Iowa Permit Practice Test
A free Iowa permit practice test: 10 questions written from the Iowa Driver's License Manual, each with the right answer and the reason. The real test is written from the same handbook.
10 questions. Pick an answer to see if you are right.
Show the answer
Answer: A. 14
Iowa issues instruction permits from age 14, once you pass the knowledge and vision tests and a parent or guardian gives written consent.
Source: Iowa DOT, Instruction Permit for Under Age 18: How Do I Get an Instruction Permit?
Show the answer
Answer: B. No, a friend must be at least 25 and have written permission from a parent or guardian
Approved supervisors are a parent, guardian, custodian, an immediate family member 21 or older, a driver education instructor, or a person 25 or older with written parental permission.
Source: Iowa DOT, Instruction Permit for Under Age 18: What Can I Do With This Permit?
Show the answer
Answer: C. No more than the number of seat belts in the vehicle
Permit drivers may not carry more people than there are seat belts, and must always have approved adult supervision.
Source: Iowa DOT, Instruction Permit for Under Age 18: What Can't I Do With This Permit?
Show the answer
Answer: D. The permit is suspended for 30 days
A first offense brings a warning letter and possible suspension; a second means a 30-day suspension. Each violation also delays the next license step by 6 months.
Source: Iowa DOT, Instruction Permit for Under Age 18: What if I Mess Up?
Show the answer
Answer: C. 6 months
Every conviction, at-fault crash or restriction violation pushes back the upgrade to the next license phase by six months.
Source: Iowa DOT, Instruction Permit for Under Age 18: What if I Mess Up?
Show the answer
Answer: A. Not allowed; under-18 permit and intermediate drivers may not talk on the phone unless stopped off the road
Adults may use phones hands-free, but drivers under 18 with a permit, intermediate or special minor's license may not make or take calls unless parked off the roadway.
Source: Iowa Driver's License Manual (2026 file), 3.7 Eliminating Distractions: Talking on the Phone, p. 36
Show the answer
Answer: B. Making a call using voice activation without holding the phone
Iowa bans holding or manually using a phone while driving. Calls are allowed only hands-free or by voice activation, and you must pull off the road to text.
Source: Iowa Driver's License Manual (2026 file), 3.7 Eliminating Distractions: Iowa's Hands-Free Law, p. 36
Show the answer
Answer: B. 20 mph
Iowa's default is 20 mph in business districts and 25 mph in residential or school districts.
Source: Iowa Driver's License Manual (2026 file), 4.5 Appropriate Speed, p. 42
Show the answer
Answer: C. 70 mph
Rural interstates default to 70 mph; primary roads and urban interstates default to 60 mph.
Source: Iowa Driver's License Manual (2026 file), 4.5 Appropriate Speed, p. 42
Show the answer
Answer: B. 40 mph
If a vehicle cannot keep up 40 mph in normal conditions, it does not belong on the interstate.
Source: Iowa Driver's License Manual (2026 file), 4.5 Appropriate Speed, p. 42
Ready for the real Iowa test?
The free test shows 10 of the 71 questions for Iowa. The Pass Pack opens all of them, with full 25-question practice exams with your score at the end.
- Every question for your state. All 71, each with the reason and the source it comes from.
- Full practice exams. 25 questions, no hints until the end, then your score and every mistake explained.
- Your mistakes, saved. Every question you miss, in practice or in an exam, comes back until you get it right, on this device.
- Every state, one price. Moving, or helping a teen in another state? Every state we cover is included, plus the road signs test.
Get every question: US$9.99 once One payment, no subscription.
Your Pass Pack
All 71 questions are open on this device.
Take a full exam
25 questions drawn at random, no answers shown until you finish, then your score.
Questions you missed before
Every other question
How the Iowa knowledge test works
- Questions
- Not published
- To pass
- Not published
- Learner permit from
- age 14
You must pass a knowledge test and a vision test for an instruction permit, at a DMV, a county treasurer's office, some schools, or at home with a parent proctoring. The Iowa DOT pages read here do not publish the real test's question count or pass mark; its online practice test uses 25 questions and needs 80 percent. Source.
You can get an instruction permit at 14 with a parent's or guardian's written consent after passing the knowledge and vision tests. A permit driver may drive at any time but only with approved adult supervision, such as a parent or an immediate family member aged 21 or older. Source.
The questions come from the Iowa Driver's License Manual (online PDF, undated on its pages (file last changed July 2026), read 2026-10-12), which is what the real test is written from. Read it alongside these questions: every answer above names the section it comes from.
Iowa rules worth knowing before the test
- Iowa's hands-free law bans holding a phone while driving; drivers under 18 on a permit or intermediate license may not talk on a phone at all unless stopped off the road. Source
- Without posted signs, Iowa's limits include 20 mph in business districts, 25 mph in residential and school districts and 70 mph on rural interstates. Source
- Where the limit is 45 mph or lower, turn signals must start 100 feet out; on faster roads, 300 feet. Source
- Iowa's Move Over or Slow Down law covers stopped emergency, tow, maintenance, construction and garbage vehicles, and any stopped car showing hazard lights. Source
- Drivers under 21 are considered intoxicated at a blood alcohol level of .02; the adult limit is .08. Source
- A permit holder may not carry more passengers than the vehicle has seat belts. Source
Signs, markings and signals
Every state’s test asks about road signs, which follow one national standard. Practise them with pictures on the road signs test.
Questions about the Iowa permit test
How many questions are on the Iowa permit test?
You must pass a knowledge test and a vision test for an instruction permit, at a DMV, a county treasurer's office, some schools, or at home with a parent proctoring. The Iowa DOT pages read here do not publish the real test's question count or pass mark; its online practice test uses 25 questions and needs 80 percent. Source: Iowa Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division.
What score do I need to pass?
Iowa does not publish the pass mark on the official pages we read. Aim to get every question right, and ask your local office if you want the exact rule.
How old do I have to be for a learner’s permit in Iowa?
You can get an instruction permit at 14 with a parent's or guardian's written consent after passing the knowledge and vision tests. A permit driver may drive at any time but only with approved adult supervision, such as a parent or an immediate family member aged 21 or older. Source: Iowa Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division.
Is this the official Iowa test?
No. This is an independent practice test, not part of the Iowa Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division. Every question is written in our own words from the Iowa Driver's License Manual or the state’s other official pages, and each answer names the section it comes from. The real test is taken with the Iowa Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division.
What does the Pass Pack add?
All 71 questions for Iowa (the 30 written from the handbook and 41 road signs, markings and signals), full 25-question practice exams (Iowa does not publish its test’s length, so the exams use 25), and your missed questions kept on this device. It costs US$9.99 once and covers every state we cover. See the Pass Pack.