What's on the test
The questions come from the Illinois Rules of the Road. They cover these areas; each links to free practice questions on it:
- Signs, signals & markingsSign shapes and colors, traffic signals, pavement markings and railroads.
- Traffic lawsSpeed, right of way, passing, lanes, turns, special stops and parking.
- Sharing the roadPedestrians, children, bikes, motorcycles, large and slow-moving vehicles.
- Safe driving & conditionsFollowing distance, weather, night, hazards, equipment failures and road rage.
- Alcohol, crashes & penaltiesDUI laws, crashes and reports, insurance, suspensions and revocations.
- Permits & licensesLicenses, exams, the instruction permit and graduated licensing for teens.
A study plan in five steps
Read the Illinois Rules of the Road
Everything on the test is in it. Read it chapter by chapter, slowly, and come back to the parts you find hard:
- Illinois driver's license
- Driver's license exams
- Drivers under age 21
- Traffic laws: stops, phones, belts, speed and right of way
- Traffic laws: signals, turns, special stops and parking
- Sharing the road
- Driving under the influence
- Traffic violations and crashes
- License revocation, suspension and denial
- Roadway signs
- Traffic signals, pavement markings and railroads
- Safe driving tips
- Equipment for safe driving
- Owning a vehicle
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: 35 questions, 28 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
What's on the test
The written exam checks road signs by shape, color or symbol, signals and pavement markings, plus multiple-choice and true-or-false questions on traffic laws and safety. (Illinois Rules of the Road, p. 14)
Three tries
You get three attempts to pass each exam within one year of paying your application fee. (Illinois Rules of the Road, p. 13)
Getting a permit
From 15, with proof you're enrolled in an approved driver education course; at 17 and 3 months or older, without driver education. You pass the vision and written exams. (Illinois Rules of the Road, p. 16)
Nine months and 50 hours
Under 18, hold the permit at least nine months and log 50 supervised hours, 10 of them at night, before a license at 16. (Illinois Rules of the Road, p. 16)
No phones under 19
Drivers under 19 may not use a phone at all while driving, not even hands-free, except to call for help in an emergency. (Illinois Rules of the Road, p. 18)
Night limits for teens
Permit and new young drivers may not drive Sunday to Thursday 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., or Friday and Saturday 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. (Illinois Rules of the Road, p. 18)
More answers: Illinois permit test FAQ. Applying for the first time? How to get your Illinois permit.
This guide is a free study aid, not the official test. Rules and fees can change: always check the current Illinois Rules of the Road and the Illinois Secretary of State, Driver Services before your test.Page numbers are the ones printed on the handbook pages; tap one to open the official PDF at that page. A PDF viewer counts the cover too, so its page numbers run 3 higher.