What's on the test
The questions come from the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual. They cover these areas; each links to free practice questions on it:
- Signs, signals & markingsSign shapes and colors, work zones, traffic lights and lane lines.
- Speed, stops & intersectionsSpeed limits, required stops, school buses, right-of-way and turns.
- Lanes, passing & interstatesLane use, passing, parking, interstate driving and the Move Over law.
- Safe driving & your vehicleSeat belts, night and bad weather, defensive driving and emergencies.
- Sharing the roadPedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks, buses and trains.
- Alcohol, points & your licenseDUI laws, implied consent, points, suspensions and teen licenses.
A study plan in five steps
Read the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License 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
- Applying for Your License
- Intermediate Licenses for Drivers Under 18
- The Examinations
- Getting Familiar With Your Vehicle
- Tennessee Safety Belt Laws
- Traffic Signs and Signals
- Rules of the Road: Speed, Stops and School Buses
- Rules of the Road: Intersections and Turns
- Rules of the Road: Lanes, Passing and Parking
- Interstate Driving
- Driving at Night and in Bad Weather
- Alcohol, Other Drugs and Driving
- Driving Responsibility
- Defensive Driving and Road Rage
- Special Driving Conditions and Your Vehicle
- Sharing the Road Safely
- Helping Teens and New Drivers Learn to Drive
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: 30 questions, 24 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
Learner permit at 15
You can get a Class PD learner permit at 15 by passing the knowledge test and vision screening. Drive only with a licensed driver 21 or older in the front seat. (Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p. 3)
No driving 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Permit holders under 18 may not drive between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and everyone in the car must wear a seat belt. (Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p. 14)
Intermediate license at 16
After 180 days on the permit, a road test and 50 hours of practice (10 at night), teens get an Intermediate Restricted license. (Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p. 14)
One passenger, no late nights
Intermediate Restricted drivers may carry only one passenger (with some exceptions) and may not drive from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. (Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p. 19)
No phones for teen drivers
Drivers with a learner permit or intermediate license may not use a cell phone at all while driving, hands-free included. (Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p. 18)
A quarter of the test is alcohol and drugs
The knowledge test is roughly 25% each on signs and signals, safe driving, rules of the road, and alcohol and drugs. (Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p. 21)
More answers: Tennessee permit test FAQ. Applying for the first time? How to get your Tennessee permit.
This guide is a free study aid, not the official test. Rules and fees can change: always check the current Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security 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 14 higher.