South Carolina Permit Practice Test
A free South Carolina permit practice test: 10 questions written from the South Carolina 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.
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Answer: B. 15
South Carolina lets you apply for a beginner's permit at 15, once you pass the vision and knowledge tests.
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Answer: D. A licensed driver aged 21 or older with a year or more of driving experience
The supervising driver must be licensed, at least 21, have a year or more of experience, and sit in the front seat beside you.
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Answer: A. 180 days
A teen must hold the beginner's permit for at least 180 days. The earliest day to apply is day 181.
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Answer: C. At least 40 hours, with 10 of them at night
Teens of 15 or 16 need at least 40 hours of practice, and 10 of those hours must be at night, with a qualified adult.
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Answer: D. 15 1/2
A conditional license is for drivers who are at least 15 1/2 but not yet 16 and who have met the permit, education and practice rules.
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Answer: B. No more than two
These licenses allow at most two passengers under 21 unless a licensed adult aged 21 or older is with you. Carrying family or students to and from school is the only exception.
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Answer: A. 8 p.m.
Driving alone is allowed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., or to 8 p.m. during daylight saving time. After that, a licensed driver aged 21 or older must be with you until midnight.
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Answer: C. The license is suspended for six months
Six or more points in the first year of licensing for a driver under 17 brings a six-month suspension.
Source: South Carolina Driver's License Manual (2025), Section 1, Graduated Driver's License Program, p. 1-8
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Answer: D. One year
Points drop to half one year after the date of the violation on the ticket. For example, 4 points become 2 a year later.
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Answer: A. 12 or more
At 6 points an adult driver gets a warning letter. At 12 or more points the license is suspended.
Source: South Carolina Driver's License Manual (2025), Section 1, Loss of Driving Privileges, p. 1-19
Ready for the real South Carolina test?
The free test shows 10 of the 71 questions for South Carolina. The Pass Pack opens all of them, with full 25-question practice exams with your score at the end.
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How the South Carolina knowledge test works
- Questions
- Not published
- To pass
- Not published
- Learner permit from
- age 15
You take the written knowledge test at an SCDMV branch, along with a vision test, to get a beginner's permit. Neither the manual nor the SCDMV pages we could read give the number of questions or the pass mark, so both are left blank. Source.
You can get a beginner's permit at 15 after passing the vision and knowledge tests. If you are 17 or younger you must hold it at least 180 days (18 and older: 30 days), and at 15 or 16 you must also log at least 40 hours of supervised driving, 10 of them at night, before a first license. Source.
The questions come from the South Carolina Driver's License Manual (2025 edition (SCDMV file deposited with the South Carolina State Library, issued 2025-09-02; the prior edition was revised 06/2024), 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.
South Carolina rules worth knowing before the test
- You can get a beginner's permit at 15. Hold it at least 180 days if you are 17 or younger, or 30 days if you are 18 or older. At 15 or 16 you also need 40 hours of practice, 10 of them at night. Source
- Conditional and special restricted licenses limit you to two passengers under 21 (family and school runs excepted) and to driving alone only from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., or 8 p.m. in daylight saving time. Source
- You may not hold a phone, text, or watch video while driving on a public road. Earpieces and wrist devices for voice calls are allowed. Source
- Drivers under 21 with a BAC of 0.02 or more lose their privilege for at least three months. Refusing the test means at least six months. Source
- South Carolina's seat belt law is a primary law, so an officer who clearly sees an unbelted person or an unrestrained child may stop you for that reason alone. Source
- Signal at least 100 feet before you turn, change lanes or merge. Keep at least 4 seconds of space behind the car ahead. Source
- On a road with two or more lanes each way, oncoming traffic need not stop for a stopped school bus. Traffic behind the bus must always stop. 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 South Carolina permit test
How many questions are on the South Carolina permit test?
You take the written knowledge test at an SCDMV branch, along with a vision test, to get a beginner's permit. Neither the manual nor the SCDMV pages we could read give the number of questions or the pass mark, so both are left blank. Source: South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV).
What score do I need to pass?
South Carolina 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 South Carolina?
You can get a beginner's permit at 15 after passing the vision and knowledge tests. If you are 17 or younger you must hold it at least 180 days (18 and older: 30 days), and at 15 or 16 you must also log at least 40 hours of supervised driving, 10 of them at night, before a first license. Source: South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV).
Is this the official South Carolina test?
No. This is an independent practice test, not part of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). Every question is written in our own words from the South Carolina 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 South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV).
What does the Pass Pack add?
All 71 questions for South Carolina (the 30 written from the handbook and 41 road signs, markings and signals), full 25-question practice exams (South Carolina 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.