Driving Tests

Tennessee Permit Test: Questions, Passing Score, Languages and Retakes

informational·how to guide·Published June 24, 2026

How many questions are on the Tennessee permit test, and what score passes?

The Tennessee online permit test has 30 questions, and you need at least 80% to pass. Teens aged 15 to 17 get 60 minutes and can take it at home in English or Spanish, with a parent or guardian as proctor. Adults take the knowledge test at a Driver Services Center, where teens can test too. The driver manual lists Spanish, Korean and Japanese at centers.

Where the Tennessee permit test rules come from

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDOSHS) sets these rules. This guide follows its online knowledge test page, its teen Graduated Driver License page and the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, whose text is current as of July 1, 2022. It also uses the TDOSHS adult first-time driver page, the TDOSHS locations page and a TDOSHS news release of May 16, 2022. The rules are as of 2026. TDOSHS publishes the 30 questions and the 80% pass mark for the online test, so ask your Driver Services Center about the test you take there. Confirm the rules with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (tn.gov/safety) before you drive.

Where can you take the Tennessee permit test?

Teens aged 15 to 17 can test online or at a Driver Services Center. Adults (18 and older) test at a center only.
Go to a Full-Service Center: those centers give knowledge tests, and express service centers do not. Walk-ins are welcome. An appointment is optional and saves time, but not every center takes appointments, so check your center on the TDOSHS locations page.
The online test needs a computer, laptop or tablet (a phone is not allowed) and a parent or guardian who proctors with the Tennessee Proctor ID App. See the full home rules in our guide to the Tennessee online permit test at home.

Tennessee permit test: online or at a Driver Services Center

Tennessee permit test: online or at a Driver Services Center
Question	Online test	Driver Services Center
Who can take it	Ages 15 to 17 only	Any applicant, teen or adult
Questions, pass mark and time	30 questions, 80% to pass, 60 minutes	Multiple choice on a computer; ask the center for the count and pass mark
Languages	English and Spanish	English; the 2022 manual lists Spanish, Korean and Japanese
Help during the test	None: no notes, no devices, no help with answers	A translation dictionary with no notes in it; no interpreters
After a fail	Wait 24 hours; at most 2 online tries	Wait at least one day; pay a $2 fee for each failed test

Which way should you take the test?

You are 18 or older

Take the Class D knowledge test at a Driver Services Center. Pass a vision screening there too.

You are 15 to 17 and have a computer, laptop or tablet and a parent or guardian who can proctor

You can take the online test at home. The proctor scans a QR code with the app at the 30-minute mark.

You are 15 to 17 and have no computer or no proctor

Take the test at a Full-Service Driver Services Center.

You passed the online test

Still plan a center visit for the vision screening. TDOSHS may also ask you to retake the knowledge test at the center.

What is on the Tennessee knowledge test?

The test is multiple choice. The questions come from sections B and C of the Tennessee driver manual. Expect four areas of about 25% each: traffic signs and signals, safe driving principles, rules of the road, and drugs and alcohol.
TDOSHS offers online practice tests in e-Services. Our free Tennessee Class D practice test is another way to practice; it is in English only, and its questions are not the real test questions.

Which languages does the Tennessee permit test come in?

The online test comes in English and Spanish. At a Driver Services Center, the manual says centers with computer testing offer Spanish, Korean or Japanese as other languages. Its text is current as of July 1, 2022, so ask your center which languages it offers today.
If English is not your first language, you may bring a translation dictionary to the center test. Plan ahead for the road test too: you must speak and understand enough English to talk with the examiner.

What if you fail the Tennessee permit test?

You cannot repeat a test on the same day. After a failed knowledge test, wait at least one day (24 hours online) before you try again. Check yourself with the practice question on the retake wait.
Online, you may take the test at most two times. The 2022 TDOSHS news says that after two fails, the teen goes to a Driver Services Center for future testing.
At a center, you pay the $2 application fee each time you take a test and fail.
When you come back for a retest, bring all of your original documents again.

What happens after you pass?

A pass is one step toward the learner permit. At a Driver Services Center you also pass the vision screening and show your documents: the originals or certified copies, even if they were pre-approved online. A teen under 18 comes with a parent or legal guardian, who signs the Minor/Teenage Affidavit and financial responsibility form there. The other permit steps, the driving rules and the cost are in our guide to the Tennessee learner permit.

Key takeaways

The online test has 30 questions, takes up to 60 minutes and needs 80% to pass.
The online test is for ages 15 to 17 only, in English or Spanish, with a parent or guardian as proctor.
Adults test at a Full-Service Driver Services Center. The 2022 manual lists Spanish, Korean and Japanese there, so ask your center.
After a fail, wait at least one day. Online you get two tries, and a center fee of $2 applies each time you fail.
Next step: practice the signs and rules on the free Tennessee Class D practice test before you go.

Tennessee permit test: common questions

Can I use a translation dictionary on the Tennessee permit test?

Yes, at a Driver Services Center, if English is not your first language. It must be a book with no notes or other handwriting in its pages. Electronic dictionaries are not allowed. An interpreter may not help you, except a certified sign language interpreter that the state gives a deaf applicant for an oral test.

Can I have my phone during the Tennessee permit test?

At a Driver Services Center, only if it is turned off: smart phones and other electronic devices are not allowed during testing, and every cell phone must be turned off. For the online test at home, you may not have any electronic or recording device with you, and you take the test on a computer, laptop or tablet.

What counts as cheating on the Tennessee knowledge test?

Written notes of any kind count, on paper, clothing or your body. So does talking during the test, which includes cell phone use, and an attempt to let another person take the test for you. Cheating is an automatic failure, and you cannot try the test again for 30 days.

Can I take the Tennessee permit test orally?

Yes, if you have a learning disability or cannot read. Oral tests are given by appointment at selected Driver Services Centers. An applicant under 18 must first bring a written statement from a physician or educational specialist about the medical condition or learning disability.

What vision do I need for the Tennessee permit?

You need at least 20/40 vision in each eye and in both eyes together, with or without glasses or contact lenses. You take the vision screening at a Driver Services Center, at the same visit as the knowledge test if you did not pass it online.