The Texas knowledge (permit) test

By the end of this topic you can

• You can name the three parts of the Texas license exam taken before the learner license.
• You can state the pass mark.
• You can choose where to take the test.
• You can explain what happens if you fail.
• You can plan your study using the Texas Driver Handbook.

What you need to know and understand

• The test has three parts: vision, highway signs and traffic laws.
• You must score 70 percent or better on any knowledge exam, according to the DL-7 handbook.
• The DL-7 does not publish a question count, so check with your provider or DPS rather than relying on unofficial figures.
• State law requires the exam to cover signs in English, traffic laws, duties toward bicyclists, and how phones and other distractions affect driving.
• One application and fee covers three attempts at each part of the exam.
• DPS must offer the sign and law tests in writing and in Spanish; sign wording stays in English.
• Parent-taught providers can give the sign and law tests but not the vision test, which is done at DPS.

Where you can take it

If you passed with your provider, the written tests are waived at DPS. Adults 18 and over taking the 6-hour adult course usually test at DPS. Drivers 25 and over do not need driver education but still take the tests.

• In-person or online driver education provider: vision, sign and law tests for its own students
• Parent-taught course provider: sign and law tests only
• DPS driver license office: all parts, for anyone who did not test with a provider

What to study

Questions come from the Texas Driver Handbook (form DL-7). Give extra time to these areas, which carry many Texas-specific rules:

• Sign shapes and colors, and Texas signs such as left lane for passing only
• Right-of-way, turns on red and four-way stops
• Speed limits where no sign is posted, such as 30 mph in an urban district
• Parking distances, such as 15 feet from a fire hydrant
• School buses, emergency vehicles and the Slow Down or Move Over law
• Alcohol limits, zero tolerance under 21 and the under-18 phone ban

If you fail

Your fee covers three tries at each part. The DL-7 says an application is held for 90 days after a first failed attempt, and after 90 days or three fails you need a new application and fee. Use the gap to reread the handbook chapter you struggled with. The handbook's own study questions in its appendix and our Texas permit practice test are good checks before you try again.

Common mistakes

• Studying only from practice apps. The questions are built on the official handbook, so read it.
• Skimming the signs chapter. Signs are a separate part of the test.
• Assuming a rule from another state applies. Texas has its own speed limits and parking distances.
• Forgetting your glasses or contact lenses for the vision test.

Test yourself: The Texas knowledge (permit) test

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Texas Permit Test
• Texas Permit Practice Test
• How to Pass the Texas Parallel Parking Test