Kentucky practice tests
The Kentucky written permit test is given by the Kentucky State Police, by appointment, at regional testing sites after a vision screening. It covers driving rules, regulations, procedures and highway signs, and you need a score of at least 80 percent to pass. The signs portion must be answered from your own knowledge, even if the rest of the test is read to you. Kentucky does not publish how many questions the test has. You can take it from age 15, with a parent or legal guardian signing if you are under 18. Our free Kentucky practice has six tests of 40 questions, each with about ten sign questions shown as pictures, and you need 32 correct (80 percent) to pass. Forty questions is our own practice size, scored at the real 80 percent rule, and every answer comes from the Kentucky Driver Manual.
- 40 questions
- 32 to pass
The test in Kentucky
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | Number of questions not publishedThe manual says the written test contains questions on driving rules, regulations, procedures and highway signs, and is based on the type of license applied for. Neither the manual nor the KSP Driver Testing page gives the number of questions. Our six practice tests use 40 questions each; that is our own practice size. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| To pass | Minimum score of 80%Applicants must make a minimum score of 80 percent to pass the written test. Our practice tests use the same rule: 32 correct out of our 40-question practice size. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Signs portion | Highway signs are a distinct portion of the written testThe test can be given orally to applicants who cannot read English, but the signs portion must be answered from the applicant's own knowledge and understanding. The manual does not say how many sign questions there are or whether the signs portion is scored separately. About a quarter of each of our practice tests (10 of 40) are sign questions with pictures. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Time limit | Not statedNeither the manual nor the KSP Driver Testing page gives a time limit for the written test. Our sets have no time limit. | Kentucky State Police: Driver Testingchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Who gives the test | Kentucky State Police, by appointment onlyYou complete the application at a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Regional Driver Licensing Office, and the Kentucky State Police give the vision, written and road tests. Testing is by appointment only, booked with the online scheduler. Appointments are released Monday to Friday at 8 a.m. and the schedule runs three weeks out. The KSP Driver Testing page adds that since July 5, 2022 you may test at any regional office regardless of your county. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Online testing | None describedOnly the appointment booking is online. The KSP pages and the manual describe the written test only at testing sites, where tablet devices can present the test aloud. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Languages | 12 languages for the standard operator test (KSP Driver Testing page)The KSP Driver Testing page lists Arabic, Burmese (Myanmar), Chinese, Dari (Afghan Persian), English, French, Kinyarwanda (Rwanda), Japanese, Pashto, Somali, Spanish and Swahili, for the standard operator test only. The manual (file updated 7-23-26) prints a longer list of 26 languages, from Albanian to Vietnamese, and says Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, French, Japanese, Somali and Spanish are on the testing software and in audio form. The two official lists differ and neither is dated more recently than the other, so we quote the KSP web page and note the manual's list; ask your testing site if you need a language that only one list names. | Kentucky State Police: Driver Testingchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Oral and audio tests | Audio tablets at all testing offices; oral test or interpreter by special appointmentThe manual says all testing offices have tablets that present the test audibly in English and several other languages, with no special appointment needed, but an oral test or an interpreter needs a special appointment. The KSP page says some locations have audio versions and that deaf or hard of hearing applicants can request a sign language interpreter. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Minimum age | 15You must be at least 15 to take the vision and written tests and apply for a permit. Under 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign the application, accepting joint liability, at the testing location (a birth certificate or court guardianship papers must be shown). | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Vision standard | 20/40, corrected or uncorrected, before the written testIf you need corrective lenses to reach 20/40, your license will require them. Applicants who do not meet it are referred to a vision specialist; after the referral, 20/60 or better allows testing. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Permit rules | Supervising driver 21 or older in the front seat; hold 180 days (ages 15 to 20) or 30 days (21 and over)Every permit holder must be accompanied by a licensed driver at least 21 years old in the front passenger seat and must carry the permit. Under 18: no driving between midnight and 6 a.m. without good cause, and no more than one unrelated passenger under 20. The adult permit is valid for three years; if it is not renewed within one year of expiring, the written and vision tests must be repeated. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Practice hours | 60 hours, including 10 at night (under 18)To be eligible for an intermediate license, a driver must complete a Practice Driving Log of at least 60 hours, 10 of them at night, signed and certified by a parent or legal guardian. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Intermediate license | From age 17 after 180 days on the permit; no driving midnight to 6 a.m.The intermediate license is obtained by passing the road test. Driving between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. is not allowed without good cause such as emergencies, school or work. Under 18, no more than one unrelated passenger under 20. Zero alcohol tolerance (0.02) applies under 21. A violation adds at least 180 days, and more than six points can lead to suspension. A full unrestricted license follows after 180 days on the intermediate license, completion of driver education and reaching 17. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Driver education | Required before the full license for permits issued under 18Accepted courses: a free classroom course, an online course costing $12.50, a high school driver education course, or a course at an approved private driving school that includes 4 hours of classroom training. The driver must enroll before turning 18. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Road test retakes | Wait at least one week after a failed road testThe manual does not say how soon a failed written test for an operator's permit can be retaken. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Fees: permit and license | Not statedThe manual refers only to the applicable licensing fee and points to drive.ky.gov; neither saved source prints the permit or license fee. The only driver-licensing amount printed is $12.50 for the online driver education course. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| What to bring (permit) | Original or certified birth certificate, Social Security card, one proof of Kentucky residency (two for REAL ID)Under 18, also bring the School Compliance Verification Form from your school (No Pass/No Drive Law), and a parent or legal guardian must sign the application. Photocopies are not accepted for any required document. If your name, date of birth or gender differs from your identity document, bring legal proof of the change. The KSP page points to the Transportation Cabinet's document guide at drive.ky.gov. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| New residents | Get a Kentucky license within 30 daysA valid out-of-state license, or one expired less than one year, transfers without testing. If it has been expired more than one year, you need a certified driver history record or clearance letter and must take the written and eye exams. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Manual edition | Kentucky Driver Manual, Kentucky State Police (file updated 7-23-26)No date is printed on the cover; the PDF linked from the KSP Driver Testing page is named Updated 7-23-26. The KSP page says the Kentucky Driver Manual is the only approved source material for the written test. | Kentucky State Police: Kentucky Driver Manual (updated 7-23-26), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
Full tests
- Test 140 questions · untimed · pass 32difficulty 1 of 6
- Test 240 questions · untimed · pass 32difficulty 2 of 6
- Test 340 questions · untimed · pass 32difficulty 3 of 6
- Test 440 questions · untimed · pass 32difficulty 4 of 6
- Test 540 questions · untimed · pass 32difficulty 5 of 6
- Test 640 questions · untimed · pass 32difficulty 6 of 6
Handbook chapters
- Chapter 1: Getting your permit and licenseHow to get a Kentucky permit and license: license classes, the vision and written tests, the 80 percent pass mark, documents to bring, the graduated license steps for teens, the adult waiting periods and the road test.
- Chapter 2: Keeping your license, registration and insuranceKentucky license renewal and updates, new residents, suspensions, the point system, State Traffic School, vehicle registration, minimum insurance and the Medical Review Board.
- Chapter 3: Be in shape to driveVision, hearing, fatigue, the three kinds of distraction, texting, emotions, aggressive driving and road rage, and warning signs for aging drivers, from the Kentucky Driver Manual.
- Chapter 4: Alcohol, other drugs and drivingKentucky DUI law: how alcohol and drugs affect driving, the 0.08 and 0.02 limits, implied consent and test refusal, first-offense penalties, aggravating circumstances and ignition interlock.
- Chapter 5: Before you drive and basic controlTire checks, seat and mirror set-up, Kentucky's seat belt and child seat laws, air bags, securing a load, driver assistance features, hand position, starting, stopping and backing.
- Chapter 6: Right of way, signals, signs and markingsWho yields in Kentucky, traffic lights and arrows, flashing signals, railroad crossings, work zone, regulatory, warning and guide signs, sign colors and shapes, and pavement markings.
- Chapter 7: Turns, intersections, parking and passingKentucky rules for signaling and turning, turnabouts, intersections, roundabouts, school and church buses, parking on hills and parallel parking, lane use, merging, exiting and passing.
- Chapter 8: Safe driving tipsVisual search, Kentucky's default speed limits, driving in poor visibility and on slippery roads, stopping distance, the 4-second following distance, space cushions, backing, headlights, horn and signals.
- Chapter 9: Emergencies and collisionsAvoiding crashes by braking, steering and accelerating, anti-lock brakes, skids, road-edge drop-offs, what Kentucky law requires after a collision, crash reports, first aid and vehicle failures.
- Chapter 10: Sharing the road and special situationsPedestrians and blind pedestrians, bicyclists and electric scooters, motorcycles, large trucks and No Zones, emergency vehicles, traffic stops, move-over rules, slow-moving vehicles, ATVs, night driving, funeral processions, work zones, rural roads, autocycles and trailers.