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 online test for ages 15–17 has 30 questions; check with DOSHS for the in-person test.

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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 fee$10.50 for the Class D learner permit if you are under 18 ($5.50 if you are 18 or older). County Clerk partner offices add a $4.00 administrative fee. Check the DOSHS fee page for the current amount.
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  Bring with youProof of U.S. citizenship or legal presence (such as a 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. The 50 supervised driving hours are still required, certified by a parent, guardian or licensed driving instructor.
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  Tennessee interstate limitsThe Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual covers the state's interstate rules, including a 70 mph interstate cap and a 55 mph minimum in the left lane. Learn these limits from the Tennessee manual rather than a generic national guide.
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  Online testing optionApplicants ages 15 to 17 can take the knowledge test online with a parent or legal guardian as proctor (using the Tennessee Proctor ID app); adults test at a Driver Services Center. You still visit a Driver Services Center in person for the vision screening, documents and permit card.

The handbook behind Tennessee's 30-question test covers road signs, traffic laws, and safe driving. Get those locked down before drilling anything else.

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  Road signs & signalsShape, color, and meaning of warning, regulatory, and informational signs. A flashing red light = stop sign. A flashing yellow = slow and proceed with caution. Pentagon = school zone.
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  Right-of-way & turningAt a four-way stop, yield to whoever arrived first. If you arrive simultaneously with the car to your left, you have the right-of-way. When turning left, always yield to all approaching vehicles and pedestrians.
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  Signal distanceActivate your turn signal at least 50 feet before your turn. Know this number cold; do not confuse it with 100 feet.
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  Railroad crossing stop distanceKeep your vehicle between 15 and 50 feet back from the nearest rail when you stop. Driving around lowered gates is illegal, even when no train is in sight.
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  Following distanceUse the two-second rule at any speed on state and US highways. 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. Driving at 0.08% is always illegal regardless of whether you feel impaired.
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  BAC — drivers under 21Near-zero tolerance — the limit for drivers under 21 is 0.02%, and a conviction for driving at or above it means losing your license for 1 year.
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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. 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. 70 mph maximum on interstates, with a 55 mph minimum in the leftmost lane.
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  First DUI penaltyA first DUI with no prior convictions brings a one-year license revocation, a fine of $350 to $1,500 and at least 48 hours in jail. If your BAC is 0.15% or higher, the minimum jail time is seven days.

These are rules that are easy to mix up. 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. If two cars arrive at the same time, the car to the RIGHT has priority. Remember both rules, and don't 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 stop arm is pulled back and the bus resumes motion — in both directions. The one exception is a highway with separate roadways divided by a median or barrier, where traffic on the other roadway need not stop; a center turn lane is NOT a barrier.
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  Hill parking — downhill or no curbTurn wheels RIGHT, toward the edge of the road. 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. The curb stops the car from rolling into traffic — the opposite direction from every other hill scenario.
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  Impairment vs. legal limitImpairment begins before you reach the legal limit. Feeling fine does NOT mean you are legal or safe — being impaired and being over the limit are separate issues.
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  'Always' and 'never' optionsAbsolute words deserve a second look, but some rules really are absolute. In Tennessee, you must ALWAYS yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. 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. When changing lanes, check over your shoulder — blind-spot checks catch cyclists that mirrors miss.

Here is a simple plan with 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.
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  Loop 3 — listen along on YouTubePlay the Tennessee Cheat Sheet video the evening before your test. Hearing the key points out loud is a good complement to 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 — on the road you recognize signs by sight, not by a word description.
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  Read every option before pickingWrong answers can look plausible — always read every option before committing.

Passing the Tennessee knowledge test earns you a learner permit — not a full license. If you are under 18, Tennessee's GDL rules include a six-month hold, 50 supervised hours, and a two-tier intermediate license progression before you drive freely.

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  Permit supervisionOn a learner permit you must have a licensed adult age 21 or older in the front seat, and if you are under 18 you may drive only between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. No solo driving on a permit.
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  Hold-time requirementIf you are under 18, you 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 hoursIf you are under 18: at 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 between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, or by a licensed adult age 21 or older designated in writing by a parent or guardian.
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  Intermediate Restricted — passenger limitCannot carry more than one passenger, unless one or more passengers are age 21 or older with a valid unrestricted license, or the passengers are siblings living in your household and a parent has given you a letter authorizing them solely for going to and from school.
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  When restrictions liftRestrictions lift when you are at least 17 AND have held the Intermediate Restricted license for 12 months with a clean record: no at-fault crash, no second seat belt violation and fewer than 6 points. That grants the Intermediate Unrestricted license; any of those problems adds 90 days. Age 17 alone is not enough.
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  Full unrestricted licenseYou become eligible for a regular Class D license at age 18, or when you graduate from high school or receive a GED, whichever comes first — with no curfew or passenger restrictions.