How many questions can you miss on the Texas permit test?
No exact number can be given, and any site that gives you one is not citing TxDPS. What Texas publishes is the threshold: the Texas Driver Handbook DL-7, revised January 2026, requires a grade of 70 percent or better to pass any knowledge exam, and the same 70 percent is set by rule in 37 Texas Administrative Code s. 15.52. So you may miss up to 30 percent of the questions. What TxDPS does not publish anywhere is how many questions the Class C knowledge exam contains: not in the 91 page DL-7, not on the apply page, not on the testing in other languages page, not in the driver license FAQ and not in the Administrative Code. The 30 question figure in wide circulation is not a DPS count either: the only official 30 is the minimum length that 16 Texas Administrative Code s. 84.503 sets for the final exam of an online adult driver education course. So no miss count for the DPS exam can be derived from an official source. Checked in September 2026.
Source: Texas Driver Handbook DL-7 (rev. January 2026); 37 TAC s. 15.52; 16 TAC s. 84.503, checked September 25, 2026.
What does a 70 percent pass mark let you miss?
Thirty percent of whatever the sitting contains, rounded down. 37 Texas Administrative Code s. 15.52 sets the line at 70 percent correct or better on each test, and the Texas Driver Handbook DL-7 (revised January 2026) applies 70 percent to every knowledge exam. Any result under 70 fails. When 30 percent of the length is not a whole number, you get the whole number below it, because rounding up would take you under 70.
Getting from that percentage to a number of wrong answers needs the exam length, and TxDPS does not print it. The rule for exams given by driver education schools, 37 TAC s. 15.64, is no help either: it sets the same 70 percent on each exam and gives no length. Until DPS publishes a count, any whole-number miss figure is somebody's guess.
Is the Class C exam one score, or several parts that each need 70 percent?
Only the school version is spelled out as separate parts. Transportation Code s. 521.161(b)(1) lists what the exam must cover: vision, highway signs in English that regulate, warn or direct traffic, Texas traffic laws, motorists' rights and responsibilities toward bicyclists, and the effect of wireless devices and other distractions on driving.
When a driver education school or a parent-taught course provider gives the exam, 37 TAC s. 15.64 names two exams, Class C Road Signs and Class C Road Rules, and requires at least 70 percent on each. The provider gets the exams from DPS or TDLR, may not test anyone before their 15th birthday, and records the results on the Texas Driver Education Certificate. For a sitting at a DPS office, s. 15.52 says 70 percent on each test, but DPS does not publish whether the office exam is graded as one test or two.
The six-hour adult course has its own gates. In the classroom version, 16 TAC s. 84.502 withholds the completion certificate until the student has at least 70 percent on both the highway signs exam and the traffic laws exam, and TDLR Form DES014N (September 2021) sets the same two conditions for the online version. For the online course, 16 TAC s. 84.503 requires a final of at least 30 questions on signs and laws, drawn equally from two separate banks, and a retest with different questions whenever a student misses more than 30 percent; three failed finals fail the course. Transportation Code s. 521.167 then excuses a graduate of that course from the DPS sign and law parts once a licensed driver education instructor has found them passed. That 30 is a floor for the course final, not a count for the DPS exam, which no document here gives.
| Sitting | Pass mark Texas publishes | Item count Texas publishes |
|---|---|---|
| DPS Class C knowledge exam at an office | 70 percent or better on each test (37 TAC s. 15.52; DL-7) | Not published |
| Class C Road Signs exam at a school or parent-taught provider | At least 70 percent (37 TAC s. 15.64) | Not published |
| Class C Road Rules exam at a school or parent-taught provider | At least 70 percent (37 TAC s. 15.64) | Not published |
| Six-hour adult course signs and laws exams | 70 percent on each (16 TAC s. 84.502; TDLR Form DES014N) | Online course final: at least 30 questions, no exact length (16 TAC s. 84.503) |
| Each CDL knowledge exam section | 80 percent or higher (Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Handbook DL-7C, rev. March 2026) | Not published |
CDL is a different license class with a higher percentage. It is here only to show that Texas prints a percentage without printing a length.
What topics does Texas actually put on the knowledge exam?
The statute's list, minus vision, which is checked separately at the office (DL-7, Part 2). That leaves highway signs in English, Texas traffic laws, duties toward bicyclists, and wireless devices and other distractions. DPS does not publish how many items fall under each subject.
Transportation Code s. 521.162 keeps the text of highway signs in English on the Spanish alternate exam. Reading the English legend is part of what is tested.
Section 521.162 requires DPS to offer a Spanish alternate exam in every county for applicants who cannot take the English one. It must match the regular exam, with directions and written material in Spanish and sign text left in English. DPS's Testing in Other Languages page offers the knowledge test in English or Spanish only. A translator you bring may help you talk with the specialist before and after the test, not during it.
Section 521.161(c) gives you the option of taking the sign, law, bicyclist and distraction parts in writing instead of, or as well as, on a machine. If you take both versions, passing either one passes that part, and DPS has to tell you about this option. Ask before you start rather than after a fail.
If you sit the exam at a driver education school, is the miss rule different?
No. The line stays at 70 percent, set for schools by 37 TAC s. 15.64 instead of s. 15.52. Under Transportation Code s. 521.1655(a), a licensed in-person or online provider may give the vision, highway sign and traffic law parts. A parent-taught provider may give only the sign and law parts (s. 521.1655(a-1)), and s. 15.64 sends parent-taught students to a DPS office for vision. A pass at the school counts for those parts under s. 521.1655(b).
If your course did not give the exam, the DPS learner license page and TDLR's parent-taught page both send you to a driver license office to take it. Neither agency gives the school exam's length, so testing at a school does not produce a miss count either.
DPS and TDLR both print 70 percent, and neither prints the Class C length. A whole-number miss total built on a rumored item count is not a figure either agency publishes. If you are shown a percentage, compare it with 70. If you are told only pass or fail, that is the official result.
What if the result you are given is a percentage, or only pass or fail?
Measure any percentage against 70: 68 fails s. 15.52, while 70 and 74 both pass. A pass or fail with no score is the complete official result. DPS publishes no rule that ends the exam once a pass is out of reach and none on how unanswered items are scored, so answer every item.
Elena, 16, Round Rock, March 2026
- 1Elena finishes the classroom part of a parent-taught course and receives her DE-964 certificate. TDLR's parent-taught page makes her eligible for the written exam from age 15 once she holds it. Her course did not give the exam, so she takes it at DPS.
- 2On March 11, 2026 she pays the $16 under-18 learner license fee (DPS fees page) at the Pflugerville office, passes vision and sits the Class C knowledge exam. A learner license needs no driving test (DL-7). The result she is shown is 68 percent. DPS does not publish how results are displayed, so this is the case where a percentage appears.
- 368 is under the 70 percent line in 37 TAC s. 15.52, so the sitting fails. She asks how many she got wrong. With no published Class C length, 68 percent cannot be turned into a count.
- 4Transportation Code s. 521.161(d) gives her three examinations of each element on that application, so March 11 used knowledge attempt 1 of 3. DL-7 holds her application for 90 days after a failed first attempt.
- 5On March 25, 2026, 14 days later and well inside the 90, she sits again, is shown 74 percent and passes. The fees page lists no separate charge for a knowledge retake.
Outcome. Elena passed on attempt 2 of 3 for one $16 fee. Her official result is a percentage measured against 70, not a number of misses.
Does a higher CDL percentage change anything for a car permit?
No. DL-7C, revised March 2026, sets 80 percent for each commercial knowledge section and, like DL-7, gives no item count. Class C stays at 70 percent. DPS also publishes no knowledge-exam pass rate: its monthly High Value Data Sets count non-CDL skills tests passed and failed, not knowledge exams.
What does TxDPS not publish on this?
The Class C question count is not available from DPS. Until DPS publishes one, or a public information request produces one, this page states the percentage and refuses to state a count.
More questions about this in Texas
Does Texas stop the Class C exam once you have already missed too many?
DPS does not publish a stop rule either way. The Texas Driver Handbook DL-7, the Apply for a Texas Driver License page, Testing in Other Languages, the Driver License Division FAQ and 37 TAC s. 15.52 were all checked, and none says whether a sitting ends once 70 percent is out of reach. DPS has not published how unanswered items are scored either, so answer every item and treat the result you are given as final.
If I take the six-hour adult course, do I still sit the knowledge exam at DPS?
Usually not. Transportation Code s. 521.167 excuses a graduate of a TDLR-approved adult course from the highway sign and traffic law parts once a licensed driver education instructor has found them passed, and 16 TAC s. 84.502 and TDLR Form DES014N make 70 percent on both course exams a condition of the completion certificate. DL-7 likewise says that finishing certain courses removes the Class C written exam at the office. For the online course, 16 TAC s. 84.503 sets a floor of 30 questions on signs and laws for the final, but neither TDLR nor DPS publishes an exact length for the course exams.
Can I take the Texas knowledge exam in writing instead of on a screen?
Yes. Transportation Code s. 521.161(c) requires DPS to offer the highway sign, traffic law, bicyclist and distraction parts in writing, instead of or in addition to a mechanical or electronic version. If you take both, passing either one passes that part, and DPS must tell you about the option. The 70 percent line in 37 TAC s. 15.52 applies to whichever version is scored.
Does the 70 percent rule apply if I sit the exam in Spanish?
Yes. Transportation Code s. 521.162 makes the Spanish alternate identical to the regular exam except that directions and written material, other than highway sign text, are in Spanish. DPS's Testing in Other Languages page offers the non-commercial knowledge test in English or Spanish only, and 37 TAC s. 15.52 still requires 70 percent on each test. The same rule says literacy is not itself a license condition, but understanding highway signs in English is required.
Is Class M scored on a different miss allowance than Class C?
No. DL-7 lists the Class M motorcycle exam as one of three knowledge exams and applies 70 percent to all of them, again with no item count. Most applicants never sit it: Transportation Code s. 521.148 requires every original Class M applicant without a valid out-of-state motorcycle license to complete an approved motorcycle operator training course, and DL-7 says presenting proof of that course waives the Class M knowledge exam.
Sources
- Texas Driver Handbook DL-7 (rev. January 2026); 37 TAC s. 15.52; 16 TAC s. 84.503
- 37 Texas Administrative Code s. 15.52, Knowledge Examination (Texas Secretary of State)
- 37 Texas Administrative Code s. 15.64, Examinations Administered by Other Entities (Texas Secretary of State)
- Texas Transportation Code s. 521.161, Examination of License Applicants
- Texas Transportation Code s. 521.162, Alternate Examination in Spanish
- Texas Transportation Code s. 521.1655, Testing by Driver Education School and Certain Driver Education Course Providers
- Texas Transportation Code s. 521.167, Waiver of Certain Education and Examination Requirements
- Texas Transportation Code s. 521.148, Application for Class M License or Authorization to Operate Motorcycle
- TxDPS, Apply for a Texas Driver License
- TxDPS, Texas Learners License as a Teen
- TxDPS, Testing in Other Languages
- TxDPS, Driver License Division: Frequently Asked Questions
- TxDPS, Driver License Fees
- TDLR, Getting the Learner License (parent-taught driver education)
- TDLR Form DES014N, Driver Education Online Course for Adults (6-Hour) Application, September 2021
- 16 Texas Administrative Code s. 84.502, In-Person Driver Education Course Exclusively for Adults (Texas Secretary of State)
- 16 Texas Administrative Code s. 84.503, Online Driver Education Course Exclusively for Adults (Texas Secretary of State)
- Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Handbook DL-7C, revised March 2026
- TxDPS, Driver License Division High Value Data Sets
Other questions about Texas
- What happens if you fail the permit test in Texas?
- What to bring for the Texas learner license test if you are under 18
- What to bring for the Texas license test if you are 18 or over
- Can you take the permit test online in Texas?
- Moving to Texas: do you have to retake the written test?
- Texas supervised driving hours, and whether the log is turned in
Ready to practice for the Texas test?
Written by Vikas. Checked against the source above on September 25, 2026. TxDPS does not run this site and does not endorse it.