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North Dakota · Permit test

North Dakota DMV practice test options, and where to study

NDDOT doesn't run a practice test of its own. It points you to one study guide, the free Noncommercial Driver License Manual, and the real test's questions come from it. A North Dakota DMV practice test from an app or website can help you check what you've learned, but none of them is official. KnowTo Drive, the online test site, isn't a practice tool either: every try there is the real test and costs $10.

Where to study

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

A study path for the Rules of the Road test

  1. Download the 2025‑2027 manual from NDDOT. If you'd rather listen, the 2023‑2025 audio version is on YouTube, one video per section.
  2. Read pages 1 to 8 first. They cover permits, the rules for drivers under 18, license classes and restrictions.
  3. Learn the signs, signals and pavement markings on pages 9 to 18, including railroad crossings.
  4. Work through Rules of the Road on pages 19 to 26: right of way, speed limits, passing, turning, roundabouts, interstates, night driving and parking.
  5. Then read Driving Skills and Emergency Situations (winter driving, snowplows, floods, sharing the road) and the alcohol and drugs section.
  6. Finish with pedestrians and recreational vehicles, then test yourself with a practice test and reread any section you keep missing.
The North Dakota driver's manual →Taking the permit test online →

Study options compared

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
Noncommercial Driver License Manual (Class D)Official · PDF and text56 pages, revised 2025. NDDOT links it as the study guide for the Rules of the Road knowledge test, and a paper copy can be read at any driver license site.
FreeThe whole 2025-2027 manual, as a PDF or a text page
Manual page ↗PDF ↗
Audio and Spanish editions of the manualOfficial · YouTube and PDFBoth are the 2023-2025 edition (the audio is dated June 2024). NDDOT says 2025-2027 versions are coming, so check numbers against the current English manual.
FreeOne audio video per section, and a Spanish PDF
Audio playlist ↗Spanish manual (PDF) ↗
Motorcycle and CDL manualsOfficial · PDF and audioThe Motorcycle Operator Manual is for the Class M knowledge test. The 2025-2027 Commercial Driver License Manual covers every CDL knowledge test, and its Section 1 chart shows which sections to study for each.
FreeBoth manuals, with audio versions
Motorcycle Operator Manual ↗CDL manual ↗
Apps and websites
Driving-Tests.org and DMV GenieWeb and app · all statesOne company runs both. The North Dakota section also has fines and limits, distracted and drinking and driving tests, and an exam simulator. Premium promises 500+ questions and a pass guarantee. The page shows 4.7 on Trustpilot from 16,700+ reviews, and the DMV Genie app at 4.7 on Google Play with 1M+ downloads.
Free tests, paid Premium (price not shown on the North Dakota page)North Dakota permit practice tests 1 to 5, a diagnostic quick check and road sign tests
North Dakota section ↗
ZutobiApp and web · all statesGame-style lessons built on each state's manual. Its North Dakota page claims 600+ North Dakota questions and a 4.8 Trustpilot score.
Free to try, then paid (price not shown on its North Dakota page)A free start
North Dakota car page ↗
In person
NDDOT-approved driver training schoolsLocalUnder 16, driver education is required before the road test. NDDOT lists approved schools in Bismarck, Burlington, Dickinson, the Fargo area, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot, Pingree and Williston, and marks those in the road test waiver program.
Set by each schoolNot free
NDDOT school list ↗
Alive at 25, North Dakota Safety CouncilCourse · in person or onlineA 4.5-hour course for drivers under 25 on judgment and decision making, not a permit test prep course. The manual says it's approved in North Dakota for point reduction and insurance discounts.
$60 in person, $80 online (as printed in the 2025-2027 manual)Not free
North Dakota Safety Council ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

How do you choose a North Dakota DMV practice test?

Look for questions written from North Dakota's own manual, not a general one. The state's numbers are specific: 80 mph on rural interstates unless posted, 55 on gravel roads, a $250 fine for driving onto a closed road, the orange triangle for vehicles going 25 mph or less. A practice test that gets those wrong will teach you the wrong answer.

Check when the questions were last updated. The manual was revised in 2025, and an app built on an older one may miss changes.

If you've read the manual, free tests may be all you need to check yourself. Paid plans add more questions: Driving-Tests.org's Premium, for example, promises 500 or more.

When you need a driving school

A school isn't required to pass the written test. It matters for the road test. Under 16, you need driver education before the road test: 30 classroom hours and 6 behind-the-wheel hours through the Department of Public Instruction, or 6 behind-the-wheel hours with an NDDOT-approved commercial school.

NDDOT lists its approved schools by city, from Bismarck and Fargo to Minot, Williston and Dickinson, and marks the ones in the road test waiver program. The road test page explains how a waiver works.

NDDOT: Approved driver training schools ↗North Dakota road test →
Sources: NDDOT · KnowTo Drive and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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