Montana practice tests
The Montana written test is taken at a Motor Vehicle Division driver exam station, by appointment, with a vision test, before you can get a learner permit or take the road test. It covers the rules in the Montana Driver Manual, including signs, signals and pavement markings. Neither the manual nor the MVD's pages say how many questions the test has or what score you need to pass, so our free Montana practice sets use our own choice of 25 questions with 20 correct (80 percent) to pass. Every answer comes from the Montana Driver Manual or the MVD's own pages for new drivers.
- 25 questions
- 20 to pass
The test in Montana
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 | Not publishedThe Montana Driver Manual and the MVD's New Drivers 18+ and Drivers Under 18 pages say you must pass a written test, and the manual's own Chapter 3 covers signs, signals and road markings, but none of them states how many questions the test has. Our six practice sets use 25 questions each; that size is our own choice, not the official format. | Montana Driver Manual (Motor Vehicle Division), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| To pass | Not publishedNeither the manual nor the MVD pages state a passing score. Our practice sets use 20 correct out of 25 (80 percent) as our own standard. | Montana Driver Manual (Motor Vehicle Division), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Time limit | Not statedNo time limit for the written test is given in the manual or on the MVD pages. Our sets are untimed. | Montana Driver Manual (Motor Vehicle Division), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Tests for a first license | Written, vision and road testsThe New Drivers 18+ page says people 18 and over must pass written, vision and road tests and provide the required documents, and that you must pass the written test before you are eligible for the driving test. The manual's vision standard is at least 20/40 in at least one eye, with or without corrective lenses. | Montana MVD: New Drivers 18+checked 2026-11-02 |
| Minimum permit age | 14 1/2 for a Driver Ed Learning Permit; 15 for a Learner Permit from a driver exam stationThe Drivers Under 18 page says students 14.5 years old in a state-approved traffic education program who have met attendance and testing requirements are issued a permit by the instructor, and students 15 and older who have not attended driver training get a Learner Permit at a driver exam station. The manual also allows 14 1/2 for students in traffic education, but for a permit from a driver exam station it says 16 without traffic education (15 with an approved course); we follow the newer MVD page. The manual adds that online or third-party traffic education courses are not approved. | Montana MVD: Drivers Under 18checked 2026-11-02 |
| Learner permit (NCLP) rules | Valid one year; hold at least 6 months + 1 day; 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 at nightThe Drivers Under 18 page says the teen must be supervised by a licensed parent, guardian or responsible adult, the adult logs the hours, everyone in the vehicle must wear a seatbelt, and the teen must have no traffic violations or alcohol or drug offenses in the six months before advancing. The manual describes the holding period as six consecutive months and says the supervising adult occupies the seat beside the driver; we follow the page's 6 months + 1 day. | Montana MVD: Drivers Under 18checked 2026-11-02 |
| First-Year Restricted License | No driving 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.; one unrelated passenger under 18 for the first six months, three for the second six monthsThe passenger limits apply unless a licensed driver 18 or older is supervising (the manual says a licensed adult driver). Everyone must wear a seatbelt. Night exceptions include emergencies, farm-related activities, travel to and from school, church or work, and parent-authorized purposes, and police may contact the parent to check. Restrictions end on the date on the back of the license or at 18, whichever comes first. | Montana MVD: Drivers Under 18checked 2026-11-02 |
| Restriction penalties | First offense: 20 to 60 hours of community service; second offense: six-month suspensionThe Drivers Under 18 page and the manual give the same penalties for violating First-Year Restricted License restrictions. | Montana MVD: Drivers Under 18checked 2026-11-02 |
| What to bring | Proof of identity, proof of residency and proof of authorized presenceApplicants under 18 also provide parental consent and pay the required fees. You do not need to show proof of your Social Security number, but you need to know it so it can be verified at the appointment. The manual says signing the consent form makes the parent, guardian or responsible adult financially responsible for damage from the minor's driving, and that you show two documents (two primary, or one primary and one secondary) for your full legal name and date of birth. | Montana MVD: Drivers Under 18checked 2026-11-02 |
| Applying for the restricted license | Pass a drive test; bring your documents, driving log, valid NCLP and form 21-1600The Drivers Under 18 page lists the Graduated Driver Licensing Parent/Legal Guardian Certification (21-1600), all identity, residency and authorized presence documents (even if provided before), the driving log on paper or a device, and current registration and proof of insurance for the drive test vehicle. | Montana MVD: Drivers Under 18checked 2026-11-02 |
| Road test vehicle | Registered, insured and free of mechanical issuesThe New Drivers 18+ page says to bring your current learner's permit, proof of current registration and proof of insurance (a card or a digital version on a phone), in a vehicle with no cracks in the windshield and working taillights, brake lights and turn signals. | Montana MVD: New Drivers 18+checked 2026-11-02 |
| Appointments | Schedule at an MVD driver exam stationThe Drivers Under 18 page says to schedule an appointment at any MVD exam station and to say it is for a regular written exam; appointments can also be made by calling the Customer Care Center at 1 (406) 444-1772. The manual says all driver license stations require scheduled appointments. | Montana MVD: Drivers Under 18checked 2026-11-02 |
| Fees | $5.00 per year of license validity for a Class D or learner license, plus a 3% administrative feeFrom the fee list in the manual, which says fees are subject to change and points to the MVD's licensing fees page for the current list. The manual also lists a $25.00 REAL ID fee on top of regular license fees and a $10.00 replacement license. The MVD pages we saved link to a fee page but do not print the fees, so we give no total. | Montana Driver Manual (Motor Vehicle Division), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Retakes | Three attempts within one year on one receiptThe manual says driver license receipts are valid for one year and allow three attempts in that year to pass all required examinations. Receipts are not renewable; if you do not finish within a year you reapply and start over. | Montana Driver Manual (Motor Vehicle Division), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
| Manual edition | Montana Driver Manual (Form 25-0100M), file posted May 2026The PDF on the MVD site is tagged 05.26, but its cover still reads Revised April 2024 and its back page Revised November 2023. Where it differs from the MVD's newer Drivers Under 18 page (permit ages and the holding period), we follow the page. | Montana Driver Manual (Motor Vehicle Division), PDFchecked 2026-11-02 |
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 Montana permit and licenseMontana license types, learner permit ages, the three-step graduated licensing program for teens, documents to bring, appointments, fees, receipts, renewal and new residents.
- Chapter 2: Your vehicle, lights and seat beltsMontana's vehicle checks, required lights and their distances, high and low beams, slow-moving vehicle emblems, projecting loads, seat belt and child restraint laws.
- Chapter 3: Traffic signs, work zones and school zonesHow Montana signs work by shape and color: STOP, YIELD and DO NOT ENTER, regulatory signs, yellow warning signs, orange construction signs, flaggers, barricades and school zones.
- Chapter 4: Signals, roundabouts, railroads and pavement markingsMontana traffic and pedestrian signals, flashing and arrow lights, turning on red, roundabout rules, railroad crossings and stopping distance, and lane lines, reversible and reserved lanes.
- Chapter 5: Speed limits, passing, turns and right-of-wayMontana's posted speed limits, signaling distances, passing rules, turning and U-turns, right-of-way for pedestrians, intersections, emergency vehicles, school buses and funeral processions.
- Chapter 6: Sharing the road with bicycles, animals and slow vehiclesMontana rules for passing bicyclists, sharrows, bicycle equipment, horses and livestock, slow-moving vehicles, motorcycles, large trucks and other road users who need extra room.
- Chapter 7: Driving safely: seeing, signaling, speed and spaceMontana's safe driving advice: distraction, steering and stopping, scanning ahead, night driving, using lights and horn, adjusting speed for gravel, snow, ice and rain, skids, wildlife, following distance, merging and passing.
- Chapter 8: Parking and insuranceMontana parking rules: distance from the curb, parallel parking, parking on hills, curb colors and no-parking distances, plus mandatory liability insurance, minimum limits and penalties for driving uninsured.
- Chapter 9: Alcohol, drugs and fitness to driveMontana's rules on vision, fatigue, alcohol and BAC limits, refusing a test, first DUI penalties, open containers, reporting drunk drivers, other drugs, health, emotions and senior drivers.
- Chapter 10: Emergencies, crashes, police stops and your recordWhat to do in Montana for brake failure, blowouts, stuck accelerators and running off the road, how to avoid or survive a collision, crash scene duties and reporting, police stops and your driving record.