Passing Missouri's Written, Sign and Vision Tests

Before you study: the format

Twenty-five questions, multiple choice, and a pass takes 20 of them, which is 80 percent. The guide says nothing on the test is a trick and each question is lifted from its own text. You cannot have the book open while you test.

It is also candid about failure: close to half of all testers do not pass on the first try. Skimming is the usual culprit. Set aside several study sessions and test yourself on the numbers, such as fines, points and alcohol limits, not only on who has the right of way.

Before you study: where this fits in the four part exam

Missouri calls the whole thing one driver examination with four parts. Three of them (the eye check, the sign quiz and the written exam on law and safe driving) happen before the permit. The fourth, a behind the wheel skills test, waits until the permit stage is over.

The sign quiz is scored on its own and asks you to identify signs from their color, shape and symbol. Drivers who move to Missouri with a license from another state that is still valid, or has been expired under 184 days, skip the written exam when applying for the same type of license and do just the eye check and sign quiz.

While you study: chapters that matter

There are 16 chapters in the August 2026 guide, and the written exam can pull from any of them but one. Chapter 15, about commercial vehicles, is reserved for the Class E for-hire test. Read Chapter 2 first, since it describes the exam you are about to take.

Worked example of a two week plan: three chapters every other night for the first week, Chapter 7 signs every day with flash cards, and the second week rereading Chapters 10 and 11 on alcohol and points until the numbers stick.

• Chapters 3 and 4: the rules of the road, and sharing it with others
• Chapters 5 and 6: parking, then highway driving
• Chapter 7: markings on the pavement, signals and signs, which is most of the sign quiz
• Chapters 8 and 9: tips for safe driving, in ordinary and unusual conditions
• Chapters 10 and 11: alcohol and drugs behind the wheel, and how points work
• Chapters 12, 13, 14 and 16: registration, insurance, vehicle inspection and distraction

On test day: the vision standard

Two things are measured: how clearly you see and how wide your field of view is. Passing takes 20/40 or better, using one eye or both, and side vision of at least 85 degrees in a single eye or 55 degrees in each. Bring your glasses or contacts if you wear them, since you may be asked to test with them.

If you fall short, you leave with a form that an eye doctor completes. A new prescription can mean waiting for the lenses before you are allowed to take the written exam. Missouri does not license anyone whose sight is worse than 20/160 both with and without correction, or whose total side vision is less than 70 degrees.

On test day: where to go and what to bring

Testing happens at Highway Patrol driver examination stations, which are not the same places as the Department of Revenue's license offices. Plenty of them only test on particular days, so check the station list online or phone the division at 573-751-2341 before you go.

Expect to prove your legal name and age before testing, and to show ID again at every written or driving attempt. The DOR fee chart gives $10 for the permit but notes that it leaves out any written or road test fees, so when you phone the station, ask what testing costs and how soon you can retake if needed.

After you pass: results and the permit

Passing earns a Driver Examination Record listing your results. Take it to a license office, where the permit is sold. The record itself gives you no right to drive; hold off until the actual permit is issued.

Results expire after a year, so a teen who waits too long before the intermediate license will retest. Teens also need at least 182 days on the permit. Later, at the road test, you get one try per day, and after the third fail you need written approval from the Department of Revenue to try again.

If you are an adult or need help testing

Age changes nothing about the tests: adults and teens face the same three, and 20 of 25 is the bar for everyone. The differences come afterward. A teen under 18 brings a parent or guardian to the permit counter; an adult has no minimum time on the permit. The guide's message is that study beats age.

We looked in the Driver Guide and on the DOR site and found nothing about which languages are offered, spoken testing, or other accommodations. Call the Patrol station ahead of time if you will need an interpreter, questions read aloud, or extra time. We also found no practice test published by either agency.