Driving Tests

Kansas Driving Test: How It Works and What to Bring

informational·how to guide·Published August 19, 2026

How does the Kansas driving test work?

On the Kansas driving test, you drive a designated route in your own vehicle, and an examiner scores your maneuvers and general driving. Your vision must be at least 20/40 in one eye. If you fail, you can retake the test the next working day for $1.50 (U.S. dollars), with four chances before a six-month wait. A DE-99 slip from driver's education can replace the written and driving tests.

Where the Kansas driving test facts come from

The Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (people say "Kansas DMV") runs the driving test. The facts in this guide come from the Kansas Driving Handbook (revised February 2022), the Division's graduated driver license requirements and Kansas law (K.S.A. 8-240 and K.S.A. 8-235d). The Division's pages on getting a driver's license and on required documents, and its driver's license FAQ, add some details. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (ksrevenue.gov) before you drive.

The three parts of the Kansas driving test

1
Pre-trip vehicle safety inspection
You show the examiner that your vehicle is safe to drive. You may have to point to items such as the tires, brake lights and turn signals and explain what you check and why. The vehicle checklist below shows what must work.
2
Basic vehicle control skills
You do two or more exercises, such as turnabouts and parallel parking. They can happen off-street, on the street during the road test, or both. Each time you stop and reverse direction to fix your position counts as an error.
3
Road test
You drive a designated route that may have a variety of traffic situations and follow the examiner's directions. You get plenty of time to do what the examiner asks, and you are not asked to drive in an unsafe manner. The examiner scores specific maneuvers and your general driving, and asks you to identify several traffic signs.
4
After the three parts: your results
At the end, the examiner discusses the result of each test and gives recommendations for improvement.

Mistakes that fail the Kansas driving test at once

No safety belt. You do not use your safety belt.
No blind-spot check. You do not check your blind spots.
A traffic violation. You get a citation for a moving violation, or you disobey signs or signals, speed, roll through stops or ignore traffic laws.
No yield. You do not yield to pedestrians or other roadway users. The free question on yielding to a pedestrian in a crosswalk shows the rule.
An unsafe act. You do something unsafe, or another driver must take evasive action to prevent a crash.
A crash or contact. You are in an avoidable crash, or your vehicle touches other vehicles, objects or pedestrians.
Curbs and sidewalks. You put the vehicle over a sidewalk or curb when you do not need to.
The examiner takes control. The examiner must take control of the vehicle.

Bring your own vehicle, and check it first

Yes, you bring the car: the Division of Vehicles lists the driving examination with "vehicle provided by you." Before test day, make sure that all signals work, all tires are in safe condition, the brake lights work, the windshield and mirrors are intact, the horn works and the tag is valid.
Temperature rules apply too. Over 85°F, the air conditioner must work. From 75°F to 85°F, the air conditioner must work or the passenger window must roll down. Under 45°F, the heater must work.

What to bring to the Kansas driving test

Your instruction permit, if your license step needs one. At 16, you must have held a state-issued permit for at least 1 year, and time on a driver's education permit slip does not count. At 17 and older, and for a farm permit, no instruction permit is required.
Proof of Kansas residence. The guide to Kansas driver's license documents and REAL ID covers the full document list.
A parent or guardian, if you are under 18. A parent or guardian signs for 50 hours of supervised driving. Under 17, the parent also signs permission to issue a license.
Your DE-99 completion slip, if you finished driver's education. It may replace the tests (see below).
The vehicle. It must meet the checklist above.

Which tests you take at each age

Which tests you take at each age
Step	Tests the Division of Vehicles lists
Restricted license at 15	Vision only. Driver's education is required.
Farm permit at 14 and 15	Vision, written and driving. A driver's education certificate can replace the written and driving tests. No instruction permit is required.
Less-restricted license at 16	Vision, written and driving. A driver's education certificate can replace the written and driving tests. Driver's education is not required.
License at 17 and older	Vision, written and driving. A driver's education certificate can replace the written and driving tests.

The Kansas vision standard

Your vision must be at least 20/40 in one eye at the screening in the driver's license office. If you need glasses or contacts to meet that standard, your license gets a corrective lens restriction, and you must wear them any time you drive. The free question on driving with a corrective lens restriction covers that rule.
Instead of the office screening, you can bring a Driver Licensing eye examination form that a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist completed in the last 90 days. If you fail the vision test, Kansas law (K.S.A. 8-240) lets you have your vision corrected and take it again with no extra fee.

Who can skip the tests with a DE-99 slip

Driver's education ends with a DE-99 completion slip. At 16, at 17 and older, and for a farm permit, you can bring the slip instead of passing the written and driving tests. At 17 and older, the slip is gold. Agency pages differ on the vision test, so plan to take it and ask your office.
The completion expires after 2 years. Online courses do not count. Approved courses are school district programs and approved private driver's education schools with 8 hours of classroom and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction.

Where to take the Kansas driving test and how to book

Before you go, check the office list on ksrevenue.gov to see whether the driver's license office you plan to visit can give the driving test. Appointments are recommended, and they receive priority.

What to do if you fail the Kansas driving test

You fail the driving test once

You may take it again the next working day after you pay the $1.50 re-exam fee. You can wait longer if you want more practice.

You fail four times in six months

After four failures of the written or driving test within six months, Kansas law says you wait six months from the date of the last failed exam.

You do not pass the vision, written and driving tests within six months of your first application

You file an application for reexamination, with a $3 reexamination fee. The Kansas driver's license cost guide lists the other fees.

Key takeaways

The driving test has three parts: a pre-trip vehicle check, basic control exercises and a road test on a designated route, in a vehicle that you bring.
No safety belt, no blind-spot check, no yield, a traffic violation, an avoidable crash or the examiner taking control fails you at once.
Vision must be at least 20/40 in one eye. A DE-99 slip from driver's education can replace the written and driving tests, and it expires after 2 years.
A retake costs $1.50 and can happen the next working day. After four failures in six months, you wait six months.
Next step: practice for the written test on the free Kansas Class C written practice test. Its questions are in English only.

Kansas driving test: common questions

How many times can I take the Kansas driving test?

You have four chances to pass the driving test. You can retake it the next working day after you pay a $1.50 re-exam fee. After four failures of the written or driving test within six months, you wait six months from your last failed exam.

What maneuvers are on the Kansas driving test?

The control skills part has two or more of these exercises: a forward two-point turnabout, a reverse two-point turnabout, a three-point turnabout, a left-side parallel park and a right-side parallel park. If any part of your vehicle except the mirrors touches or crosses a boundary line or cone, it counts as an error.

Do I have to open the hood on the Kansas driving test?

No. In the pre-trip check, you may have to walk around the vehicle, point to or touch each item, such as the tires, brake lights and turn signals, and explain what you check and why. You do not have to open the hood or crawl under the vehicle.

Can driver's ed replace the Kansas driving test?

Yes, at 16, at 17 and older and for a farm permit. A DE-99 completion slip from an approved course can take the place of the written and driving tests, and it expires after 2 years. At 15, driver's education is required for the restricted license, and only a vision test is listed.

Does the Kansas driving test include road signs?

Yes. During the road test, the examiner can ask you what road sign you just passed, so watch the signs along the route. Kansas law (K.S.A. 8-235d) also makes reading and understanding highway signs part of the license examination.