The vision, knowledge and skills tests

Key points

1. You must be 15 or older to take the knowledge and skills tests.

   Source: Handbook p. 32

   “Applicants must be 15 years of age or older to take the knowledge and skills tests.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 32

2. You need 20/40 vision in at least one eye, with or without corrective lenses.

   Source: Handbook p. 32

   “you must meet a minimum standard of 20/40 vision in at least one eye, with or without corrective lenses.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 32

3. The knowledge test has 40 questions, and you can miss up to 6.

   Source: Handbook p. 32

   “The knowledge test consists of 40 questions; you can miss up to six (6) questions before failing the test.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 32

4. After failing a knowledge test, you must wait 3 days and pay the fee again.

   Source: Handbook p. 32

   “IF YOU FAIL A KNOWLEDGE TEST, YOU MUST WAIT THREE (3) DAYS TO RETEST. YOU WILL ALSO BE REQUIRED TO PAY THE KNOWLEDGE TEST FEE AGAIN.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 32

5. On the skills test, twelve or fewer errors is a passing score, and a failed skills test also means a 3 day wait.

   Source: Handbook p. 33

   “Twelve or fewer errors is a passing score. IF YOU FAIL A SKILLS TEST, YOU MUST WAIT THREE (3) DAYS TO RETEST.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 33

6. Skills tests are scheduled only in daylight and in acceptable weather.

   Source: Handbook p. 33

   “Skills tests may only be scheduled during daylight hours and during acceptable weather conditions.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 33

7. A critical driving error is an automatic fail, and the test ends immediately.

   Source: Handbook p. 37

   “If a CDE occurs, the error constitutes an automatic FAIL and the skills test ends immediately.”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 37

8. Passengers are not allowed during the skills test, except for a few listed categories.

   Source: Handbook p. 35

   “Passengers are not allowed during the skills test. Exceptions may be made for the following categories of passengers”
   Idaho Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 35

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Idaho practice test

1. 1. How many questions are on Idaho's Class D non-commercial knowledge test?

   1. 60 questions
   2. 25 questions
   3. 50 questions
   4. 40 questions
   Show answer

   40 questions. Idaho's Class D knowledge test consists of 40 questions, and the handbook says an applicant may miss up to six before failing. The 25-question choice may sound like a short permit quiz, but it is not the stated Class D test length. Prepare from the handbook's rules rather than relying on a third-party practice test, because the department warns that web-based tests are not generally accurate representations of the Idaho exam.

2. 2. How long must an Idaho applicant wait after failing a Class D knowledge test?

   1. Three days
   2. One day
   3. Five days
   4. Thirty days
   Show answer

   Three days. A failed Class D knowledge test creates a three-day waiting period before retesting. The applicant must also pay the knowledge test fee again. The handbook does not use a one-day, five-day, or month-long delay for this retest rule. The waiting period is a scheduling requirement, while repayment is a separate financial consequence. Mark both items after a failure so the next appointment is not arranged too soon and the applicant arrives prepared to pay the repeated fee.

3. 3. How many errors can an Idaho Class D skills-test applicant make and still pass?

   1. Fifteen or fewer
   2. Six or fewer
   3. Ten or fewer
   4. Twelve or fewer
   Show answer

   Twelve or fewer. The Class D skills test is passing at twelve or fewer errors. This is different from the knowledge test, where the handbook discusses the number of questions that may be missed. A six-error figure belongs to that written-test context, not the driving score. The result also depends on avoiding a critical driving error, which ends the test with an automatic failure. Treat twelve as the maximum ordinary error count and continue to follow every sign, signal, and examiner instruction.

Source: the Idaho Driver's Handbook, One Driver, One License, One Record. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.