Ohio Motorcycle Permit Test 2026: TIPIC, Skills Test, Courses

Where do you take the Ohio motorcycle permit test?

From 15 and a half, and where depends on your age:

Adults: at any Driver Exam Station, or online with a valid Ohio driver’s license, for the motorcycle endorsement
Under 18: at a Driver Exam Station only, not online

You bring proof of your full legal name, date of birth and Social Security number (if you have one), and pass a vision screening; after an online test, the deputy registrar does the screening. The languages are the same as for the car test. If you fail, you wait at least 24 hours to try again.

See BMV locations →

How to study for the motorcycle knowledge test

The BMV says to study Motorcycle Ohio’s Motorcycle Operator Manual and Section 4 of the Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws, Rules of the Road, which covers signs, signals and right-of-way. The BMV’s pages list no motorcycle sample test; its Sample Knowledge Test is for the car license.

For the road rules and signs, the car practice questions and the road signs page here use the same Digest. For riding itself, the US motorcycle practice test is general, not written for Ohio.

See the road signs →Try the car practice test →Try a general motorcycle test →

Your motorcycle TIPIC

Buy it at a deputy registrar within 60 days of passing; under 18, a parent or guardian co-signs. It’s valid for one year from purchase, and if it runs out you start over. While you ride on it:

Carry the TIPIC
Ride only in daylight
No passengers
No interstates or congested roads
Wear a helmet and protective eyewear

You need a TIPIC for the kind of bike you ride: a two-wheel TIPIC covers two- and three-wheeled motorcycles and scooters, a three-wheel one covers three-wheelers, and a scooter TIPIC covers scooters.

The skills test, or a course instead

Over 18, you schedule a skills test on an off-street course. Bring your TIPIC, wear a helmet and protective eyewear, and ride a street-legal bike in safe working condition. If you fail part of the skills test, the BMV’s motorcycle page says to wait one week before retesting, while Motorcycle Ohio’s manual says two days, so check when you book. Completing a state-approved course, such as Motorcycle Ohio’s Basic Riding Skills, waives the BMV skills test, and the course card is good for 60 days.

Motorcycle Ohio’s waiver courses cost $75, and you need a TIPIC, license or endorsement before the class. Basic Riding Skills is 16 hours for beginners, with motorcycles and helmets provided. Basic Riding Skills for Returning Riders is an 8-hour day for riders 18 and over, and Basic Riding Skills 2 is a 6-hour day on your own bike of 100cc or more.

Book a skills test →

Under 18, and at 18 to 20

Under 18, you first meet every probationary driver’s license requirement: six months on a car TIPIC, driver education and 50 logged hours. Then you complete Motorcycle Ohio’s Basic Riding Skills or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Basic RiderCourse; the returning-rider and level 2 courses don’t count for minors.

At 18 to 20 without the graduated licensing requirements done, you may get a motorcycle-only license, not an endorsement on a driver’s license. Riders under 18, and everyone in their first year with an endorsement, wear a helmet.

See the 50-hour affidavit →

License or endorsement, and the fees

Without a valid driver’s license, you get a motorcycle-only license; with one, the endorsement goes on it. After the test or course, buy it at a deputy registrar within 60 days or before your TIPIC expires, whichever comes first. The BMV’s fee list gives $25.50 for a motorcycle or moped TIPIC and $27.50 for a 4-year motorcycle-only license ($54.00 for 8 years). Riding without a permit or endorsement can bring a fine of up to $1,000.

Mopeds

To ride a moped without a driver’s license, you need a moped license, which you can apply for from 14. It takes vision, knowledge and skills tests. The skills test is the first two parts of the motorcycle test. No moped carries passengers. At 14 and 15 the license is probationary: you ride only in daylight, stay off interstates and congested roads, and wear a helmet and protective eyewear.

Sources: Motorcycle Ohio · Ohio BMV · Ohio Department of Public Safety and 2 more. Checked November 2026.