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South Carolina · Permit test

SC permit practice test

Here are 20 free questions written from the South Carolina Driver's Manual, on signals, road signs, teen license rules, school buses, following distance and alcohol. SCDMV doesn't publish the real test's length or pass mark, so on this SC permit practice test we treat 16 out of 20, which is 80%, as a pass. Every answer is explained, and the ones you get wrong come back at the end for another go.

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

Question 1 of 20
Traffic signal with the red light lit and flash marks around it

You reach an intersection where this signal is flashing. What must you do?

20 practice questions in the style of the knowledge test.

How close is an SC permit practice test to the real one?

Close in style, but nobody outside SCDMV has the real questions. SCDMV doesn't publish a question count or a pass mark for the Class D knowledge test. It does publish 10 sample questions at the back of the Driver's Manual, each with three choices marked a, b and c, and ours use the same three-choice format.

Some practice sites offer a 30-question exam or a sheet of permit test answers. The 30, and the answer sheets, come from those sites, not from SCDMV. Treat any practice set, this one included, as a way to find the parts of the manual you haven't learned yet.

SCDMV's own practice questions

SCDMV has two free options. Its online Driver's License Practice Exam gives you a new set of questions each time you start, and you can take it as often as you like. If you leave it alone for 3 minutes, it makes you start over. Section 12 of the manual adds 10 sample questions with the answers printed underneath, so you can check yourself on paper.

SCDMV Driver's License Practice Exam ↗SC Driver's Manual (PDF) ↗

Practicing for the motorcycle or CDL test instead

These 20 questions are for the regular Class D beginner's permit. The motorcycle permit test is based on SCDMV's Motorcycle and Moped Operator's Manual, and the commercial learner's permit needs its own knowledge tests from the Commercial Driver License Manual. Each has its own page.

The South Carolina DMV motorcycle permit test →The CDL permit test in South Carolina →

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Everything else, in one place

OverviewThe SC DMV permit testAppointmentsSC DMV permit test appointment: when you need oneOnline testThe online permit test in SC: what you can do from homeRoad testSC road test requirements, and what the test coversDriver's licenseGetting an SC driver's licenseCDL permitThe CDL permit test in South CarolinaMotorcycle permitThe South Carolina DMV motorcycle permit testRoad signsThe SC road signs test: what the signs meanAge and requirementsWhen you can get your permit in SC, and what you needDriver's ManualThe South Carolina permit book: SCDMV's Driver's ManualWhere to learnSouth Carolina DMV permit test study guide: where to learn
Sources: SCDMV and 1 more. Checked October 2026.

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