How many questions are on the New York permit test?

How the score works

Think of it as two checks. First, your total has to be 14 or more out of 20. That’s 70%. Second, out of the 4 road-sign questions, at least 2 have to be right.

Both checks must pass. So a score of 14 can still be a fail, if only 1 of your sign questions was right. Even 17 out of 20 fails if all 3 of your mistakes were sign questions. Two wrong sign answers are fine. Three are not.

What the questions cover

The 20 questions come from chapters 4 to 11 of the driver’s manual. They mix road signs, rules of the road, safe driving, and alcohol and drug laws.

• Road signs, signals and lane markings
• Right-of-way, turns and passing
• Parking, speed and defensive driving
• Alcohol, drugs and the penalties
• Night driving, bad weather, expressways and sharing the road

Is there a time limit?

DMV doesn’t publish a time limit for the written test, or a waiting period before you can retake it. If you need to know, ask the office before your test.

The eye test on the same visit

At the office you’ll also have a quick vision test. You need 20/40 vision in at least one eye, with or without glasses or contacts. Bring them if you wear them.