How to Pass the Minnesota DMV Exam 2026
Step 1: Confirm Eligibility and Gather Your Documents
Make sure you qualify before you begin
In Minnesota, driver licensing is handled by Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), a division of the Department of Public Safety (DPS) — there is no "DMV" here. You must be at least 15 years old to apply for a Minnesota instruction permit.
- Proof of identity, date of birth, and lawful presence in the United States
- Proof of your Social Security number
- Proof of your Minnesota residency and address
- If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign your application
Appointments are required for knowledge testing — schedule yours through the DVS appointment system at dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs before you go. Check the current DVS document list, since acceptable documents differ for a REAL ID, an Enhanced ID, and a standard license.
Step 2: Complete Driver Education If You Are Under 18
Minnesota requires classroom instruction for teens
Applicants under 18 must complete formal driver education before DVS will issue an instruction permit. Adults do not have this requirement.
- Complete 30 hours of classroom driver education, and be enrolled in behind-the-wheel instruction
- If you are in a concurrent course, you may test after finishing the first 15 classroom hours while still enrolled
- If you are 18 or older, classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction is not required — you can go straight to the knowledge test
Minnesota also has Vanessa's Law: a teen convicted of a crash-related moving violation, or of an alcohol or controlled-substance offense such as DWI, Implied Consent, Open Bottle, or Not a Drop, while driving unlicensed cannot get any permit or license until age 18. Keep your record clean from the very start.
Step 3: Study the Manual and Pass the Written Knowledge Test
Pass the knowledge and vision tests to earn your permit
The Minnesota Class D knowledge test is drawn entirely from the official Minnesota Driver's Manual. It contains 40 questions in multiple-choice and true-or-false format, and you must score at least 80 percent to pass.
- Answer at least 32 of 40 questions correctly — you may miss no more than 8
- Pass the vision screening: at least 20/40 corrected or normal acuity and at least 105 degrees of peripheral vision
- The test can be taken on paper or on a computer, in English, several other languages, or American Sign Language
You may take only one written test per day. The first two attempts are free; if you fail two consecutive written tests, a $10 fee applies to the third and every attempt after that. Study the manual and take practice tests until you score well above 80 percent consistently: Minnesota Driver's Manual (Class D)
Step 4: Practice With Your Instruction Permit and Log Your Hours
Build supervised experience behind the wheel
Your Minnesota instruction permit is valid for two years. Under the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system you must hold it for a minimum waiting period before you can take the road test.
- Hold the permit at least 6 months if you are 18 or younger, or at least 3 months if you are 19 or older
- Log 50 hours of supervised driving including 15 hours at night — reduced to 40 hours (still including 15 nighttime hours) if your parent or guardian completes a Minnesota-approved parent class
- If you are under 18, your supervising driver must be licensed and at least 21 years old and sit in the front passenger seat; if you are 18 or older, the supervisor must be at least 18
Everyone in the vehicle must be belted or in a proper child restraint. Permit holders under 18 may not use or talk on a cell phone while driving, even hands-free. Minnesota's hands-free law also bans every driver from composing, reading, or sending texts, emails, or messages, or accessing the internet, while driving.
Step 5: Schedule and Pass the Road Test
Prove you can drive safely on Minnesota roads
Once you have met your permit holding period and completed your supervised driving hours, schedule the road test with DVS. Bring a properly registered and insured vehicle in safe working condition, and your parent or guardian's certification of your logged hours if you are under 18.
- Signal at least 100 feet before every turn or lane change and keep signaling until the maneuver is complete
- Show correct right-of-way behavior — when two drivers arrive at an uncontrolled intersection or all-way stop at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right
- Keep a Three-Second following distance in ideal conditions, and stretch it to four or five seconds in poor conditions
- Demonstrate safe starting, stopping, backing, parking, roundabout entry, and lane use — on multi-lane roads, drive in the right-hand lane when it is available
The examiner scores how safely you handle real traffic. If you do not pass the first time, you can practice more and retest.
Step 6: Get Your Provisional License and Follow Its Restrictions
Know the provisional rules before you drive alone
You must be at least 16 years old for a Minnesota provisional license, have held your instruction permit for six months with no convictions for moving violations or alcohol or controlled-substance offenses, and have passed the road test. The provisional license is valid for two years and comes with restrictions.
- During the first 6 months you may not drive between midnight and 5 a.m., unless accompanied by a licensed driver at least 25 years old, or driving between home and work, between home and a school event with no school transport available, or for employment
- During the first 6 months, no more than one passenger under age 20; during the second 6 months, no more than three passengers under 20 — unless a parent or guardian is with you
- Immediate family members under 20 do not count toward either passenger limit
- Provisional license holders may not use or talk on a cell phone while driving, even with a hands-free device
Minnesota's Not a Drop law makes it illegal for anyone under 21 to drive with any detectable amount of alcohol: a first conviction suspends driving privileges for 30 days and a second for 180 days.
Step 7: Move Up to Your Full Class D License and Get Insured
Earn the full license and drive responsibly
To move from a provisional license to a Class D driver's license you must be at least 18, or have held the provisional license for 12 consecutive months with no alcohol or controlled-substance convictions, no crash-related moving violations, and not more than one non-crash moving violation. An "Under 21" license expires on your 21st birthday; after that your license renews every four years on your birthday.
- Minnesota requires both no-fault and liability insurance, and proof of insurance must be in the vehicle at all times
- Minimum liability limits are $30,000 bodily injury per person, $60,000 per accident, and $10,000 property damage, plus $25,000/$50,000 uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
- Minimum no-fault (PIP) benefits are $40,000 per person: $20,000 for medical expenses and $20,000 for income loss, replacement services, funeral, and survivor benefits
- Driving uninsured can cost you your plates and registration, revoke your driving privileges for up to a year, and bring a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail
Keep your license
Minnesota does not assign demerit points. Instead, specific convictions trigger revocation — refusing or failing a chemical test, a DWI conviction, driving over 100 mph, fleeing a police officer, hit-and-run, a felony committed with a vehicle, or a gross misdemeanor for failing to stop for a school bus stop arm.
- Driving with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher is DWI; a first offense carries a minimum 90-day revocation, up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, plus a $680 reinstatement fee
- Stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with red lights flashing and stop arm extended — the fine is at least $500 plus loss of driving privileges
- Obey the Move Over law for stopped emergency, tow, utility, maintenance, postal, and construction vehicles displaying warning lights
- Turn on your headlights from sunset to sunrise and whenever you cannot see 500 feet ahead, and give bicyclists at least 3 feet when passing
Confirm current fees, appointment options, and document requirements before your visit: Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS)
These links should help guide you through the application and testing process. Each official state agency page contains the latest requirements and resources to ensure you have everything needed to obtain your Minnesota driver’s license.
