What happens if you fail the permit test in California?
California allows three attempts per application, and the wait before a retake depends on your age. The California Driver's Handbook states that you are allowed three attempts to pass before you must reapply, and that minors must wait seven days to retake a failed knowledge test, not counting the day of the failure. California DMV publishes no mandatory wait for applicants aged 18 and over. After a third failure you reapply and pay a new application fee. If you were testing at home rather than in an office, the online route is capped tighter: the test can be attempted online twice, and customers who fail both attempts are sent to a DMV office for the third. Worth knowing before the first attempt: testing aids including the handbook and your phone are prohibited, and using one marks the test as a failure outright. Checked in September 2026.
Source: California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), the testing process; California DMV online testing pages, checked September 9, 2026.
Other questions about California
- How many questions can you miss on the California permit test?
- What to bring for the California permit test if you are under 18
- What to bring for the California permit test if you are 18 or over
- Can you take the permit test online in California?
- California supervised driving hours, and whether the log is turned in
Ready to practice for the California test?
How this works in other states
The wait, the fee and the attempt cap after a failed knowledge test, per state. Read the guide.
Written by Vikas. Checked against the source above on September 9, 2026. California DMV does not run this site and does not endorse it.