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North Dakota · Permit test

The North Dakota road test

The road test is the driving part of getting your license, and it costs $5. NDDOT gives the North Dakota road test by appointment at eight driver license sites: Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot and Williston. You take it in your own car, after you've held your permit long enough for your age. Some teens don't take it at all, because an approved driver education certificate can waive it.

Book a driving test with NDDOT

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Before you can book it

  • Hold your permit for the time your age requires. The learner's permit page has the holding periods.
  • Under 16: finish driver education and at least 50 hours of supervised driving. A parent or legal guardian comes with you on the day and signs that you've done the hours.
  • Under 16: bring your driver education Certificate of Training.
  • Book online with NDDOT's scheduler or call 1-855-633-6835.
North Dakota learner's permit rules →

Can you skip the North Dakota road test?

Yes, with the right certificate. The Class D road test is waived if you bring a North Dakota Driving School Certificate of Course Completion, or a Department of Public Instruction Student Completion Certificate, showing at least 30 hours of classroom training and 6 hours behind the wheel in a course NDDOT has approved for waivers.

NDDOT's list of driver training schools marks the ones in the waiver program. You still need to meet the permit holding period first.

NDDOT: Driver training schools ↗

The car inspection

You bring the car, with its current registration and proof of insurance, and the examiner inspects it before you drive. It needs working:

  • Brakes, headlights with high and low beams, brake lights, taillights and turn signals.
  • A leak-free exhaust with a muffler, and a horn you can hear from 200 feet.
  • Doors that open from inside and outside, seat belts and windshield wipers.
  • Mirrors that let you see 200 feet behind, and a windshield and windows without cracks that block your view.

Self-parking cars aren't allowed unless you switch the feature off. If anything makes the car or the test unsafe, the examiner won't give the test, so arrive early.

What the examiner checks on the road

To pass, the manual says you must follow instructions, keep in the proper lane, give the proper signals, parallel park, show good driving posture, and obey all traffic signs and laws. The manual's parallel parking steps on page 25 have you finish with your wheels within a foot of the curb.

Only you and the examiner ride along: no passengers, no pets except service animals, and no phones or other electronic devices in the car.

If you fail

You can't retake it the same day. Book another appointment and pay the $5 fee again. At 15, passing gets you a restricted Class D license, and at 16 or older a regular one. The driver's license page explains the restrictions.

How to get an ND driver's license →
Sources: NDDOT and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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