Verified as of 2026-10-23 against DC DMV

Washington, D.C. · Permit Test Prep

Preparing for the D.C. Permit Test (the DC DMV Knowledge Test)

This page is for anyone in the District, teen or adult, getting ready for the written test that leads to a learner permit. Your first choice is where to take it. Everything on it comes from the DC driver manual: road signs, District traffic law, and safe habits. October 2026 prices are $49.95 to test virtually at home, $39.95 at a third-party proctoring center and $10 at a DC DMV service center. If you are 16 through 20 you sit the GRAD version and get an hour and a quarter; everyone else gets an hour on the standard version.

Versions: GRAD (ages 16 to 20) and standard
Time allowed: 75 minutes GRAD, 60 minutes standard
Fee: $10 service center, $39.95 proctoring center, $49.95 virtual
Languages: 24 at service centers since Dec. 15, 2025
Wait after a fail: 3 full calendar days
Lockout: 6 fails in 12 months
After passing: 14 business days to visit a service center

Step by step

Read the manual cover to cover
DC DMV tells applicants to read the whole automobile driver manual, updated January 2024, and reminds you that it cannot be used during the test. There are no printed copies, so read it online or download it.
Try the practice test
The free online practice test comes in English, Spanish, French, Vietnamese and Amharic. Its questions are not the real ones, so treat it as a check on your reading, not a preview.
Choose where to sit it
Service centers take walk-ins. For a proctoring center or a home session, reserve through DC DMV's scheduling website. If you need the motorcycle or CDL exam, a service center is your only option.
Know the rules in the room
Leave the phone, the watch, the notes and the smart glasses outside, and say nothing. Finish inside 60 or 75 minutes, because running over is scored as a fail.
Bring documents within 14 business days
Wherever you pass, you must visit a service center with your eligibility documents inside 14 business days, or the pass is void.

Before you study: who takes which version

Every new District driver sits it before the learner permit, from a 16 year old starting GRAD to a grown-up who has never been licensed. Ages 16 to 20 take the GRAD test and adults take the standard one; both draw on the same manual, and the GRAD version gives you an extra 15 minutes.

Teens should test early. The permit expires after two years with no renewal, and each GRAD stage after it has its own waiting period, so a string of failed attempts can delay the provisional license by months.

Before you study: three places to test

Service centers test on a first come, first served basis, and at October 2026 prices charge $10. A third-party proctoring center sells booked seats for $39.95. The virtual option, launched in October 2022, lets you test on camera from your own home, watched by a certified proctor, for $49.95. Only the standard and GRAD tests are offered virtually or at proctoring centers.

Any of the three charges you whether you pass or fail. A representative gives virtual results right away. The pass only becomes official when you carry your ID, Social Security and DC address papers into a service center, and you have 14 business days to do it. Pencil in that visit before booking the test.

While you study: what we know about the format

DC DMV publishes neither the number of questions nor the pass mark, anywhere: not with the manual, not with the practice test, not on the test page. Ask at booking or check-in if you want those numbers. What it does publish is the time limit: 75 minutes for GRAD, 60 for standard, and going over counts as a fail.

With the format unpublished, study to understand, not to memorize. In practice the topics are things like who goes first at a crosswalk or in a circle, how fast and where you may park, the rules on drinking, drugs and phones, and how to share lanes with people on bikes and scooters.

While you study: the manual

Use the January 2024 edition of the automobile manual, available as an online flipbook or a PDF. Since DC DMV names no priority chapters, read the whole thing once, then reread the parts on road markings and signs, who yields, speed limits and parking, distraction and impairment, and the GRAD limits on new drivers.

A plan many students like: read the manual straight through over a week, take the practice test, then spend three more evenings on whichever sections tripped you up before booking.

On test day: languages and reading help

At a service center you can choose from 15 languages: Vietnamese, Thai, Tagalog, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, German, French, Cantonese, Arabic, Amharic and English. Nine more joined the list on December 15, 2025: Swedish, Italian, Farsi, Dutch, Indonesian, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian and Turkish.

Struggle with reading? Request the version with audio. Testing virtually, you can use a language line, set up for people who cannot speak, read or write English, or can only do so in a limited way. For other disability accommodations, call DC DMV on 202-737-4404 or TTY 711 ahead of test day.

If you fail: retakes and the cheating rule

Failing means three whole calendar days off before a fourth-day retry; a Tuesday fail leads to a Saturday retest. Retakes at a proctoring center or at home must be booked again, and each attempt is paid again. Six fails within a year mean no seventh attempt until a year after the first fail.

Glance at notes, a phone or a smart watch, or speak during the exam, and DC DMV treats it as cheating: you fail and cannot retest for 60 days. Recording wearables, such as smart glasses or augmented reality headsets, are restricted in DMV-administered testing, and only test takers may enter the testing area.

Washington, D.C. teen drivers ed: common questions

Is there an at-home version of the D.C. permit test?

Yes, booked online and supervised over camera, for $49.95 at October 2026 prices. After a pass you still have 14 business days to bring your documents to a service center.

How many questions are on it?

That number is not published, and neither is the pass mark. The published limits are on time instead: an hour and a quarter for GRAD, an hour for standard.

How soon can I retake it?

After three full calendar days. Six fails in 12 months push the next try to a year after the first fail, and getting caught cheating costs 60 days.

How much does it cost?

October 2026 prices: $49.95 from home, $39.95 at a proctoring site, $10 at a service center. No refund for a fail.

Which languages can I test in?

Fifteen at service centers, including Amharic, Mandarin and Spanish, plus nine more such as Farsi and Turkish since December 15, 2025. Audio tests are available.

Is there a free practice test?

Yes, free online in five languages (Amharic, Vietnamese, French, Spanish and English). Its questions are not drawn from the real exam.

What happens if I run out of time?

Going over the 60 or 75 minute limit is scored as a fail.

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Sources

Rules change. If a source above says something different from this page, the source is right. Last checked 2026-10-23.

Step by step

Read the manual cover to cover

Try the practice test

Choose where to sit it

Know the rules in the room

Bring documents within 14 business days