Florida, after a failed test

What happens if you fail the permit test in Florida?

In Florida you retake it, and for the knowledge exam what a failure costs you is money rather than time. FLHSMV publishes no mandatory waiting period between attempts and no cap on the number of Class E knowledge exam attempts, so there is no second-attempt or third-attempt rule to serve out. What is fixed is the fee: Florida Statutes s. 322.12(1) charges $10 for every Class E knowledge exam after a failed first one and $20 for every driving skills test after a failed first one, and a tax collector office adds a $6.25 service fee to the transaction. The driving skills test is the one with a limit: Florida Administrative Code rule 15A-1.015(3) suspends the driving privilege for one year if you fail to pass it within five attempts in a one-year period. Nothing in the published rules sends you back to driver education after a second or third failure. One thing does change after three knowledge tests through FLHSMV-approved third-party administrators: any further knowledge test must be taken at a driver license service center or tax collector office. Anyone who passes through a third party can also be picked at random for a no-fee mandatory re-test before the license is issued. Checked in September 2026.

Source: Florida Statutes s. 322.12(1); Florida Administrative Code rule 15A-1.015(3); FLHSMV Class E Knowledge Exam page and third-party administrator agreement, checked September 25, 2026.

Which FL test do you needFL

EExam simulatorFull FLHSMV format: 50 questions, 40 to pass, every answer keyed to a statute.1Warm up runA shorter 20 question run pulled from across the FL bank, for a first look before the full sitting.SSigns and lane markingsSigns, signals and lane markings on their own: 61 questions, the group that costs the most points.LState statute questionsThe 30 rules that belong to Florida alone, each carrying the statute number it was drafted against.

Every Florida test and ruleNo account needed

How soon can you sit the Florida knowledge exam again after a fail?

As soon as you can get another seat. The Class E exam page, the teen FAQ, the 2023 handbook, the third-party administrator (TPA) agreement and s. 322.12, F.S. were checked on September 25, 2026 for a cooling-off rule, and none states one. What sets the pace is where you test.

Online, no FLHSMV rule sets a gap between tests; the only published limit is the three-test cap covered below. At an office, FLHSMV's locations page, which is where its "Make an Appointment" link leads, says many offices require appointments and tells tax collector customers to use that county's own website or phone line. FLHSMV publishes no statewide wait-time figure, so local availability is the real limit.

What does a Florida retake cost, and who keeps the money?

The FLHSMV fee schedule lists "Knowledge retest" at $10.00 and "Skill retest" at $20.00, matching s. 322.12(1), F.S., which attaches those amounts to each test after a failed initial one. The first knowledge sitting is not billed as a retest. Every sitting after a fail is. The same schedule marks both retests as transactions where the $6.25 tax collector service fee may apply.

Who keeps the $10 depends on where you sit. s. 322.12(1) deposits it in the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund, except that when a tax collector gives the retest, the tax collector keeps the $10, less the general revenue service charge in s. 215.20(1). The $20 skills retest follows the same split. When a third-party administrator gives the retest, Section VI.F of the TPA Agreement makes the provider pay FLHSMV the re-exam fee, with funds available within 24 hours. What the provider charges you on top is its own price; FLHSMV publishes no cap on it.

Florida figures that apply after a fail

Knowledge retest after the initial fail10 USD

s. 322.12(1), F.S.; FLHSMV fees page

Skills retest after the initial fail20 USD

s. 322.12(1), F.S.; FLHSMV fees page

Tax collector service fee on the transaction6.25 USD

FLHSMV teen FAQ and fees page

Original Class E credential, includes learner's license48 USD

FLHSMV fees page. Paid at issuance, not at a fail.

s. 322.12(1) and the FLHSMV fees page for $10, $20 and $48. Teen FAQ and fees page for the $6.25 office fee. Third-party provider charges are not published. Checked September 25, 2026.

What changes after three tests with a third-party administrator?

Your fourth test moves to an office. Under Section IV.D.4 of the TPA Agreement, an applicant gets three knowledge tests in total through a third-party administrator, and the next one has to be at a driver license service center or tax collector office. The clause counts tests with a third-party administrator without splitting online from classroom sittings. Nothing in it bars attempt four. It only changes where that attempt happens.

The Florida path after a failed Class E Knowledge Exam

1
Read the score as 40 of 50
A fail means 39 or fewer correct, and online, unread questions count as incorrect (TPA Agreement, Section IV.G.8). At a third-party administrator every sitting is a unique randomly generated exam (Section IV.D), so the next one is not a replay of the last 50.
2
Budget the $10 before you book
s. 322.12(1) charges $10 for each knowledge test after the initial fail. At a tax collector office, the teen FAQ adds the $6.25 service fee.
3
Count your third-party sittings
Three third-party knowledge tests is the limit in Section IV.D.4. Test four is at a service center or tax collector office.
4
Keep the rest of the learner's license file intact
No published rule makes a failed exam cancel a finished Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course. s. 322.1615(1) still requires the course plus vision and hearing, and s. 322.09 still requires a parent or guardian to sign for an unmarried applicant under 18.
5
Passing is not issuance
After a DELAP or third-party pass, the result reaches FLHSMV electronically, and the teen FAQ says you do not need to bring test scores. You still visit an office with identity documents and, for an online pass, the Parent Proctoring Form (HSMV 71144), notarized or signed in front of an examiner.

What if you pass through a third party and then fail a random re-test?

No license is issued, and your next attempt is billed. The Class E exam page, citing s. 322.56(3)(b) and (e), F.S., says a customer who passes through an authorized third-party administrator may be picked for a no-fee mandatory re-test without prior notice. Pass it at a driver license or tax collector office and the license is issued. Fail it and your next attempt carries a re-exam fee, which for the knowledge exam is the $10 retest fee.

Every third-party applicant is told this before the exam: Section IV.E of the TPA Agreement makes the provider show a fixed notice that anyone may be selected for re-examination at an office before a license is issued, and that failing it means passing the knowledge exam before issuance. The same section lets FLHSMV require a retest of any applicant regardless of the electronic results. DELAP passes are in the pool too; the DELAP FAQ calls that quality assurance. FLHSMV publishes no selection rate and no pass rate.

Fees and locations from first fail through a random re-test

Initial knowledge sitting
Not a retest under s. 322.12(1)
Online (under 18), classroom, DELAP or an office. Fail this one and every later knowledge sitting carries the $10 retest fee.
Knowledge sittings 2 and 3 through a TPA
$10 re-exam fee each, which the provider pays to FLHSMV
No published wait. After the third third-party test you must test at a service center or tax collector office.
Sitting 4 and after, at an office
$10 each, plus $6.25 at a tax collector
Same 50 questions, same 40-correct mark. Still no published cap or cooling-off days.
Random re-test after a TPA or DELAP pass
No fee for that sitting
Drawn without prior notice. Pass, and the license can be issued. Fail, and the next attempt collects the re-exam fee.

s. 322.12(1), s. 322.56(3), TPA Agreement Sections IV.D.4, IV.E and VI.F, Class E exam page, DELAP FAQ and teen FAQ. Checked September 25, 2026.

Worked example

Luis Mora, 17, Monticello, September 2 to 9, 2026

1Wednesday, September 2: Luis, 17, takes the Class E Knowledge Exam online with an approved third-party provider. His mother gives her Florida driver license number and certifies he will be monitored before it starts. He scores 36 of 50. Fail. From here on, s. 322.12(1) attaches $10 to every knowledge test he takes.
2Thursday, September 3: second online test, 39 of 50, fail. Saturday, September 5: third online test, 38 of 50, fail. That is three third-party tests, so Section IV.D.4 sends test four to an office.
3Wednesday, September 9: a county tax collector office that gives the knowledge exam. He passes vision and hearing, pays the $10 knowledge retest fee and scores 41 of 50. His mother signs the Parental Consent Form (HSMV 71142) in front of the examiner, and he shows his DETS course completion and identity documents.

Outcome. The office issues his learner's license for the $48 original Class E fee. His pass came at the office, not through a third party, so the random re-test rule never comes into play. State retest fees: $10 each for tests 2, 3 and 4, which is $30. For tests 2 and 3 the provider owed that fee to FLHSMV under Section VI.F, and whatever it charged Luis is its own price. The teen FAQ says the $6.25 service fee applies to all driver license transactions completed in a tax collector office, and s. 322.135(1)(c)1. bars charging it more than once per customer in a single visit, so the September 9 counter total is $10 plus $48 plus one $6.25, or $64.25.

The Jefferson County Tax Collector office on West Walnut Street in Monticello, FloridaPhoto: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Does a fail send you back to driver education?

No published Florida rule says so. s. 322.1615(1)(c), F.S., as amended by ch. 2025-104 (effective July 1, 2025), requires a learner's license applicant to finish a driver education course the department has approved, one at or above the Department of Education Driver Education/Traffic Safety-Classroom 1900300 description. That is a condition of issuance, not a penalty for a 39 of 50. The Class E exam page, the teen FAQ and s. 322.12 contain no rule about retaking the course after a fail. The exam page's only post-fail instruction is about the driving skills test: study or practice before returning. Both FLHSMV pages still describe the older Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course; for the learner's license, the statute now names the driver education course.

Cheating means a retake, and online it can cost a year

s. 322.12(3)(b), F.S. requires an applicant who cheated on, or otherwise circumvented, any part of the examination to retake it, and names no lockout or extra fee for that. Online the stakes are higher. Section IV.G.4 of the TPA Agreement has each provider tell the teen and the parent up front that lying about how the exam was taken is fraud, and that the penalty can be a license canceled for one year.

After you finally pass, what still has to happen before you hold the card?

A pass does not issue the learner's license. You still take vision and hearing, which the teen licensing page says is done at a service center (s. 322.12(3)(a)1. and 2.), and still show the driver education course. If you are under 18 and unmarried, a parent or guardian signs your application under s. 322.09, F.S., using the Parental Consent Form (HSMV 71142); step-parents may not sign unless they have legally adopted the child. If the passing test was online, bring the Parent Proctoring Form, notarized or signed in front of an examiner. The original Class E credential, including the learner's license, is $48, with the $6.25 service fee on top at a tax collector office.

After a Florida knowledge-exam fail, before the next sitting

Confirm it was a knowledge fail, not a skills fail
Knowledge retest $10. Skills retest $20. s. 322.12(1).
Count third-party attempts
Three third-party knowledge tests is the limit in Section IV.D.4. Test four is at an office.
Bring funds for $10, and $6.25 if you are at a tax collector
The teen FAQ names both. No published waiver of the $10.
Book ahead if you are moving to an office
FLHSMV's locations page says many offices require appointments.
Line up your parent if you will test online again
A valid Florida driver license number and a monitoring certification before each online exam (Sections IV.G.5 and IV.G.6), then HSMV 71144 after a pass. Under 18 only.
Plan for a possible no-fee re-test at the counter after a third-party pass
Drawn at random without notice. Fail it and the next attempt collects the re-exam fee.

s. 322.12(1), teen FAQ, FLHSMV locations page, TPA Agreement Sections IV.D.4 and IV.G, and the Class E exam page.

More questions about this in Florida

Is the first Florida skills test free if you already hold a learner's license?

s. 322.12(2), F.S. says a person who holds a learner's driver license is not required to pay a fee for successfully completing the examination showing the ability to operate a motor vehicle, and need not pay the replacement-license fee in s. 322.17(2). That covers the upgrade test, not a failed knowledge exam. A failed skills test still brings the $20 fee in s. 322.12(1) for each later attempt, and the teen FAQ prices a skills retest at $20. Unlike the knowledge exam, the skills test also has an attempt limit: Florida Administrative Code rule 15A-1.015(3) suspends the driving privilege for one year if you fail to pass the driving test within five attempts in a one-year period.

Do you have to retake vision and hearing every time you fail the 50 questions?

FLHSMV has not published a rule that ties vision and hearing to each knowledge sitting. s. 322.12(3)(a) requires those tests as part of the Class E examination, and the teen licensing page says vision and hearing are conducted in a service center. No published page says a knowledge fail at a third-party site forces a new eye test. You will still have to pass vision and hearing before the learner's license is issued.

If you fail the random re-test, is the earlier third-party pass erased?

FLHSMV's published answer is practical, not archival. The Class E exam page says a failed mandatory re-test will require a re-exam fee at the next exam attempt, and the notice in Section IV.E of the TPA Agreement says failing the random re-exam means passing the knowledge exam before a license is issued. So the office will not issue the card on a failed re-test. FLHSMV does not publish whether the original third-party pass stays on the electronic record.

Can an 18-year-old fail online and then retake online?

No, because the online route closes at 18. Section IV.G.2 of the TPA Agreement, citing s. 322.56(8)(a), F.S., lets approved providers give the Class E Knowledge Exam online only to applicants less than 18 years of age. At 18 or over you test in person, including after a fail, and the $10 subsequent-test fee in s. 322.12(1) still applies. Losing the online option is an age rule, not a fail penalty.

Does Florida publish how often people fail the Class E Knowledge Exam?

No. FLHSMV's Driver and Vehicle Reports page lists licensed-driver counts by age, sex and county, motorcycle endorsements by county, and insured-motorist, vehicle and vessel reports. None is an exam-results dataset, and neither the Class E exam page nor the teen FAQ gives a pass rate. Any percentage you see for Florida permit-test fails is not an FLHSMV figure. A public records request to FLHSMV would be the route to that number.

If a parent will not come to the retake, can you still test?

At an office, FLHSMV publishes no rule that a parent must be in the room for the exam itself. For issuance, s. 322.09(1)(a), F.S. requires the application of an applicant under 18 to be signed and verified by a parent or guardian, with another responsible adult allowed only if the applicant has no parent or guardian, and the Parental Consent Form can be signed before a notary instead of at the counter. An online retake is different: before it starts, the parent or guardian must give a valid Florida driver license number and certify that the applicant will be watched throughout and given no help (TPA Agreement, Sections IV.G.5 and IV.G.6).

Sources

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Written by Vikas. Checked against the source above on September 25, 2026. FLHSMV does not run this site and does not endorse it.