Hawaii Written Permit Test: Study, Sit and Pass

Before you study: what the test covers

Officially this is the preliminary examination. According to the Driver's Manual, a newcomer has to clear two things before any road test: an eye check, and a written test on road rules and on reading traffic control devices. The permit is not issued until both are passed.

Honolulu sets the written part at 30 multiple choice questions taken from the manual. Prepare for right of way, speed limits, signals and pavement markings, drinking and driving law, your duties after a collision, and how to share the road with people on foot, on bikes and on mopeds. There is no separate sign test; sign questions are part of the 30.

Before you study: which chapters to read

Everything comes from the Hawaii Driver's Manual issued by the Director of Transportation; the copy on HDOT's website is the 2023 printing. If time is short, prioritize Chapter V (traffic laws and ordinances), Chapter VI (signals, signs and markings), Chapter IX (alcohol and drugs), Chapter X (safe driving techniques), and Chapters XII and XIII (pedestrians and bicycles).

At the back of the manual is a set of general questions, each tagged with the page that answers it. That is the closest thing to an official practice test: do ten, then go back and reread the page for each miss. The manual itself admits rules change between editions, and in fact Act 259 of 2026 changed e-bike and helmet law after this one went to print.

Test day option one: online from home

Any Hawaii resident who needs the standard car knowledge test may take it at knowtodrive.com/hawaii. A company called Intellectual Technology Inc. runs the site for the counties. Requirements: a desktop or laptop online, a working webcam, a keyboard, and a mouse or trackpad. Phones, tablets and touchscreens are shut out.

To register you enter your name, address, birth date and the last five digits of your Social Security number, and the system matches them against public records. If they do not match, you test at a center instead. The software snaps photos at the start and at random moments during the test, and the clerk checks them against your face when you come in later.

Select your own county when you sign up. Honolulu says that in the first year after the December 2024 launch, about two thirds of roughly 45,200 permit tests were taken online, and the online group passed at about double the rate of in-person testers.

• Hawaii County: $11
• City and County of Honolulu: $12, made up of the $2 county fee and $10 for transaction and card costs
• Kauai County: $20
• Maui County: $25
• Car (Class 3) test only; motorcycle applicants test in person

Test day option two: at a licensing center

Oahu centers give the written test on fixed days, booked through AlohaQ. Kapolei tests Mondays and Wednesdays, Kapalama Tuesdays and Thursdays, Koolau Wednesdays, and Wahiawa and Waianae Tuesdays. Staff check that your permit paperwork is complete before they seat you.

Testing hours are printed in the manual. Kauai, Maui and Honolulu run written tests from 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., and Hawaii County until 3:00 p.m. Arrive late in the day and you may be told to come back, so book an early slot.

If reading is hard or English is not your first language

Online, you can choose English or Spanish, and with speakers on, the system will read every question out loud in either language.

Honolulu's Kapalama Driver Licensing Center also gives the test orally, for $10. Any other accommodation should be arranged by phone with your county licensing office ahead of time rather than on test day.

If you fail

There is no cap on total online attempts, though you are limited to two per day. A failure on content locks you out for seven days, and each new try costs the whole fee again. Fees are not refunded after a fail or after a test is thrown out for cheating.

The proctoring software is unforgiving. The cursor has to stay inside a red frame, and glancing sideways or stepping away earns a warning; after two warnings the next one ends the test as a fail. Clear the desk, close every other tab and find a quiet room. If you tested at a center, ask staff when you may come back.

Worked example: you fail online on a Monday morning. You cannot try again until the following Monday, and that attempt costs another $12 on Oahu. Spend the week on the manual chapters behind the questions you missed.

After you pass: turning the pass into a permit

Passing online gets you a certificate, not a permit. Inside 60 days, take that Certificate of Completion to a licensing center along with a filled-in application, a certified birth certificate, your Social Security number and two items showing your Hawaii address. Under 18? Add Parental Consent Form CS-L (DL) 239, signed by both parents listed on the birth certificate.

A parent who cannot attend has their signature notarized; a fax, copy or emailed scan will be rejected. The clerk then takes your photo and prints, gives the eye test and charges Honolulu's $5 permit fee.

Adults, new residents and riders

Adults sit the same 30 questions as teens. Only the paperwork changes: no consent form, and anyone converting a valid license from another state, a U.S. territory or Canada may be excused from the written test entirely.

Motorcycle and motor scooter applicants have their own written test, given only in person, and they also take the car test unless they already hold a Class 3 license. Since December 26, 2025, a Class 2 permit additionally requires a state-approved basic rider course.