South Dakota Permit Practice Test
A free South Dakota permit practice test: 10 questions written from the South Dakota Driver License Manual, each with the right answer and the reason. The real test needs 80% right to pass.
10 questions. Pick an answer to see if you are right.
Show the answer
Answer: C. 14
South Dakota lets you apply for an instruction permit at 14, once you pass the vision and knowledge tests. Anyone under 18 also needs a parent or guardian's consent.
Show the answer
Answer: A. 275 days in a row
Without an approved driver education course, a minor must hold the permit for 275 days without a break. Passing an approved course cuts this to 180 days.
Show the answer
Answer: D. 10 hours in bad weather and 10 hours after dark
Of the 50 supervised hours, at least 10 must be in bad (inclement) weather and at least 10 must be after dark. Plan practice drives so you cover both.
Show the answer
Answer: B. A parent, guardian or other adult with a valid license and at least one year of driving experience, sitting beside the driver
The supervisor must be a parent, guardian or other adult with a valid license and a year or more of driving experience, seated beside you.
Show the answer
Answer: C. 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A restricted minor's permit allows solo driving from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. a parent or legal guardian must sit beside you, apart from a few direct trips such as to work or school.
Show the answer
Answer: A. Only immediate family or members of your household
For the first six months on a restricted minor's permit, the only passengers allowed are immediate family or people who live in your household.
Show the answer
Answer: C. None: no wireless communication device of any type while driving
Holders of these permits may not use a wireless device of any kind, such as a cell phone, while driving on public roads. Put the phone away before you start.
Show the answer
Answer: D. 15 points
Collecting 15 points in any 12 straight months, or 22 points in any 24 straight months, can get your license suspended. A first point suspension lasts 60 days.
Source: The Driver's License: South Dakota Point System, p. 14
Show the answer
Answer: B. 0.08%
A BAC of 0.08% or more is evidence that an adult was driving under the influence. You can still be convicted below that level if you are impaired, so the safe choice is not to drink and drive.
Source: Be in Shape to Drive: Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Driving; Alcohol and the Law, p. 20
Show the answer
Answer: D. 0.02%
If you are under 21, a BAC of 0.02% or more breaks the zero tolerance law. A first offense costs a fine and 30 days without a license.
Source: Be in Shape to Drive: Alcohol and the Law; Penalties, Zero Tolerance, p. 20
Ready for the real South Dakota test?
The free test shows 10 of the 71 questions for South Dakota. The Pass Pack opens all of them, with full 25-question practice exams marked against the real test’s pass mark (80% to pass).
- 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 against the pass mark 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 against the real pass mark (80% to pass).
Questions you missed before
Every other question
How the South Dakota knowledge test works
- Questions
- Not published
- To pass
- 80%
- Learner permit from
- age 14
South Dakota's car knowledge test covers rules of the road and safe-driving practices, and you need a score of 80% or higher to pass; neither the manual nor the Department of Public Safety's pages say how many questions it has, and no different mark is given by age. Source.
You can get an instruction permit at 14 by passing the vision and knowledge tests, with a parent's consent if under 18. Teens must hold it for 275 days (180 days after an approved driver education course) and log 50 supervised hours, including 10 in bad weather and 10 after dark. Source.
The questions come from the South Dakota Driver License Manual (Revised 11/2024 (as printed on p. 71); PDF file last modified June 30, 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.
South Dakota rules worth knowing before the test
- Teens who passed a state-approved driver education course can use the course certificate to skip the permit knowledge test for one year after finishing the course. Source
- If you fail a test, you cannot try again until the next working day. One fee covers three tries within six months, and anyone caught cheating must wait at least two weeks. Source
- To pass the vision test without restrictions you need 20/40 or better with both eyes and no worse than 20/50 in either eye. If you wear glasses for the test, you must wear them to drive. Source
- A full operator's license is available at 16. A teen under 18 must first meet the permit requirements and have no traffic convictions in the six months before applying. Source
- A permit holder under 16 who is convicted of a traffic violation or breaks the permit rules is suspended for 30 days; a second violation means 180 days or until age 16, whichever is longer. Source
- Deer rank second among the things most often hit by vehicles in South Dakota. Watch hardest at dusk and dawn, and in October and November, when car and deer crashes peak. Source
- New residents with a valid out-of-state license must apply for a South Dakota license within 90 days, and every driver must carry their license while driving. 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 Dakota permit test
How many questions are on the South Dakota permit test?
South Dakota's car knowledge test covers rules of the road and safe-driving practices, and you need a score of 80% or higher to pass; neither the manual nor the Department of Public Safety's pages say how many questions it has, and no different mark is given by age. Source: South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program.
What score do I need to pass?
80% of the questions. South Dakota does not publish how many questions the test has; this practice test marks you against the same 80%.
How old do I have to be for a learner’s permit in South Dakota?
You can get an instruction permit at 14 by passing the vision and knowledge tests, with a parent's consent if under 18. Teens must hold it for 275 days (180 days after an approved driver education course) and log 50 supervised hours, including 10 in bad weather and 10 after dark. Source: South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program.
Is this the official South Dakota test?
No. This is an independent practice test, not part of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program. Every question is written in our own words from the South Dakota Driver 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 Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program.
What does the Pass Pack add?
All 71 questions for South Dakota (the 30 written from the handbook and 41 road signs, markings and signals), full 25-question practice exams (South Dakota does not publish its test’s length, so the exams use 25) marked against the pass mark, and your missed questions kept on this device. It costs US$9.99 once and covers every state we cover. See the Pass Pack.