not publish how many questions it has or a sample test.
A fail is not final: you can come back the next working day, and each fee buys three tries within six months.
The instruction permit starts at 14, with a $38 fee and an appointment at an exam station. A recent driver education certificate can stand in for the knowledge test.
The Restricted Minor’s Permit is also available from 14, after the permit period and 50 logged hours. The full Operator’s License waits until 16.
Sources: Driver Licensing Information for Teen Drivers and Parents · Driver License/ID Card Fees
Driving alone is allowed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with parental permission. Late at night a parent or legal guardian rides beside you, except on direct trips to or from school, church, work or farm work.
No passengers from outside the family or household for the first six months, then just one. After six months on the permit and six months without a conviction, a 16-year-old can upgrade to an Operator’s License.
Source: Driver Licensing Information for Teen Drivers and Parents
Each line is one rule from an official South Dakota Department of Public Safety page, with the date we read it.
The free questions above are a sample. The pack is the whole question bank, practiced the way the app below shows.
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No. South Dakota bars Instruction Permit and Restricted Minor’s Permit holders from using any wireless communication device while driving, which includes phones, texting devices and laptops. Source: official page "The Driver’s License: Types of Driver’s Licenses and Driver’s Permits", checked on Oct 26, 2026.
No. The Driver Licensing Program says there is no sample test and points applicants to the Driver License Manual to study. Source: official page "South Dakota Driver License Testing Information", checked on Oct 26, 2026.
No. OneTryPass writes its own practice questions from the rules in the Driver Licensing Information for Teen Drivers and Parents | South Dakota Department of Public Safety, and each question names the part of the handbook it comes from so you can check the rule.
No. OneTryPass is an independent practice site and is not part of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. The Driver Licensing Information for Teen Drivers and Parents | South Dakota Department of Public Safety is free at sd.gov.
Every rule on this page comes from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety's own website or handbook. OneTryPass reads the page, writes the rule in plain English and records the date. A rule that passes its re-check date leaves this page on its own until it is read again.
How often each kind of rule is read again: knowledge test, 120 days; minimum age, 365 days; fees, 90 days; if you fail, 180 days; permit rules, 365 days; what to bring, 180 days; test appointments, 60 days; official handbook, 180 days.
Something wrong on this page? Tell us at [email protected] and include the link to the official page that changed.