Illinois practice tests
The Illinois written exam is taken at a Secretary of State driver's license facility, after a vision screening, when you apply for an instruction permit or a first license. It tests whether you can recognize road signs from their shape, color or symbol and name signals and pavement markings, and it asks multiple-choice and true-or-false questions on the law, safe driving, crash prevention and car equipment. You can get a permit from age 15 if you are enrolled in driver education, and you have three tries at each exam within a year. The Rules of the Road does not publish how many questions the exam has or the score needed to pass, so our free Illinois practice sets use our own practice rule: 25 questions with 20 correct (80 percent) to pass, with sign questions mixed in and every answer drawn from the Illinois Rules of the Road 2026.
- 25 questions
- 20 to pass
The test in Illinois
Every figure links to the page it was read from, with the date it was checked. Formats change; the source wins over this table.
| What | Figure | Source · checked |
|---|---|---|
| Written exam | Question count not publishedAccording to the Rules of the Road, the basic written exam checks that you can recognize road signs from their shape, color or symbol and name signals and pavement markings, plus multiple-choice and true-or-false questions on the law, safe driving, avoiding crashes and car equipment. It does not say how many questions there are, and neither does the Secretary of State's Driver's License and State ID Card page we used, so 25 questions is our own practice size. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| To pass | Not publishedNo pass mark appears in the Rules of the Road 2026 or on the two Secretary of State pages we used. Our practice sets use 20 of 25 correct (80 percent) as a practice rule only. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Signs | Part of the same written exam, not a separate testThe Rules of the Road tells readers that road sign recognition is tested on the written exam itself. It does not describe a separately scored signs part, so our sets mix sign questions into each test. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Time limit | Not statedNeither the Rules of the Road nor the Secretary of State pages we used give a time limit for the written exam. Our sets have no time limit. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Retakes | Three attempts at each exam within one year of paying the application feeAn applicant caught cheating fails and may not retake the exam for 30 days. Taking any part of the exam for someone else is a criminal offense with a mandatory minimum of seven days in jail. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Other exams | Vision screening for every applicant; driving exam for all new driversVision: at least 20/40 with or without corrective lenses (20/41 to 20/70 means daylight driving only) and at least 140 degrees of peripheral vision. A vision screening and a written test are required for every permit. Some driver education students may be excused from the DMV driving exam through the Cooperative Driver Testing Program, but students whose birthdays fall on spot-check dates must still take it. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Languages | Not stated in the files we used; oral exams on requestThe Rules of the Road says applicants with a language barrier or a reading or learning disability may ask in person, Monday to Thursday, at any Secretary of State driver services facility to take the written exam orally. The Driver's License and State ID Card page links a Written Test Languages page, but that page was not among the files available to us, so we do not list the languages. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Online testing | Not statedThe Rules of the Road and the two Secretary of State pages we used do not mention an online written exam. | Illinois Secretary of State: Driver's License and State ID Cardchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Minimum age | 15 for an instruction permit; 16 for a licenseAt 15 to 17 you need proof from an approved driver education provider that you are enrolled in, or will start within 30 days, an approved course. From 17 years and 3 months you may apply for a permit without driver education. First-time applicants aged 18 to 20 who never took driver education must complete a six-hour Adult Driver Education Course before getting a license. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Instruction permit rules | Supervisor 21 or older in the front seat; hold 9 months under 18; 50 hours of practice including 10 at nightThe supervisor is a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult aged 21 or older with a valid license and at least one year of driving experience. The permit is valid for 24 months. During the permit phase: no driving 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday to Thursday or 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday, one front-seat passenger and no more rear passengers than seat belts, no traffic infractions or court supervisions, and no phone use (even hands-free) under 19 except in an emergency. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Initial license restrictions (ages 16-17) | Same night limits; one passenger under 20 for the first 12 monthsFor the first 12 months or until 18, whichever comes first, only one passenger under 20 unless the passengers are siblings, stepsiblings, children or stepchildren; after that, one front-seat passenger and no more rear passengers than seat belts. A driver must stay conviction-free for six months before 18, or restrictions may run past 18. A parent or guardian who gave consent may cancel the license at any time before 18. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Fee: instruction permit | $20From the fee table in the Rules of the Road, which says fees are subject to legislative change. If you get your license before your instruction permit expires, you pay no additional fee for the license. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Fee: driver's license | $5 at ages 18-20; $30 at ages 21-68Ages 69-80 pay $5, ages 81-86 pay $2 and drivers 87 and older pay nothing. The fee table does not list a separate license fee for drivers under 18. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| What to bring (under 18) | Instruction permit, identification documents, signed 50-hour driving logAlso the Affidavit/Consent for Minor to Drive and the Cooperative Driver Testing Certificate if they apply. Your driver education completion must already be on your driving record. A first-time standard license needs proof of date of birth, Social Security number, one proof of residency and signature; a first-time REAL ID needs proof of identity (including U.S. citizenship or lawful status), date of birth, Social Security number, signature and two proofs of Illinois residency. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Teen driver resources | 50-hour practice log, consent affidavit, GDL brochure and Parent-Teen Driving GuideThe Secretary of State's Teen Driver Safety page links the 50-Hour Practice Driving Log for Applicants Under Age 18, the Affidavit/Consent for Minor to Drive, the Graduated Driver's License summary and brochure, the Parent-Teen Driving Contract and Guide, and the Illinois Rules of the Road. | Illinois Secretary of State: Teen Driver Safetychecked 2026-11-01 |
| Manual edition | Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112.47, printed July 2026)The handbook the Secretary of State publishes at the cited address, as saved on the check date. | Illinois Secretary of State: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026 (DSD A 112), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
Full tests
- Test 125 questions · untimed · pass 20difficulty 1 of 6
- Test 225 questions · untimed · pass 20difficulty 2 of 6
- Test 325 questions · untimed · pass 20difficulty 3 of 6
- Test 425 questions · untimed · pass 20difficulty 4 of 6
- Test 525 questions · untimed · pass 20difficulty 5 of 6
- Test 625 questions · untimed · pass 20difficulty 6 of 6
Handbook chapters
- Chapter 1: Getting your Illinois licenseThe Illinois Class D license, who may drive without one, documents, the three license exams (vision, written and driving), what the written exam covers, retakes, renewal, fees and changes of name or address.
- Chapter 2: Drivers under 21 and the GDL programIllinois instruction permits for teens, the 50-hour practice rule, the three Graduated Driver Licensing phases, night and passenger limits, the cellphone ban under 19, parental consent and the extra penalties for young drivers.
- Chapter 3: Traffic laws and right of wayIllinois traffic laws: what to do when police stop you, the handheld phone ban, seat belts and child seats, default speed limits, work zones, emergency vehicles, school zones, funeral processions and who yields at intersections and crosswalks.
- Chapter 4: Passing, turning, special stops and parkingIllinois rules for passing and no-passing areas, lane use, turn signals, hand signals, right and left turns, U-turns, roundabouts, school buses, railroad crossings, hill parking and places you may not stop or park.
- Chapter 5: Sharing the roadSharing Illinois roads with pedestrians, children, motorcycles, bicycles and e-bikes, scooters and mopeds, trucks, disabled vehicles, low-speed and slow-moving vehicles, snowmobiles and horseback riders.
- Chapter 6: Alcohol, drugs and DUIIllinois DUI law: the .08 BAC limit, cannabis THC limits, implied consent, statutory summary suspension, revocation for DUI convictions, aggravated DUI, open containers, the BAIID permit and zero tolerance for drivers under 21.
- Chapter 7: Crashes, insurance and losing your licenseWhat to do after an Illinois crash, when to file a crash report, hitting an unattended car, mandatory liability insurance minimums, financial responsibility and SR-22, and the difference between revocation, suspension, cancellation and denial.
- Chapter 8: Road signsIllinois road signs by shape and color: STOP, YIELD, DO NOT ENTER, WRONG WAY, the railroad advance sign, warning diamonds, school pentagons, the no-passing pennant, sign colors including orange, brown and pink, regulatory, warning, work zone and guide signs.
- Chapter 9: Traffic signals and pavement markingsIllinois traffic lights, flashing signals, red, yellow and green arrows, signals that are out, pedestrian and lane-control signals, white and yellow lines, two-way left turn lanes, stop lines, crosswalks and railroad crossing devices.
- Chapter 10: Safe driving, emergencies and equipmentIllinois safe-driving advice: the three-second rule, speed and stopping distance, fog, rain, wind and winter, expressways, night driving, skids, emergencies, aggressive drivers, breakdowns, and the equipment every car must have.