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DMV permit test · Tennessee

Tennessee DMV permit practice test

As of October 26, 2026, the Tennessee online knowledge test for applicants 15 to 17 has 30 questions, a 60-minute limit and an 80% passing score, in English or Spanish.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security issues a learner permit at 15 to applicants who pass the written exams and a vision screening.

A Tennessee learner permit for an applicant under 18 costs $10.50 in total: $8.50 for the license and a $2.00 application fee (per tn.gov, checked on Oct 26, 2026).

Updated Oct 26, 2026Rules checked against tn.govHow we check
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Tennessee permit test at a glance

Questions on the test
30source, Oct 26, 2026
Passing score
80%source, Oct 26, 2026
Minimum permit age
15source, Oct 26, 2026
Permit or application fee
$10.50source, Oct 26, 2026
Wait after a failed test (under 18)
1 daysource, Oct 26, 2026
Permit held before the road test
6 monthssource, Oct 26, 2026
Supervised practice
50 hourssource, Oct 26, 2026

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Free Tennessee practice test: 10 questions

OneTryPass wrote these questions from the Driver License Knowledge Permit Test Online | Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Pick an answer to see if you got it; each explanation names the part of the handbook it comes from.

  1. Getting your permit

    Question 1. How many questions are on Tennessee’s online knowledge test for teens, and what score passes?

    Show answer

    Answer: C. 30 questions, 80% to pass

    The online permit test for ages 15 to 17 has 30 questions, a 60-minute limit and an 80% passing score. It is offered in English and Spanish.

    From Driver License Knowledge Permit Test Online | Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security · Test Format

  2. Getting your permit

    Question 2. You fail the knowledge test at a Tennessee Driver Services Center. When can you try again?

    Show answer

    Answer: B. After a mandatory one-day wait

    Tennessee requires at least one day between a failed knowledge test and the next attempt, and no test may be repeated on the same day. The $2 application fee is charged again.

    From Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual · Section A-4: The Examinations — When You Don’t Pass the Knowledge Test

  3. Getting your permit

    Question 3. During which hours may a Tennessee learner permit holder under 18 not drive?

    Show answer

    Answer: D. 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

    Permit holders under 18 stay off the road from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. At other times a licensed driver 21 or older must sit in the front seat.

    From Teen/Graduated Driver License | Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security · GDL Level I - Learner permit and how to get it

  4. Getting your permit

    Question 4. With a Tennessee Intermediate Restricted License, how many passengers may ride with you in most cases?

    Show answer

    Answer: A. Only one

    The limit is one passenger, unless a licensed adult 21 or older is aboard, or the riders are siblings living with you and you carry a parent’s letter for school trips.

    From Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual · Section A-3: Intermediate Licenses for Drivers Under 18 — Teen Driver FAQs

  5. Getting your permit

    Question 5. A Tennessee driver with a learner permit is convicted of using a cell phone while driving. What can happen?

    Show answer

    Answer: C. A $50 fine, 6 points and a 90-day delay before the Intermediate Restricted License

    Permit and intermediate license holders may not use a cell phone at all while driving. A conviction is a Class C misdemeanor with a $50 fine, 6 points and a 90-day delay in moving up.

    From Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual · Section A-3: Intermediate Licenses for Drivers Under 18 — No Cell Phones While Driving

  6. Sharing the road

    Question 6. A school bus is stopped with red lights flashing on a Tennessee four-lane road that has a center turn lane. You are coming from the opposite direction. What must you do?

    Show answer

    Answer: B. Stop, because a center turn lane is not a barrier

    Only a median or barrier that vehicles cannot drive over lets oncoming traffic skip the stop. A center turn lane is drivable, so drivers in both directions must stop.

    From Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual · Section B-4: Rules of the Road — The School Bus Stop Law

  7. Parking

    Question 7. You must park beside a Tennessee road outside city limits. What room must you leave for other traffic?

    Show answer

    Answer: D. At least 18 feet of road width, with your car visible for 200 feet both ways

    Get all four wheels off the pavement if you can, and always leave at least 18 feet of road width. Your vehicle must also be visible for 200 feet in each direction.

    From Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual · Section B-4: Rules of the Road — Parking

  8. Alcohol and drugs

    Question 8. A 17-year-old Tennessee driver is found driving with a BAC of .02 percent. What are the penalties?

    Show answer

    Answer: A. Loss of the license for one year and a $250 fine

    Drivers 16 to 20 at .02 percent are convicted of underage driving while impaired: one year without a license, a $250 fine and sometimes public service work.

    From Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual · Section B-7: Alcohol, Other Drugs and Driving — Under 21 Laws

  9. Night driving

    Question 9. Tennessee law makes you dim your high beams when you are following another vehicle within how many feet?

    Show answer

    Answer: C. 500 feet

    Tennessee uses 500 feet both ways: dim when an oncoming vehicle is within 500 feet and when you follow another vehicle within 500 feet.

    From Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual · Section B-4: Rules of the Road — Use of Headlights

  10. Speed and following distance

    Question 10. Unless another limit is posted, what is the speed limit on Tennessee’s primary and secondary state and federal highways?

    Show answer

    Answer: B. 55 mph

    The default is 55 mph on primary and secondary state and federal highways. Interstates can go up to 70 mph where posted.

    From Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual · Section B-4: Rules of the Road — Tennessee Speed Laws

Tennessee permit test questions people ask

How many questions are on the Tennessee permit test?

The online version for 15- to 17-year-olds has 30 questions, a 60-minute limit and an 80% passing mark, with a parent or guardian proctoring through an app. The manual splits the content into four equal parts: signs, safe driving, rules of the road, and drugs and alcohol.

At a Driver Services Center the test runs on computers, also in Spanish, Korean or Japanese. The manual does not give a question count for the in-person version.

Sources: Driver License Knowledge Permit Test Online · Section A-4: The Examinations

What are Tennessee’s rules for learner permits and intermediate licenses?

On the permit, a licensed driver 21 or older sits in front, driving stops from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and phones are off limits. After six months, 50 practice hours and a road test, a 16-year-old moves to the Intermediate Restricted License.

That license allows one passenger and bans driving from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., with exceptions for work, school events and early hunting or fishing trips. At 17, after a clean year, the restrictions lift.

Sources: Teen/Graduated Driver License · Section A-3: Intermediate Licenses for Drivers Under 18

Every Tennessee rule we checked

Each line is one rule from an official Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security page, with the date we read it.

Knowledge test
The Tennessee online knowledge test for applicants 15 to 17 has 30 questions, a 60-minute limit and an 80% passing score, in English or Spanish. source, Oct 26, 2026
Tennessee lets 15- to 17-year-olds take the knowledge test online with a parent or legal guardian proctoring through the Tennessee Proctor ID app. source, Oct 26, 2026
According to the Tennessee manual, the knowledge test splits about evenly among signs and signals, safe driving, rules of the road, and drugs and alcohol. source, Oct 26, 2026
Minimum age
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security issues a learner permit at 15 to applicants who pass the written exams and a vision screening. source, Oct 26, 2026
Fees
A Tennessee learner permit for an applicant under 18 costs $10.50 in total: $8.50 for the license and a $2.00 application fee. source, Oct 26, 2026
Tennessee charges the $2 application fee again each time an applicant fails a learner permit, license or hardship test. source, Oct 26, 2026
If you fail
Tennessee imposes a mandatory one-day wait after any failed driver license knowledge test before the next attempt. source, Oct 26, 2026
Teens who fail Tennessee’s online knowledge test wait 24 hours to retest and may take the online version no more than twice. source, Oct 26, 2026
Permit rules
A Tennessee learner permit holder drives only with a licensed driver 21 or older in the front seat and never between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. source, Oct 26, 2026
Tennessee teens keep the learner permit at least six months before applying for the Intermediate Restricted License, which has a minimum age of 16. source, Oct 26, 2026
To qualify for the Tennessee Intermediate Restricted License, a teen needs 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice, 10 of them at night. source, Oct 26, 2026
Tennessee Intermediate Restricted License holders may carry one passenger and may not drive from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., apart from listed exceptions. source, Oct 26, 2026
What to bring
Tennessee applicants under 18 need a parent or legal guardian to sign the minor/teenage affidavit and proof of school attendance signed within 30 days of applying. source, Oct 26, 2026
Test appointments
Tennessee teens can take the knowledge test online or at a Driver Services Center, where an appointment saves time but walk-ins are welcome. source, Oct 26, 2026
At Tennessee Driver Services Centers with computerized testing, the knowledge test is also offered in Spanish, Korean and Japanese. source, Oct 26, 2026
Official handbook
Tennessee’s Comprehensive Driver License Manual is the study guide for the permit test; its text says it reflects information current as of July 1, 2022. source, Oct 26, 2026

The full Tennessee pack

The free questions above are a sample. The pack is the whole question bank, practiced the way the app below shows.

Inside the Tennessee pack: study sessions that bring missed questions back, timed full practice tests and a readiness score.

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Full Tennessee practice pack

$14.951 year of access · no subscription

  • Every practice question in the Tennessee bank, not just these 10
  • Study sessions that bring missed questions back
  • Timed full practice tests with a readiness score
  • Mistake review by topic, on any device, for a year

Refunds: Full refund within 7 days of purchase, no questions asked.

OneTryPass is not affiliated with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The official Driver License Knowledge Permit Test Online | Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is free at tn.gov.

Tennessee permit test FAQ

Can a Tennessee teen take the permit test at home?

Yes, from 15 to 17. A parent or legal guardian registers in the Tennessee Proctor ID app and supervises the online test on a computer or tablet; phones cannot be used for testing. Source: official page "Driver License Knowledge Permit Test Online", checked on Oct 26, 2026.

When does a Tennessee teen get a regular Class D license?

At 18, or on graduating from high school or earning a GED if that comes first. The license still carries the “Under 21” markings. Source: official page "Teen/Graduated Driver License", checked on Oct 26, 2026.

Are these the real Tennessee DMV test questions?

No. OneTryPass writes its own practice questions from the rules in the Driver License Knowledge Permit Test Online | Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, and each question names the part of the handbook it comes from so you can check the rule.

Is OneTryPass affiliated with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security?

No. OneTryPass is an independent practice site and is not part of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The Driver License Knowledge Permit Test Online | Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is free at tn.gov.

Where this information comes from

Every rule on this page comes from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security'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.