How to pass the Florida permit test the first time
Independent practice site. We're not the DMV and aren't connected to any government agency.
Find your weak topics before you start reading, and study those first. Learn the rules that look alike as pairs, side by side. Then bring back every question you miss on a later day, until you've got it right on two different days.
Every fact here comes from the Official Florida Driver License Handbook. The pages are listed at the end, so you can check any of it.
Start with the free check-up to see which topics to study first. The free test takes about 5 minutes.
What the Florida knowledge exam is
The Class E Knowledge Exam is the written test for your learner's license. It has 50 multiple-choice questions about Florida traffic laws, safe driving and traffic controls such as signs, signals and markings.
The numbers to know
- 50Questions
- 15Youngest age
- $48Learner's license fee
- $10Each written re-test
The handbook doesn't give a pass mark. It sets no waiting period between tries, and each written re-test costs $10.
You can take the exam at a driver license service center, through a DELAP driver education course, or with an approved third-party provider. Under 18, you may take it online with an approved provider.
What's on it: nine topics
To study the handbook, it helps to split its rules into topics. This site uses nine, from signs and right of way to alcohol and the teen license rules.
Some topics are mostly about who does what, like who goes first at an all-way stop. Others are mostly numbers: distances, speed limits, alcohol levels, ages and points. Those you have to memorize, and they're easy to swap.
Rules people often mix up
Many rules in the handbook come in look-alike pairs: the same kind of situation with a different number. Learn each pair together, so you know which number goes with which.
Numbers that come in pairs
High beams
- The bigger number
- Dim them within 500 feet of a car coming toward you
- The smaller number
- Dim them within 300 feet of a car you're following
Parking
- The bigger number
- Don't park within 20 feet of an intersection
- The smaller number
- Don't park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
| High beams | Parking | |
|---|---|---|
| The bigger number | Dim them within 500 feet of a car coming toward you | Don't park within 20 feet of an intersection |
| The smaller number | Dim them within 300 feet of a car you're following | Don't park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant |
Alcohol levels
21 and over
- Your license is suspended at
- .08 or more
Under 21
- Your license is suspended at
- .02 or more
| 21 and over | Under 21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Your license is suspended at | .08 or more | .02 or more |
The mix-up
Not quite: On a four-lane road, painted lines in the middle mean I don't stop for a school bus on the other side.
Right: Painted lines aren't a barrier. Oncoming traffic may keep going only past a raised barrier or an unpaved median at least 5 feet wide.
The mix-up
Not quite: I can use the center turn lane to get past a slow car.
Right: The shared center lane is for left turns from both directions. Nobody may use it to pass.
The mix-up
Not quite: At 16 and at 17, my curfew starts at 11 p.m.
Right: At 16, no driving from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. At 17, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Driving to or from work, or with a licensed driver 21 or older, is allowed.
How to study in the days you have
A week before the exam
- Take a practice test before you read anything, and note which topics you missed. Those are the ones you study first.
- Study your two or three weakest topics a day. Read their pages in the handbook, answer questions on them, and read why each wrong answer is wrong.
- Keep a list of every question you miss, and try each one again on a later day. Cross it off once you've got it right on two different days.
- On each of the last three days, start with a full practice exam. Spend the rest of your time on the topic it shows is weakest.
- The day before, go over your list of misses and the number pairs one last time. Don't start anything new.
With less time, keep the same order and squeeze it. With one evening, take a practice test, go over what you got wrong and the number pairs, and stop there.
What to bring
Before you leave
- Your primary ID, original or certified, such as a certified U.S. birth certificate or a valid U.S. passport. Photocopies aren't accepted.
- Proof of your Social Security number, such as your Social Security card or a W-2.
- Two documents that show your Florida residential address.
- The $48 fee. A tax collector office may add a $6.25 service fee.
- Proof you finished the TLSAE course, if you've never held a license anywhere.
- Your glasses or contacts if you need them. There's a vision and hearing screening.
Under 18, you also need to be at least 15, to be in compliance with school attendance, and to have a parent or legal guardian sign your consent form in front of the agent or a notary.
After you pass
With your learner's license, you always drive with a licensed driver 21 or older in the seat to your right. For the first three months you may drive only in daylight; after that, until 10 p.m.
For a Class E license at 16, you hold the learner's license for 12 months (or until 18) with no moving violation convictions, and an adult 21 or older certifies 50 hours of driving, 10 of them at night. Then you pass the driving skills test.
Questions people ask
How many questions are on the Florida permit test?
50 multiple-choice questions on Florida traffic laws, safe driving and traffic controls.
What happens if I fail?
The handbook sets no waiting period and no limit on tries. Each written re-test costs $10.
Can I take the Florida permit test online?
Under 18, yes, with a third-party provider approved by FLHSMV. At any age you can take it in person at a driver license service center or with an approved provider.
What do I bring for my learner's license?
Your primary ID, proof of your Social Security number, two proofs of your Florida address and the $48 fee. Under 18, also a parent or guardian to sign the consent form.
Take the free 20-question test
20 questions from every topic, each with the answer explained and a link to the handbook page. Ready's bar is 80%: 16 right. Free, no sign-up.
Go deeper
Practice the rules in this guide
Each one has a free practice question with the answer explained.
- Dim high beams within 500 feet of oncoming traffic
- Dim high beams within 300 feet of a car you follow
- Distance from an intersection or fire station entrance
- Distance from a fire hydrant
- Alcohol level for drivers 21 and over: .08
- Zero tolerance under 21: .02
Show all 15
- School bus across a divided highway: painted lines don't count
- Center turn lane
- Age 16 with a license: no driving 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Age 17 with a license: no driving 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
- Learner's license at 15; driver license at 16
- Learner's license: a licensed driver 21+ beside you
- Learner's license: daylight for 3 months, then until 10 p.m.
- Hold the learner's license 12 months or until 18
- 50 hours of driving, 10 at night
Sources
Official Florida Driver License Handbook
- Section 1, Driver Licenses & ID Cards: pages 1, 5, 8, 14 and 15
- Section 2, Driving Schools & Test Providers: pages 19 and 20
- Section 3, Your Driving Privilege: pages 25 and 26
- Section 6, Traffic Controls: page 45
- Section 7, Driving Safety: page 66
- Section 8, Special Driving Situations: page 73
- Section 10, Sharing the Road: page 89
Checked against these sources on October 24, 2026.
We read these sources and wrote this guide in our own words. The DMV has the final word, and rules change, so check anything important with the DMV before your appointment.