What's on the test
The questions come from the Minnesota Driver's Manual. They cover these areas; each links to free practice questions on it:
- Signs, signals & markingsSign shapes and colors, traffic lights, ramp meters and pavement lines.
- Rules of the roadSpeed limits, turns, roundabouts, J-turns, passing, parking and seat belts.
- Sharing the roadSchool buses, right-of-way, emergency vehicles, bicycles, trucks and trains.
- Freeways, winter & emergenciesFollowing distance, night, freeways, winter survival and breakdowns.
- Alcohol, penalties & your vehicleDWI, no alcohol under 21, losing your license and required equipment.
- Permits & licensesWritten and road tests, the permit, provisional limits and renewals.
A study plan in five steps
Read the Minnesota Driver's Manual
Everything on the test is in it. Read it chapter by chapter, slowly, and come back to the parts you find hard:
- Your License to Drive
- Your Vehicle
- Traffic Laws: Speed, Signaling, Lanes and Turns
- Traffic Laws: Passing, Parking, Passengers and Crashes
- Sharing the Road: Stopping, School Buses and Right-of-Way
- Sharing the Road: Pedestrians, Bicycles, Trucks, Trains and Work Zones
- Signs
- Signals and Pavement Markings
- Driving Conditions: Following, Night, Freeways and Distractions
- Driving Conditions: Winter and Emergencies
- Your Driving Privileges
- Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs
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, 32 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
80% to pass
The written test mixes multiple-choice and true-or-false questions on Minnesota traffic laws and road signs; you need a score of 80 percent, and you may try only once a day. (Minnesota Driver's Manual, p. 10)
Permit from 15
Teens can get an instruction permit at 15 after 30 hours of driver education classroom time and signing up for behind-the-wheel lessons. (Minnesota Driver's Manual, p. 13)
Six months, then the road test
Hold the permit at least six months (three months from age 19) and, under 18, log 50 supervised hours with 15 at night, or 40 if a parent takes the parent class. (Minnesota Driver's Manual, p. 14)
Three-second rule
Leave at least three seconds behind the car ahead, and four or five when roads are poor or you drive a longer vehicle. (Minnesota Driver's Manual, p. 73)
Stop 20 feet from a school bus
Stop at least 20 feet away from a school bus with flashing red lights, from either direction, unless it is across a divided roadway. (Minnesota Driver's Manual, p. 42)
Not a drop under 21
Drivers under 21 may not have any detectable alcohol; a first conviction suspends the license for 30 days. (Minnesota Driver's Manual, p. 95)
More answers: Minnesota permit test FAQ. Applying for the first time? How to get your Minnesota permit.
This guide is a free study aid, not the official test. Rules and fees can change: always check the current Minnesota Driver's Manual and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) 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.