Getting a license and taking the tests

Key points

1. New residents with a valid license from elsewhere must get a Tennessee license if they live here more than 30 days or work here.

   Source: Handbook p. 2

   “must apply for a Tennessee driver license (or TDL) if they: • live in Tennessee longer than 30 days OR • are working in Tennessee OR”
   Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 2

2. Drivers of regular passenger vehicles, pickup trucks or vans need a Class D license.

   Source: Handbook p. 2

   “Driver license applicants who will be operators of regular passenger vehicles, pick-up trucks, or vans need a Class D license.”
   Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 2

3. A Class H hardship license may go to a minor who is 14, only in cases of family hardship.

   Source: Handbook p. 3

   “A hardship license (Class H) may be issued to a minor who is 14 years old to operate either a Class D passenger vehicle or Class M motorcycle or both. This license is only issued in cases of family hardship and are limited to specific needs.”
   Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 3

4. You need at least 20/40 vision in each eye and in both eyes together, with or without glasses.

   Source: Handbook p. 21

   “An applicant is required to have at least 20/40 vision in each eye individually and both eyes together. This may be with or without your glasses or contact lenses.”
   Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 21

5. The knowledge test is about 25% each on signs and signals, safe driving, rules of the road, and drugs and alcohol.

   Source: Handbook p. 21

   “Traffic signs and signals 25% Safe driving principles 25% Rules of the road 25% Drugs and alcohol 25%”
   Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 21

6. After failing the knowledge test you must wait at least 1 day, and no test may be repeated the same day.

   Source: Handbook p. 21

   “No test may be repeated on the same day. Mandatory 1-day waiting period is required after failing the knowledge test.”
   Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 21

7. You pay the $2 application fee each time you take a test and fail.

   Source: Handbook p. 21

   “You will be required to pay the $2 application fee each time you take a test and fail.”
   Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 21

8. Cheating is an automatic failure, and you may not retake the test for 30 days.

   Source: Handbook p. 21

   “Any form of cheating by an applicant on a required examination will result in an automatic failure and the applicant will not be allowed to re-attempt the test for 30 days.”
   Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 21

9. Road tests are not given in extreme weather, or in the dark during winter months.

   Source: Handbook p. 21

   “Road tests are not given in extreme weather (heavy rain/ snow, dense fog, hail, high winds, icy roads, etc.) During winter months road tests are not given in the dark.”
   Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 21

10. You fail the road test immediately for any traffic violation, refusing directions, a dangerous action or contributing to an accident.

    Source: Handbook p. 23

    “The applicant will be failed immediately for any of the following: • Violation of any traffic law • Lack of cooperation or refusal to follow directions • Any dangerous action • Contributing to an accident”
    Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Handbook p. 23

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Tennessee practice test

1. 1. At what age may Tennessee issue a Class H hardship license to a minor?

   1. 15 years old
   2. 16 years old
   3. 14 years old
   4. 17 years old
   Show answer

   14 years old. The hardship license is Tennessee's narrow exception to the normal age ladder. A minor who is 14 and can show a genuine hardship, usually a family need for transportation that no one else can meet, may be issued a Class H license to drive a passenger vehicle, a motorcycle or both. Fifteen is the learner permit age, sixteen is the age for the intermediate restricted license, and seventeen is when the intermediate unrestricted stage begins. If the hardship license is granted less than six months before the sixteenth birthday, the teen must still renew a learner permit when it expires.

2. 2. What is the minimum time an applicant must wait after failing a Tennessee knowledge test?

   1. Thirty days after the first failure
   2. One hour before returning to the same center
   3. Seven days for every failed knowledge test
   4. One day before attempting the knowledge test again
   Show answer

   One day before attempting the knowledge test again. A failed knowledge test triggers a mandatory one-day waiting period before the applicant may return and try again. The rule is not an hourly pause, a seven-day requirement for every failure, or an automatic thirty-day delay. Use the waiting day to review Sections B and C and correct the topics that caused difficulty. The same waiting period applies between later retesting attempts when the applicant still has not passed.

3. 3. When may a Tennessee road test not be administered?

   1. Only on Saturdays and Sundays
   2. Only when the applicant is under 18
   3. During extreme weather or after dark in winter months
   4. Whenever the applicant uses a family vehicle
   Show answer

   During extreme weather or after dark in winter months. Road tests are not administered during extreme weather, including heavy rain or snow, and they are not given after dark during winter months. The rule is based on testing conditions, not the applicant’s age or the vehicle’s ownership. Weekend-only and family-vehicle restrictions invent limits absent from the manual. Before scheduling, think about whether visibility, pavement, and daylight allow a fair skills evaluation. Weather and seasonal darkness are the two cues that identify this exception.

Source: the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, Section A-1 and A-4: Your License and The Examinations. 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.