Driving Tests

Wisconsin Permit Test Languages: Spanish, Hmong and More

informational·how to guide·Published June 8, 2026

Can I take the Wisconsin permit test in Spanish or another language?

Yes. The Wisconsin DMV offers the Class D knowledge test and highway signs test, on computer and on paper, in 11 options: English, American Sign Language, Burmese, Chinese, Croatian, Hmong, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Somali and Spanish. The online test at home is in English and Spanish only. At a DMV service center, you can also ask for audio assist.

Where this language information comes from

The language list comes from the Wisconsin DMV knowledge test page and the DMV's online knowledge test questions and answers (BDS348). The road test rules come from the DMV road test page. Other details come from the 2026 Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook (BDS126), Wisconsin Statutes s. 343.16, the DMV fee page, the DMV instruction permit and teen driver pages, and a DMV news release of March 20, 2025. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Wisconsin DMV (wisconsindot.gov) before you drive.

Which Wisconsin permit test languages can you choose?

Which Wisconsin permit test languages can you choose?
Way to test	Languages	Good to know
At a DMV service center (computer or paper)	English, American Sign Language, Burmese, Chinese, Croatian, Hmong, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish	Free ($0). Walk-in only, no appointment. Audio assist on request.
Online test at home	English and Spanish only	For ages 15 to 17 in driver education. Laptop or desktop with a web camera; a parent or guardian must watch. $10 per test, pass or fail.

What the 11 entries on the DMV list mean

The list has English and 10 other options. One option is American Sign Language, and the other 9 are spoken and written languages besides English. The same list applies to the highway signs test and the knowledge test, on the computer and on paper. For Spanish readers, the DMV pages for the knowledge tests, the instruction permit and road test appointments also have Spanish versions.

Can you take the test online in Spanish?

Yes. The online test is offered in English and Spanish only, and it is the same test that you take at a service center. It is for ages 15 to 17 who are enrolled in a behind-the-wheel driver education course, and your driver training school must first tell the DMV. You get two online tries. If you fail both, you take the third test at a DMV service center. After you pass, bring your certificate to a service center to buy your instruction permit. The guide to the Wisconsin online permit test at home has the full steps.

Which option fits you?

You want to test in Spanish and you are 15 to 17 in a driver education course

After your driver training school tells the DMV, you can choose the online test at home in Spanish. You can also take the test in Spanish at a DMV service center.

You want to test in Spanish and you are 18 or older

Go to a DMV service center. The online test is only for ages 15 to 17.

You want Burmese, Chinese, Croatian, Hmong, Polish, Russian, Serbian or Somali

Go to a DMV service center. The online test does not offer these languages.

You read English slowly but understand it when you hear it

Ask for audio assist at the DMV service center. The knowledge test and the highway signs test are both available with audio.

Does the knowledge test check your English?

No. Under Wisconsin Statutes s. 343.16, the Class D knowledge test is not meant to test literacy or English language skill. One limit applies: the DMV can still require you to read and understand highway signs correctly. The Motorists' Handbook says the highway signs test has 15 questions and you need 12 correct, and the knowledge test has 50 questions and you need 40 correct. Our free question on the highway signs test format shows how the 80 percent pass mark works.

How to take the permit test in your language at a DMV service center

1
Pick a service center that gives the knowledge test
All DMV customer service centers offer the knowledge test except Milwaukee Downtown and Sauk City.
2
Walk in, with no appointment
Knowledge tests are walk-in only. The DMV does not schedule appointments for them.
3
Choose your language
Pick one language from the DMV list of 11 entries. Audio assist is available on request.
4
Take the highway signs test and the knowledge test
Most centers use a touch screen computer, and the DMV may also give the test on paper. Allow about 45 minutes, and arrive early enough to finish before the center closes.
5
Buy your instruction permit
After you pass, you can buy your instruction permit at any DMV customer service center except an express office. The guide to the Wisconsin permit test explains both tests.

What about the Wisconsin road test and English?

The DMV cannot deny you the road test because you cannot hear or understand English. Before the test starts, the examiner makes every reasonable effort to set up basic communication with you, for example with picture or flash cards. An interpreter may not ride along during the test. If you do not understand an instruction during the drive, tell the examiner.

Free practice tests and their language

The Wisconsin DMV has a free online practice test, but its result does not count toward an instruction permit. You still take the knowledge test and the highway signs test at a DMV service center, or online if you qualify. Our own Wisconsin practice test and question pages are also free, and they are in English only. They are practice questions, not the questions of the DMV test.

Key takeaways

The Wisconsin DMV lists 11 options for the Class D knowledge and signs tests: English, American Sign Language, Burmese, Chinese, Croatian, Hmong, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Somali and Spanish.
The online test at home is only in English and Spanish, for ages 15 to 17 in driver education. For any other language, take the test at a DMV service center.
At a service center, audio assist is available on request. The knowledge test is not meant to test English skill, but you must still read and understand highway signs.
The DMV cannot deny the road test because of English ability, but an interpreter may not ride along.
Next step: practice on the free Wisconsin Class D practice test.

Wisconsin permit test languages: common questions

Can I take the Wisconsin permit test in Hmong?

Yes. Hmong is on the Wisconsin DMV list for the Class D knowledge and highway signs tests, on computer and on paper. Take the test at a DMV service center, because the online test at home is only in English and Spanish. Knowledge tests are walk-in only, so you do not need an appointment.

Is the Wisconsin permit test available in Chinese?

Yes. Chinese is on the DMV list for the Class D knowledge and highway signs tests. The DMV question and answer sheet for the online test lists this option as Chinese (Mandarin). Take it at a DMV service center, because the online test at home is only in English and Spanish.

Does the permit test cost more in another language?

No. The DMV fee page lists the knowledge and signs tests at $0 when you take them at a DMV customer service center, and this applies to every language on the list. The online test at home, in English or Spanish, costs $10 per test, whether you pass or fail.

Can a deaf person take the Wisconsin permit test?

Yes. American Sign Language is on the DMV list for the Class D knowledge and highway signs tests. Wisconsin law says the DMV shall try to meet any special needs of the applicant in the knowledge test. On the road test, the DMV cannot deny the test because you cannot hear English, and the examiner can use picture or flash cards.

Can the Wisconsin permit test be read out loud to me?

Yes. Audio assist is available on request when you take the knowledge tests at a DMV service center. The Motorists' Handbook says the knowledge test and the highway signs test are both available with audio. Most service centers give the test on a touch screen computer, and the DMV may also give it on paper.