What's on the test
The questions come from the Idaho Driver's Handbook. They cover these areas; each links to free practice questions on it:
- Signs, signals & markingsSign colors and shapes, work zones, barricades, signals, beacons and road lines.
- Traffic lawsSpeed, stopping, turns, right-of-way, passing, parking and railroad crossings.
- Freeways, night & weatherMerging and exits, headlights, fog, hydroplaning, flash floods, snow and skids.
- Safe driving skillsScanning, blind spots, distractions, fatigue, car trouble and crashes.
- Sharing the roadEmergency vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, trucks and open range.
- Licenses, equipment & alcoholDriver training, the GDL, tests, equipment, points, DUI and implied consent.
A study plan in five steps
Read the Idaho Driver's Handbook
Everything on the test is in it. Read it chapter by chapter, slowly, and come back to the parts you find hard:
- Who Needs an Idaho License
- Licenses, Permits and the Graduated Driver's License
- Documents, Renewals and the Driver's Tests
- Vehicle Equipment and Safety
- Traffic Signs and Barricades
- Traffic Signals and Pavement Markings
- Railroad Crossings, Roundabouts and Interchanges
- Speed, Stopping, Turns and Right-of-Way
- Passing, Following, Parking and Backing
- Freeway Driving
- The Driving Task
- Emergency Vehicles, Pedestrians and Bicyclists
- Motorcycles, Large Vehicles, Mountains and Open Range
- Night, Weather and Handling Emergencies
- Car Trouble and Crashes
- Points, Suspensions and License Penalties
- Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Stops
Practice one topic at a time
After each chapter, practice that topic. You see the right answer and why straight away, with the handbook page to reread.
Learn the road signs
Signs are quick points once you know them by shape and color. Study the signs one at a time, then test yourself on 20.
Fix your weak spots
Your practice results are saved on your device. Practice my weak spots builds a round from the topics you miss most.
Take the full practice exam
The full exam works like the real one: 40 questions, 34 to pass, no answers until the end. Keep going until you pass comfortably several times in a row, then review every question you missed.
Before test day
Licensed as young as 15
Idaho can license you at 15, but anyone under 17 must first finish an approved driver training program and the graduated driver's license program. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 3)
Driver training from 14½
Driver training (open from 14½) takes 30 classroom hours, 6 hours watching other students drive and 6 hours behind the wheel with an approved instructor. You buy a Driver Training Instruction Permit before the first class. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 19–20)
Six supervised months
After training comes at least six months of supervised driving with no violations: 50 hours or more, 10 of them at night, with a licensed driver 21 or older in the front passenger seat. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 19)
Limits for new teen drivers
Under 16, you may drive only from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. unless a licensed driver 21+ sits beside you. Under 17, for six months after licensing, you may carry only one passenger under 17 who isn't family. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 16)
40 questions, six misses allowed
The Class D knowledge test has 40 questions taken from this handbook. Miss seven and you fail, then wait three days and pay the fee again. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 32)
Alcohol limits by age
Idaho treats you as under the influence at .02 if you are under 21, .04 in a commercial vehicle and .08 for drivers 21 and older. (Idaho Driver's Handbook, p. 131)
More answers: Idaho permit test FAQ. Applying for the first time? How to get your Idaho permit.
This guide is a free study aid, not the official test. Rules and fees can change: always check the current Idaho Driver's Handbook and the Idaho Transportation Department, Division of Motor Vehicles before your test.Page numbers are the ones printed on the handbook pages; tap one to open the official PDF at that page.