South Carolina · Permit test
SCDMV doesn't publish a separate South Carolina DMV permit test study guide. The free Driver's Manual is the book to learn from, and its last section points you to SCDMV's practice app. Read the manual, run SCDMV's online practice exam a few times, and add a private app if you like drilling on your phone. If you're 15 or 16, driver's education is part of getting a license, so it's worth picking a school early.
The Driver's Manual. It's SCDMV's own book, free as a PDF, and it runs from the licensing rules in Section 1 to the sample questions in Section 12. Signs, signals and pavement markings are in Section 6. School buses, parking and passing are in Section 7. Following distance and stopping distances are in Section 8, and the alcohol and hands-free phone laws are in Section 3.
The manual itself warns that laws and SCDMV policy can change faster than the book, so if something you read doesn't match SCDMV's website, go by the website.
If you learn by doing, use SCDMV's online practice exam. It's free and shuffles new questions in each time, so you can repeat it until the rules stick.
SCDMV's iPhone app, SC DMV Driver Exam, is free too, but its App Store page shows the last version came out in 2017. Use it for extra practice and check anything that surprises you against the current manual.
Private apps and sites are good for drilling at the end. None of them are from SCDMV, so their questions are their own. Check when an app was last updated before you pay for it.
If you're 15 or 16, you need a driver's education course before your first license: eight hours in the classroom and six hours of driving. The school gives you the PDLA form that SCDMV asks for, and SCDMV keeps a list of licensed driver training schools.
Work through it in this order:
SCDMV's own book for the Class D permit, in 12 sections from licensing rules to road signs and emergencies. Its cover calls it the Driver's License Manual. SCDMV's manuals page lists no Spanish or audio version.
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SCDMV's browser-based practice test. The questions change each time you start, and SCDMV encourages you to take it as often as you like. It restarts if you leave it idle for 3 minutes.
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The App Store listing says SCDMV created it to help you prepare for the written test, and the Driver's Manual points to it for practice. It's published by NICUSA. 2.9 stars from 65 App Store ratings, and the latest version shown, 1.7, is dated October 2017, so check anything surprising against the current manual.
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The Motorcycle and Moped Operator's Manual for a Class M permit or moped license, the Commercial Driver License Manual for the CDL knowledge tests, and the Large Non-commercial and Recreational Vehicles Driver's Manual for Class E and F.
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Car, motorcycle and CDL practice, including air brakes and hazmat, with a mock exam, study mode, flashcards and a review of questions you got wrong. 4.9 stars from 33 App Store ratings. A private app, not from SCDMV.
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Tests grouped from the basics up to harder situations. The 30-question simulator is the site's own format: SCDMV doesn't publish a question count. Premium adds a larger question bank and a retest of the questions you missed.
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At 15 or 16 you need driver's education before your first license: eight hours in the classroom and six hours of driving. The school gives you the PDLA form SCDMV asks for. Schools in SCDMV's One Stop program also have authorized testers who can give the knowledge or road test.
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A course is optional unless you fail the SCDMV motorcycle skills test three times. Passing one with a Motorcycle Safety Foundation skills test from an SCDMV-approved tester can stand in for the SCDMV skills test. SCDMV's motorcycle page lists providers, including technical colleges and dealerships.
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Explore
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.