Kansas DMV Permit Practice Test

The Kansas knowledge test is administered by the Division of Vehicles (DOV), part of the Department of Revenue. You need to pass it to get an instruction permit. Good preparation before test day makes a real difference.

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  Under-18 exam25 questions. Pass at 20 correct (80%).
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  Adult first-time exam25 questions. Pass at 20 correct (80%). Same threshold whether you're 16 or 26.
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  Application fee$10 total — instruction permit fee including the photo fee.
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  Bring with youProof of identity, Kansas residency, and Social Security number. If you are under 16, a parent or guardian must also sign the application.
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  Under 16?Driver education is not required to get an instruction permit. It is required for the age-15 restricted license, but not if you apply at 16.
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  Short test, little room for error25 questions is a short test, which means six careless misses are enough to drop you below 80%. Traffic laws and safety deserve extra attention, so make sure you know those two categories well.
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  The handbookStudy from the Kansas Driving Handbook Non-Commercial Driver's Manual — the official source for Kansas driving rules.

Study traffic laws first, and don't skip safety and road signs. If you nail those three areas, you're in good shape. The numbers below are worth memorizing.

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  Road signsSign shapes, colors, and meanings. Regulatory signs are white rectangles. Warning signs are yellow diamonds. Work-zone signs have orange backgrounds with black text. A round sign means railroad crossing.
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  Right-of-way at four-way stopsWhoever arrives first goes first. If it is a tie, the driver on your right goes ahead of you. And when the other driver, to your left, arrives together with you, the right-of-way is yours.
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  Left turnsAlways yield to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk before completing a left turn. Know this one.
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  Signal distanceBegin signaling about 100 feet before any turn.
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  Following distance2-second rule under normal conditions. Adverse conditions (rain, snow, fog) — use the 4-second rule. Motorcycles: give at least 3-4 seconds.
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  BAC limit — 21 and older0.08% or higher = DUI. First offense: 30-day license suspension plus possible criminal penalties.
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  Under-21 BAC ruleUnder 21, it is illegal in Kansas to drive with a BAC of 0.02% or higher, far below the 0.08% adult limit.
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  Impairment below the legal limitAny BAC can impair judgment and coordination. 'Legally drunk' and 'impaired' are not the same thing — you can fail the driving task well below 0.08%.
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  Only time sobers you upCoffee, cold showers, and food do nothing to lower BAC. Only time removes alcohol from your system. Know this one cold.
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  Railroad crossingsNever go around or under a lowered gate. Wait for all tracks to clear after a train passes — a second train may follow on another track.

These are rules that are easy to confuse. If you only have time to drill a few, drill these.

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  Four-way stop tie-breaker'First to arrive, first to go' is the easy part. The tie-breaker is easy to mix up: when two cars arrive at the same time, the car on the LEFT yields to the car on the RIGHT — not the other way around.
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  School bus — same side vs. divided highwayStop when a bus flashes red in both directions on a regular road. Exception: if a physical median separates you from the bus on a divided highway, you don't need to stop. Same-side traffic always stops.
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  Hill parking — downhill (or no curb, any direction)Turn wheels TOWARD the edge of the road (right). The vehicle rolls away from traffic if the brake fails.
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  Hill parking — uphill with a curbTurn wheels AWAY from the curb (left). The curb catches the tire if the brake fails. Park within 12 inches of the curb.
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  Impairment vs. legal limit0.08% is the legal limit, not a safety floor. Impairment can happen below 0.08% — it can start at any BAC.
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  'Always' and 'never' rulesWords like 'always' and 'never' deserve a careful read, because some rules really are absolute. 'You must ALWAYS yield to a pedestrian with a white cane' is genuinely always true. Don't dismiss every absolute statement — evaluate the topic.
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  Children on bicyclesGive extra space and expect the unexpected. Children on bikes are unpredictable — extend your following gap and give them more room than you'd give an adult cyclist.

Reading the handbook once is a start, but practice makes it stick. Try three loops: read once, drill once, listen once. That's it.

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  Loop 1 — read the handbookDownload the Kansas Driving Handbook Non-Commercial Driver's Manual free from ksrevenue.gov. Read it once — don't try to memorize, just get the concepts. This guide compresses the key points into bullets.
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  Loop 2 — drill the practice examsTake the free 40-Q exam below cold. Anything under 32/40 means focus on the categories you missed and retake.
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  Loop 3 — listen along on YouTubePlay the Kansas full practice test video the night before. Hearing questions and answers out loud is a good way to review without re-reading the handbook.
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  Sleep beats crammingMemory consolidates overnight. A full sleep the night before is worth more than two extra hours of late-night reading.
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  Study signs visuallyDon't just read sign descriptions as text. Look at the actual shape and color. On the road you recognize signs by sight, not by a written description — practice recognition, not recall.
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  Read every option before pickingRead every option before you pick. The first option can look correct until you read the rest.

Passing the knowledge test earns you an instruction permit — not a license. Kansas runs a graduated system starting at age 14, with distinct restrictions at 15 and 16, and a 12-month permit hold.

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  Permit supervision — 21+ in front seatYour instruction permit requires a licensed adult age 21 or older to sit in the front seat at all times. No exceptions for solo drives.
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  Hold time — 12 months minimumYou must hold the instruction permit for 12 months before advancing to a restricted license. Applicants under 17 must hold it for one year or until their 17th birthday, whichever comes first.
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  Supervised practice hours50 total hours of supervised driving, with at least 10 hours at night, under a licensed adult age 21 or older.
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  Age-15 restricted license — no non-sibling minorsAt age 15, you cannot carry any non-sibling passengers under 18. Siblings can ride; friends cannot.
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  Age-16 less-restricted license — curfew + 1 passenger limitAt age 16, the curfew is 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. You can carry a maximum of 1 non-sibling passenger under 18. Curfew is waived for driving to/from work or a school activity.
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  When restrictions liftAge-related restrictions end once you are 16 and have held your restricted license for 6 months, or at age 17, whichever comes first, provided you have followed the law. A non-restricted license can be issued from age 17.