Photo: Adam Moss, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In South Dakota the drive test is the step between your instruction permit and your Restricted Minor’s Permit, and you skip it entirely if you passed an approved driver education class within the last year. This post is for South Dakota teens deciding whether to take driver’s ed and for anyone booking the drive test: when you can book, what to bring, how it is scored and what makes you wait 30 days to retest.
Key facts (South Dakota, as of November 2026)
- Book the drive test from day 276 of your permit, or day 181 with approved driver’s ed.
- Pass mark: 80%.
- Driver’s ed passed within the last year waives the drive test (and the knowledge test).
- All drive tests need an appointment. You supply a street-legal vehicle.
- Serious errors mean a 30-day wait before your next drive test.
Does driver’s ed waive the South Dakota drive test?
Yes, if the timing works. DPS states that the drive test is not required to upgrade to a Restricted Minor’s Permit if you passed an approved driver education class within the last year, and that driver education certificates waive testing for one year from the course completion date.
| No driver’s ed | Approved driver’s ed | |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge test for the permit | Required | Waived (certificate within 1 year) |
| Minimum permit holding period | 275 days | 180 days |
| Drive test for the restricted permit | Required | Waived (course within 1 year) |
| 50 supervised hours | Required | Required (the DPS flyer’s only exception is a permit issued before July 1, 2020) |
What counts as passing: 80% or better on both the written and the driving parts of a course approved by the South Dakota Department of Education. An out-of-state course can qualify once the state Driver Education Coordinator approves it on the notarized Out-of-State Driver Education form, and you must apply within one year of finishing the classroom part.
Watch the one-year clock
The certificate is good for one year from completion. If you finish driver’s ed early in your permit period, check that day 181 of your permit falls before the certificate expires. If it lapses, plan on taking the drive test.
DPS recommends booking an upgrade appointment once you have passed approved driver’s ed.
How to book the South Dakota drive test
- Wait until you are eligible: day 276 of your permit, or day 181 with driver’s ed.
- Finish your 50 supervised hours (10 inclement weather, 10 night) and have no traffic convictions in the last 6 months.
- Schedule online through DPS or call (605) 773-6883 and press 6. Walk-in drive tests are not offered.
- Avoid the Sioux Falls Express Station: it does not test. Use the main Sioux Falls exam station.
The manual says no drive tests are given from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or within an hour of closing. Check current times when you book.
What to bring
- Your instruction permit.
- Two documents proving your address (a parent’s mail is fine).
- Your parent or guardian, who signs consent and the Supervised Driving Affidavit (or the notarized versions of both forms).
- A street-legal, licensed vehicle in safe working order.
- The $38 fee.
No pets or passengers are allowed in the car during the test, and children and pets are not allowed in the testing area. The examiner may cancel a drive test if weather or road conditions are unsafe.
What is on the South Dakota drive test?
DPS describes it as a demonstration that you can safely operate a vehicle and perform normal driving tasks. You will not be asked to do anything illegal, and you must cooperate fully with the examiner and follow instructions. Ask DPS what your test includes, and practice everything the manual covers:
- pre-drive checks of lights, signals, mirrors, seat and seatbelt
- signaling at least 100 feet before turns and checking blind spots by turning your head
- full stops at stop signs and stop lines, right on red only after a full stop
- speed control for the posted limit and conditions
- lane changes and safe following distance
- yielding to pedestrians and at four-way stops
- parking, including parallel parking within 12 inches of the curb, and backing
- turnabouts, and U-turns only where legal
Guides that help: US parking rules, four-way stops, US road tests by state.
What makes you wait 30 days to retest
Normally you can retest from the next working day, with three attempts per fee in 6 months. But DPS makes you wait 30 days if you commit any of these:
- a crash during the test (unless you are not at fault)
- poor car control
- weaving in and out of lanes
- failing to yield to a car or pedestrian
- running a stop light or stop sign
- excessive speeding
- turning into an oncoming lane
- driving on the wrong side of the road
- any action that puts the public or the examiner at risk
More on avoidable fails: why people fail the driving test.
Common questions
Do I need a drive test for my South Dakota operator’s license at 16?
Not normally. Once you hold a Restricted Minor’s Permit, upgrading at 16 needs 6 months on that permit and a clean 6 months, not a new drive test. You can even upgrade online or by mail if your permit is federally compliant.
Can I use my parent’s car for the test?
Yes, if it is street legal (licensed) and safe. You must provide the vehicle yourself.
Can my parent ride along during the test?
No. Passengers and pets are not allowed in the car during the test.
What score do I need?
80% or higher.
Is driver’s ed worth it in South Dakota?
It saves 95 days on your permit and can remove both state tests, as long as you use the certificate within a year. It is not required.
I am 18 or older. Do I take a drive test?
Yes. Adults on an instruction permit must pass a drive test before upgrading to an operator’s license.
Next stage: South Dakota restricted minor’s permit rules. Full roadmap: learning to drive in South Dakota. Permit stage: South Dakota instruction permit test at 14.
Sources
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “South Dakota Driver Licensing Information” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “Driver Licensing Information for Teen Drivers and Parents” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “South Dakota Driver License Testing Information” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “DPS Driver License/ID Card Appointment Information” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “South Dakota Teen Driver Graduated Licensing” flyer, effective 7/1/2025 (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “South Dakota Driver License Manual” (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Department of Public Safety, “Out-of-State Driver Education Program Approval” form (sd.gov)
- South Dakota Legislature, “Codified Law 32-12-12” (sdlegislature.gov)