Missouri DMV Exam FAQ 2026
How do I get my first driver's license in Missouri?
Missouri uses a Graduated Driver License (GDL) program run jointly by the Department of Revenue, which issues the license, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which gives the tests. At 15 you can get an instruction permit by passing the vision, road sign, and written knowledge tests. You must hold that permit at least 182 days (six months) and complete 40 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours at night. At 16 you can pass the driving test and receive an intermediate license, and at 18 you become eligible for a full Class F driver license.
What is the minimum age to get a learner's permit in Missouri?
You must be at least 15 years old to apply for a Missouri instruction permit. To get it you have to pass the vision test, the road sign recognition test, and the 25-question written knowledge test, and a parent, stepparent, or legal guardian must sign a permission statement on your application. The instruction permit fee is $10.00 and the permit is valid for up to 12 months. You then have to hold the permit for a minimum of 182 days before you are eligible to take the driving test for an intermediate license.
How many questions are on the Missouri written test?
The Missouri written knowledge test for a Class F (operator) license has 25 multiple-choice questions. The test is not open book, and it does not cover the commercial-vehicle material in Chapter 15 of the Missouri Driver Guide. Questions are drawn from the Driver Guide and cover traffic laws, right-of-way, signs and signals, speed limits, safe-driving practices, and Missouri's alcohol and point-system rules. The written test is one of four parts of the Missouri driver examination, along with the vision test, the road sign test, and the driving (skills) test.
What score do I need to pass the Missouri permit test?
You need to score 80% on the Missouri written knowledge test, which means answering at least 20 of the 25 questions correctly. You can miss up to 5 questions and still pass. The Missouri State Highway Patrol, which administers the driver examination, states this passing standard directly. Everything on the test comes from the official Missouri Driver Guide, so studying the Guide and taking practice tests on the areas you keep missing is the most reliable way to reach 20 correct answers on your first attempt.
What documents do I need to apply for a Missouri driver's license?
Bring proof of your identity and date of birth, proof of your Social Security number, and documents proving your Missouri residency, plus a document showing lawful status if you are not a U.S. citizen. Applicants under 18 need a parent, stepparent, or legal guardian to sign the permission statement, and teens applying for an intermediate license must also submit the certification of 40 hours of supervised driving. Bring your current permit or license if you have one, and a form of payment for the license fee. Check the Missouri Department of Revenue's document list before your visit, since acceptable documents change.
Do I need a REAL ID in Missouri, and what does it require?
Missouri issues both REAL ID-compliant and non-compliant driver licenses and nondriver IDs. A REAL ID-marked card is the one accepted for boarding domestic flights and entering certain federal facilities; a non-compliant Missouri license still works for driving and everyday identification. Because a REAL ID must meet federal standards, the license office asks for stricter documentation than a standard card: proof of identity and lawful status, proof of your Social Security number, and two documents proving your Missouri address. Confirm the current accepted-document list with the Missouri Department of Revenue before you go.
Who gives the driver's test in Missouri, the DMV or the Highway Patrol?
Missouri does not have a single agency called the DMV. The Missouri State Highway Patrol administers the driver examination, which has four parts: the written knowledge test, the vision test, the road sign recognition test, and the driving (skills) test. Once you pass, the Missouri Department of Revenue license office issues the actual permit or license and collects the fee. That is why the testing station and the license office are often two different locations, and why you may hear the process described as both a Highway Patrol test and a DOR license.
What happens if I fail the Missouri written test, and how soon can I retake it?
If you miss more than 5 of the 25 questions you fail the written portion and will need to test again before you can be issued a permit or license. The Missouri Driver Guide notes that almost 50 percent of all test-takers fail the first time, so a failed attempt is common and not disqualifying. Ask the Highway Patrol examination station about scheduling your next attempt, since retest availability varies by location. Before you go back, re-read the chapters covering the questions you missed and run practice tests until you are consistently scoring above 80%.
How long do I have to hold a Missouri instruction permit before the road test?
You must hold your Missouri instruction permit for a minimum of six months, counted as 182 days, before you can take the driving test for an intermediate license. During that time you must complete 40 hours of driving instruction with a parent or guardian, and at least 10 of those 40 hours have to be night driving. Your parent or guardian certifies the hours when you apply. You also need a clean record going in: no alcohol-related convictions in the past 12 months and no traffic convictions in the past six months.
Who can ride with me while I have a Missouri instruction permit?
It depends on your age. If you are under 16, you may drive only when accompanied in the front seat by a parent, stepparent, grandparent, legal guardian, a qualified driving instructor, or a person at least 25 years old who has been licensed for at least three years and has written permission from your parent or guardian. Once you turn 16, a permit holder may drive when accompanied in the front seat by any person at least 21 years old who holds a valid driver license. The supervising driver must be in the front passenger seat, not the back.
What are the restrictions on a Missouri intermediate driver license?
A Missouri intermediate license, available at 16, comes with three main limits. You may not drive alone between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless you are going to or from a school activity, a job, or an emergency, or a licensed driver 21 or older is with you. For the first six months you may carry no more than one passenger under age 19 who is not an immediate family member; after six months that rises to three. In addition, every passenger riding with an intermediate license holder must be properly restrained, which is stricter than Missouri's general seat belt law.
When can I get a full driver's license in Missouri?
You are eligible for a full Class F driver license at age 18. To move up from an intermediate license you must have no alcohol-related offenses and no traffic convictions in the previous 12 months, and you take the vision test and the road sign recognition test again. The written and driving tests are not repeated if you already completed them for your intermediate license. The full license costs $16.50 for a term of up to three years or $33.00 for a term of up to six years, depending on your age at the time of application.
How much does a Missouri driver's license cost?
Missouri fees depend on the credential. The instruction permit is $10.00 and is valid for up to 12 months. The intermediate driver license is $14.00 and is valid for up to two years. A full Class F driver license is $16.50 for a term of up to three years, or $33.00 for a term of up to six years, depending on your age. Fees for endorsements, commercial classes, and duplicate or replacement cards differ, and license offices may charge a small processing fee, so confirm current amounts with the Missouri Department of Revenue before your visit.
What is on the Missouri driving test and how is it scored?
The examiner rides with you and subtracts points for driving errors; losing more than 30 points is a failure. Certain mistakes fail you automatically, including causing an at-fault crash, striking a pedestrian, driving dangerously, violating a traffic law, or refusing to drive as the examiner asks. The skills test includes parallel parking in a space 25 feet long and 7 feet wide, where you must finish within two minutes and end up no more than 18 inches from the curb. You may take only one driving test per day, so arrive rested and in a vehicle that is legal and roadworthy.
Can I use my cell phone while driving in Missouri?
No, not in your hand. Under Missouri's Siddens Bening Hands Free Law, while your vehicle is in motion you may not physically hold or support a phone with any part of your body, manually type, send, or read text-based messages, record or broadcast video, or watch video. Hands-free use is still allowed: voice-operated calls, voice-to-text, GPS navigation, and audio functions. Enforcement moved from warnings to actual infractions after January 1, 2025, so a violation is now a citable offense, though the statute makes it a secondary offense: an officer cannot stop or detain you solely for holding a phone. The safest habit is to mount your phone and set your route before you start driving.
How do I transfer an out-of-state driver's license to Missouri?
If you hold a driver license from another state that is currently valid or has been expired less than 184 days, and you are applying for the same class of license in Missouri, you only need to take the vision test and the road sign recognition test. The written knowledge test and the driving test are not required in that situation. Bring your out-of-state license along with proof of identity, your Social Security number, and Missouri residency. If your previous license expired more than 184 days ago, expect to complete the full driver examination like a new applicant.
What is the vision requirement for a Missouri driver's license?
Missouri requires visual acuity of at least 20/40 with either eye or both eyes together, with or without corrective lenses, plus peripheral vision of at least 55 degrees in each eye or 85 degrees in one eye. If you need glasses or contacts to reach that standard, your license carries a corrective-lenses restriction. No license may be issued if your acuity is worse than 20/160 both naturally and corrected, or if your combined peripheral vision is worse than 70 degrees. The vision test is one of the four parts of the Missouri driver examination and is repeated at renewal.
How often do I renew my Missouri driver's license, and what about older drivers?
A full Missouri Class F driver license is issued for a term of up to six years for $33.00 or up to three years for $16.50, and the term depends on your age at the time of the transaction. The Department of Revenue issues three-year licenses to applicants age 18 through 20, six-year licenses to applicants age 21 through 69, and three-year licenses again to applicants 70 and older, so the oldest and youngest adult drivers renew twice as often as everyone in between. A Missouri nondriver ID card normally expires on your birthday in the sixth year after you apply, but applicants who are 70 or older receive a non-expiring nondriver ID, except where REAL ID rules require otherwise. Renewal still involves a vision test, so bring your glasses or contacts if you wear them.
What is the legal BAC limit in Missouri and what happens if I am over it?
For drivers 21 and older the limit is a blood alcohol content of .08% or more. At that level an officer takes your license on the spot and issues a 15-day notice, and a DWI conviction brings a 90-day suspension on a first offense. A first DWI is a class B misdemeanor, which carries up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 under Missouri's current criminal code — note that older printings of the Driver Guide still show a $500 maximum, which reflects a fine schedule repealed effective January 1, 2017. Missouri has zero tolerance for drivers under 21, where a BAC of .02% or more triggers the same administrative license action. A DWI that injures or kills someone is charged as a felony, and the prison term, fine, and length of license loss all depend on the severity of the harm, so check dor.mo.gov or Chapter 577 of the Missouri Revised Statutes for the current ranges rather than relying on a single figure.
How does Missouri's point system work and how many points suspend a license?
Missouri assigns points for traffic convictions: speeding is 2 or 3 points depending on whether you are convicted in municipal, county, or state court (the Driver Guide lists 3 points for the state-law violation), careless and imprudent driving is 4, and offenses such as a felony involving a motor vehicle or driving while suspended are 12. Reaching 4 points in 12 months brings an advisory letter. Accumulating 8 or more points in 18 months means suspension, 30 days for a first suspension, 60 for a second, and 90 for a third or later. Your driving privilege is revoked for a full year at 12 points in 12 months, 18 in 24 months, or 24 in 36 months. Points fall by a third after one clean year, by half after two, and to zero after three.
