North Dakota practice tests
The North Dakota Rules of the Road knowledge test checks what you know from the Noncommercial Driver License Manual: signs, signals and pavement markings, traffic laws, safe driving and drinking and driving. You can take it at a Driver License office or online through KnowTo Drive, which allows 60 minutes, and you can get an instruction permit from age 14. NDDOT does not publish how many questions the test has or the score needed to pass, so our free North Dakota practice sets use our own practice rule: 25 questions with 20 correct (80 percent) to pass, every answer drawn from the 2025-2027 manual.
- 25 questions
- 20 to pass
The test in North Dakota
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge test | Question count not publishedNDDOT's permit page and the manual call it the Rules of the Road knowledge test but do not say how many questions it has, so 25 questions is our own practice size. Signs are part of the same test. | NDDOT: How to Apply for a Learner's Permitchecked 2026-11-01 |
| To pass | Not publishedWe could not find a pass mark on NDDOT's pages, in the manual or on the KnowTo Drive pages that NDDOT links. Our practice sets use 20 of 25 correct (80 percent) as a practice rule only. | NDDOT: How to Apply for a Learner's Permitchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Time limit | 60 minutes online; not stated in personKnowTo Drive, the online test NDDOT links, gives a 60-minute limit. NDDOT does not state a limit for office testing, but asks you to arrive at least an hour before closing (or before noon at offices that close for lunch). Our sets have no time limit. | KnowTo Drive: North Dakota FAQ (online knowledge test linked by NDDOT)checked 2026-11-01 |
| Where you take it | A Driver License office (appointment required) or online through KnowTo DriveIf you pass online, you still make an appointment at a Driver License office to get your permit. In the office, phones, bags, paper and other items are not allowed in the testing area, and bringing them or leaving the area before you finish gives you a failed score. | North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Class D (2025-2027), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Retakes and fees | Online: $10 per attempt, retake after 24 hours; office: $5 per attemptKnowTo Drive says that after failing five times you must wait a year to test online again. NDDOT's permit page lists the office knowledge test at $5 per attempt, with one attempt allowed per day. | KnowTo Drive: North Dakota FAQ (online knowledge test linked by NDDOT)checked 2026-11-01 |
| Languages | English plus 13 other languagesArabic, Chinese, Dari, French, Nepali, Pashto, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish and Vietnamese. Automated American Sign Language and audio testing is offered at the Fargo, Jamestown, Bismarck, Dickinson, Williston, Minot, Devils Lake and Grand Forks offices. | NDDOT: How to Apply for a Learner's Permitchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Minimum age | 14 for an instruction permit; 15 for a restricted license; 16 for a full licenseUnder 18, a parent or legal guardian signs approval and financial sponsorship on the application, and can withdraw that consent at any time, which cancels the permit or license. | North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Class D (2025-2027), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Instruction permit rules | Supervisor at least 18 with three years of driving experience, in the seat beside youNo one else may sit in the front seat. Ages 14 and 15: hold the permit 12 months or until 16, whichever comes first, but at least six months (NDDOT's permit page says at least one year), complete driver education and 50 hours of supervised practice, and drive only a parent's, guardian's, grandparent's, sibling's, aunt's or uncle's vehicle. Ages 16 and 17: hold the permit six months or until 18. Permit holders may not use electronic communication devices. | North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Class D (2025-2027), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Restricted license (age 15) | No driving from sunset or 9 p.m. (whichever is later) to 5 a.m. without a parent, guardian or someone 18 or olderTrips straight to or from work, an official school event or a religious activity are exempt. A 15-year-old may drive only family vehicles as listed above. The license becomes unrestricted at 16. Drivers under 18 may not use electronic communication devices, and NDDOT's driver license FAQ adds that a driver under 18 who reaches six points or commits an alcohol- or drug-related driving offense has the permit or license cancelled. | North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Class D (2025-2027), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Fees | Permit or license $15; written test $5; road test $5A duplicate license or permit is $8 ($3 for a name or address change only). The online knowledge test costs $10 per attempt. | NDDOT: Driver License Requirementschecked 2026-11-01 |
| What to bring | Proof of identity and legal presence, proof of Social Security number, two proofs of North Dakota addressOriginals or certified copies only. Under 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign the sponsorship. For the road test under 16, bring a driver education Certificate of Training and a parent or guardian; the vehicle must be registered, insured and pass an equipment check. | North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Class D (2025-2027), PDFchecked 2026-11-01 |
| Manual edition | Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Class D, 2025-2027 (revised 2025)The manual NDDOT links as the Online Study Guide on the check date. | North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, Class D (2025-2027), 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: Your operator's licenseHow to get a North Dakota instruction permit from age 14, the knowledge test in an office or online, supervision rules, holding periods, driver education, the restricted license at 15, electronic device rules for young drivers, fees and renewals.
- Chapter 2: SignsNorth Dakota regulatory, warning, school, construction and guide signs: STOP, YIELD, DO NOT ENTER, WRONG WAY, no-passing signs, two-way left turn signs, the railroad advance warning sign, slow-moving vehicles, channelizing devices, flaggers and work zone fines.
- Chapter 3: Signals, markings and railroad crossingsNorth Dakota traffic lights, flashing signals and left-turn signals, turning on red, dark signals, center lines, two-way left turn lanes, stop lines and crosswalks, and railroad crossing rules, including what to do if you are stuck on the tracks.
- Chapter 4: Right-of-way and speed limitsNorth Dakota right-of-way rules at uncontrolled and T-intersections, four-way stops, left turns, pedestrians and blind pedestrians, driveways, emergency vehicles and crash scenes, school buses, U-turns, and the state's speed limits.
- Chapter 5: Passing, turning and Interstate drivingWhen to pass and never pass in North Dakota, lane changes, the three-second rule and stopping distance, how to make right and left turns between one-way and two-way roads, roundabouts, Interstate driving, interchanges and ramps.
- Chapter 6: Night driving, parking and other rulesNorth Dakota headlight and dimming rules, parallel parking within one foot of the curb, hill parking, no-parking distances, emergency parking lights, towing equipment, coasting, backing, littering, crash reports and liability insurance.
- Chapter 7: Driving skills and emergenciesNorth Dakota winter driving, studded tire dates, braking on ice and with ABS, staying with a stranded vehicle, snowplows, skid recovery for rear-, front- and four-wheel drive, rain, flooding, blowouts, running off the road, equipment failure, distracted driving and fatigue.
- Chapter 8: Sharing the roadLarge trucks and their no-zones, stopping distances and wide turns, the North Dakota move over law for stranded vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and the three-foot rule, pedestrians, motorized bicycles, off-highway vehicles and snowmobiles.
- Chapter 9: Seat belts and child safetyNorth Dakota's seat belt law for every seat, wearing belts correctly, the child passenger safety law for children under 8 and ages 8 to 17, air bags, back-seat and booster seat guidance, and preventing heatstroke in vehicles.
- Chapter 10: Drinking, drugs and driving, and the point systemHow alcohol affects North Dakota drivers, alcohol concentration, implied consent and refusal, the 0.08 and 0.02 limits, license suspensions, court penalties and the 24/7 Sobriety Program, the open container law, drugs, and the 12-point system.