Tennessee DMV Permit Practice Test

The Tennessee knowledge test is your first hurdle with the Department of Safety & Homeland Security — pass it and you walk out with a learner permit. The test is 30 questions, and like most states, DOSHS will not tell you which ones you missed if you fail — you only get the verdict. Under-18 and adult first-time applicants sit the same 30-question exam.

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  Under-18 knowledge test30 questions. Pass at 24 correct (80%). You have 60 minutes to complete it.
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  Adult first-time knowledge test30 questions. Pass at 24 correct (80%). Same threshold — four sections: road signs, road rules, drugs & alcohol, and safe driving.
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  Application feeApproximately $10.50 for the Class C learner permit. Bring exact change or a card — fees vary slightly by DOSHS service center.
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  Bring with youProof of identity (birth certificate or passport), Social Security number or proof of ineligibility, Tennessee residency documentation (two documents), and your application fee.
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  Driver educationTennessee does NOT require driver education by state law, though it is recommended for teen drivers. Completing a course may reduce your supervised practice hours in some counties — check locally.
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  Why TN catches people off guardThe Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual covers interstate rules unique to the state — including a 70 mph interstate cap and a 55 mph minimum in the left lane. Test-takers who study generic national guides often miss these TN-specific limits.
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  Online testing optionTennessee offers the knowledge test online through the DOSHS portal — useful if you want to test from home, though you still visit a service center in person for the permit card.

Tennessee's 30-question test leans heaviest on traffic laws, safety responses, and road signs — those three categories alone make up nearly 90% of the 444 questions in the bank. Get those locked down before drilling anything else.

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  Road signs & signals (~14% of bank — 63 Qs)Shape, color, and meaning of warning, regulatory, and informational signs. A flashing red light = stop sign (Q6936). A flashing yellow = slow and proceed with caution. Pentagon = school zone (Q6794).
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  Right-of-way & turningAt a four-way stop, yield to whoever arrived first (Q6922). If you arrive simultaneously with the car to your left, you have the right-of-way (Q6807). When turning left, always yield to all approaching vehicles and pedestrians (Q6986).
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  Signal distanceActivate your turn signal at least 50 feet before your turn (Q6805, Q7025). This is tested directly — don't guess 100 feet.
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  Railroad crossing stop distanceStop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail (Q7075). It is illegal to drive around lowered gates even if you cannot see a train (Q6668).
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  Following distanceUse the two-second rule at any speed on state and US highways (Q7070, Q7010). Increase to a minimum of four seconds in bad weather, on interstates, or at night.
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  BAC limit — drivers 21+0.08% or above is a DUI in Tennessee (Q6888, Q7068). Driving at 0.08% is always illegal regardless of whether you feel impaired.
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  BAC — drivers under 21Zero tolerance — any detectable amount of alcohol will result in license suspension (Q7040). The bank phrases this as 'any amount,' not a numeric threshold.
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  Implied Consent LawBy driving in Tennessee you consent to a test to determine drug or alcohol content of your blood if asked (Q7022). Refusing is not a legal escape — it carries its own suspension.
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  Prima facie speed limits55 mph on primary and secondary state/federal highways unless posted otherwise (Q6913). 70 mph maximum on interstates, with a 55 mph minimum in the leftmost lane (Q7062).
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  First DUI penaltyFor a first-offense DUI with no prior convictions: $350 fine, 48 hours in jail, and a one-year license revocation (Q6993). BAC of 0.20% or higher bumps jail time to seven days.

These are the categories that sink more first-time Tennessee test-takers than any other. A wrong answer on school bus rules or hill parking often comes down to one misread word — direction, side, or divided.

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  Four-way stop right-of-wayFirst to arrive goes first (Q6922). If two cars arrive at the same time, the car to the RIGHT has priority (Q6807). Most people know the second rule but forget the first, or flip the direction.
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  School bus — stop in both directionsWhen a school bus has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, you must stop and stay stopped until the lights stop flashing — regardless of direction (Q6650, Q6680). The bank does not test a divided-highway exception for TN, so don't add one.
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  Hill parking — downhill (any road) or uphill with no curbTurn wheels RIGHT, toward the edge of the road (Q6842, Q6827). If brakes fail, the car rolls away from traffic.
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  Hill parking — uphill with a curbTurn wheels LEFT, toward the center of the road (Q6842 explanation). The curb stops the car from rolling into traffic — the opposite direction from every other hill scenario.
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  Impairment vs. legal limitEven at 0.02% BAC your risk of a fatal crash nearly doubles (Q6788). Feeling fine does NOT mean you are legal or safe — the test asks both questions separately.
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  'Always' and 'never' optionsUsually wrong — but not always. In Tennessee, you must ALWAYS yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk at all times (Q6715). When a rule is genuinely absolute, 'always' is the right answer.
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  Bicycle sharing the roadChildren on bicycles need extra space because they are unpredictable (Q6696). When changing lanes, check over your shoulder — blind-spot checks catch cyclists that mirrors miss (Q6694).

Reading the handbook once reliably tops out around 60% on the real test. First-time passers use three loops: read once, drill once, listen once. That's it.

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  Loop 1 — read the handbookDownload the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual free from tn.gov/safety. Read it once without trying to memorize — you're building the mental map, not cram-loading facts.
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  Loop 2 — drill the practice examsTake the free 40-Q exam on this page cold. Anything below 32/40 → note which categories you missed and retake. We have 444 questions across the TN bank — enough for multiple distinct practice sets.
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  Loop 3 — listen along on YouTubePlay the Tennessee Cheat Sheet video (104 must-know facts in 15 minutes) the evening before your test. Hearing questions out loud locks retention faster than re-reading.
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  Sleep beats crammingMemory consolidates overnight. A full sleep before your test is worth more than two additional hours of late-night reading.
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  Study signs visuallyNever read sign descriptions in text only. Look at the actual shape and color — the test shows you the sign image, not a word description.
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  Read every option before pickingDOSHS writes plausible wrong answers. Most Tennessee questions have 3 options (A/B/C), but some have 4 (A/B/C/D) — always read all of them before committing.

Passing the Tennessee knowledge test earns you a learner permit — not a full license. Tennessee's GDL rules are moderately strict: a six-month hold, 50 supervised hours, and a two-tier intermediate license progression before you drive freely.

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  Permit supervisionYour learner permit lets you drive between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. only, with a licensed adult age 21 or older sitting in the front seat. No solo driving on a permit.
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  Hold-time requirementYou must hold the learner permit for at least 180 days (six months) before advancing to an Intermediate Restricted license.
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  Supervised practice hoursAt least 50 total hours behind the wheel, including a minimum of 10 hours at night, before moving to the next stage.
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  Intermediate Restricted — night curfewIntermediate Restricted license holders cannot drive alone between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless supervised by a parent, guardian, or a licensed adult age 21 or older.
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  Intermediate Restricted — passenger limitCannot operate a vehicle with more than one passenger under 21, unless one or more passengers are age 21+ with a valid unrestricted license, or the additional passengers are siblings with parental permission.
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  When restrictions liftRestrictions lift when you turn 17 AND have completed 12 months on the Intermediate Restricted license with no violations — that grants the Intermediate Unrestricted license. Age 17 alone is not enough; the 12-month violation-free record is also required.
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  Full unrestricted licenseAfter advancing to Intermediate Unrestricted and reaching age 18, you become eligible for a full Class D license with no curfew or passenger restrictions.