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Florida permit test: how the Class E Knowledge Exam works

Facts checked on flhsmv.gov, Handbook edition: August 2023

To get a learner's license in Florida, you pass the Class E Knowledge Exam: 50 multiple-choice questions on traffic laws, safe driving, and signs, signals and road markings.1 This is how the Florida permit test works in 2026, what to bring, what it costs and where to take it.

Road to Permit is an independent study app, not affiliated with or endorsed by FLHSMV or any government agency. The official source is the Florida Driver License Handbook on flhsmv.gov.

  • 50 questions, multiple choice1
  • 40 correct to pass (80%)2
  • 60 minutes, timed3
  • English only since Feb. 6, 20264

The Class E Knowledge Exam

The knowledge exam is the first test on the way to a Florida license. Driver license offices, tax collector offices and approved providers all use FLHSMV's testing system, which draws each exam at random from a bank of about 800 questions.3

Questions50, multiple choice, on traffic laws, safe driving, and signs, signals and road markings1
Time limit60 minutes3
Passing score40 correct answers, or 80%2
LanguageEnglish only, with no interpreter or translation, since February 6, 20264
Also requiredA vision and hearing screening, for your first license5
If you do not passTake it again. A retest costs $106,7

Under 18? You can also take the knowledge exam online with a provider FLHSMV has approved. For an online exam you need a Parent Proctoring Form, notarized or signed in front of a driver license examiner.2

Passed with a third-party provider? Your result goes to FLHSMV automatically, and every driver license office can see it.8 FLHSMV may still pick you at random for a free retest.2

English only since February 6, 2026. The knowledge exam and the driving skills test are given in English, and translation is no longer allowed.4 Read what changed and how to prepare.

The steps to a Florida driver license

A Class E license is Florida's regular license for cars and other non-commercial vehicles.9 From no license to a Class E license takes five steps:

  1. Take the course for new drivers

    Never had a license anywhere? Take the required course first: DETS if you are under 18, TLSAE if you are 18 or older.10,11

  2. Gather your documents

    Proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of your Florida address.12

  3. Pass the vision test and the knowledge exam

    Then you can get your learner's license.13 This is the test this page is about.

  4. Practice with your learner's license

    A licensed driver aged 21 or older sits next to you in the front seat. For the first 3 months you drive only in daylight, then until 10 p.m.14

  5. Pass the Driving Skills Test

    Then you get your driver license.13

Before you go: the course and your documents

If you have never held a driver license in any state or country, you finish a course before you apply.10 Which one depends on your age:

Under 18 · 6 hours

DETS

Driver Education Traffic Safety. The rule since August 1, 2025.11 Some school driver education classes count instead.15

18 or older · 4 hours

TLSAE

Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education.16,17

Take the course with a provider FLHSMV has approved; providers teach it in person or online.11,17 Already licensed in another state or country? You skip the course if you have that license with you.13

Documents to bring

  • Originals or certified copies of your identity and Social Security documents. Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.12,18
  • Proof of identity. US citizens can bring, for example, a valid US passport or a certified US birth certificate. A hospital birth certificate does not count.12
  • Your Social Security number, for example on your Social Security card or a W-2 form, in the name you want on your license.19
  • Two different documents with your Florida home address, such as a lease, or a utility bill or bank statement from the last 60 days. Printouts are fine for these.20,21,22

Not a US citizen? The documents depend on your immigration status, so use FLHSMV's checklist for your situation: immigrants, non-immigrants, Canadian citizens.18 We do not give advice on documents or status.

Fees

WhatFee
First Florida Class E license, learner's license included$48
Knowledge exam retest$10
Driving skills test retest$20
Service fee at most tax collector offices$6.25

These are the fees on FLHSMV's pages.7,23 Fees can change, so check the fee page before you go.

Under 18: the learner's license

  • You can get a learner's license from age 15.13
  • A parent or legal guardian signs your application in front of a driver license agent or a notary, unless you are married.24
  • A licensed driver aged 21 or older must always be with you when you drive.25
  • For the first 3 months you may drive only in daylight. After that, until 10 p.m.25,26

Your driver license at 16 or 17

You can get a driver license from age 16 once all of this is true:13

  • You have held your learner's license for 12 months, or you turned 18 before that.
  • You have no convictions for moving traffic violations in the 12 months after you got the learner's license.
  • A parent, legal guardian or another adult aged 21 or older certifies that you drove at least 50 hours, 10 of them at night. The form is notarized or signed in front of an examiner.27
  • You meet Florida's school attendance rules, and you pass the Driving Skills Test.

Night limits after that

At 16 you may not drive from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and at 17 not from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., unless you drive to or from work or a licensed driver aged 21 or older is with you.25 Six or more points in 12 months limit your license to “Business Purposes Only” for a year.28

Where to take the Florida knowledge test

You can take the knowledge exam in three kinds of place. Offices differ in the exams they give and in how you book: many need an appointment, and some serve only people who live in the county.29

County tax collector offices

In most counties the tax collector runs the driver license offices, and each has its own website.29

Offices by county

FLHSMV service centers

In Broward County the driver license offices are FLHSMV's own, booked through its appointment system.30

FLHSMV appointments

Approved providers

Third-party providers approved by FLHSMV give the knowledge exam, the skills test or both; for under-18s, also online.8,2

FLHSMV's list of providers
Driver license exams by county (58)

From FLHSMV's county pages, read . Each link is the county's own booking or home page. Counties with no exam office are not listed. Check hours and booking rules before you go.

After you pass

  • You get your learner's license and start practicing, with a licensed driver aged 21 or older next to you.13,14
  • Under 18, you hold it for 12 months, or until you turn 18, before the Driving Skills Test.2
  • For the road test you bring the car, with a valid registration and proof of insurance, and the examiner inspects it first.31,2
  • Pass it, hand in your learner's license at a driver license office and get your driver license.32,2

Practice for the Florida permit test

Try one of our free questions. It is in English, the language of the exam; open Show answer to check yourself.

Signs and signals
Free sample question: A five-sided (pentagon) sign indicates:

Question in English, the language of the exam

Yellow-green five-sided sign, shaped like a house, with no symbol
  1. A dead end
  2. A hospital
  3. A construction area
  4. A school zone or school crossing

Show answerHide answer

Great answerNot this timeThe answer

Answer D: A school zone or school crossing

The pentagon shape marks a school zone or school crossing. Reduced speed limits apply during posted hours, usually 20 mph.

Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition, School Zone Signs & Signals, p. 57; Speed Limits, p. 68

Take the 20-question road signs test Practice online

What the Florida handbook covers

The exam can ask about anything in the handbook. In Road to Permit each topic is one leg of the road trip from Key West to Tallahassee:

  1. Signs and signalsLeg 1 · Key West → Key Largo
  2. Pavement markingsLeg 2 · Key Largo → Miami
  3. Right of wayLeg 3 · Miami → Everglades
  4. ParkingLeg 4 · Everglades → Naples
  5. Speed and spaceLeg 5 · Naples → Sarasota
  6. Hazardous conditionsLeg 6 · Sarasota → Orlando
  7. Alcohol, drugs and penaltiesLeg 7 · Orlando → Space Coast
  8. Licensing and insuranceLeg 8 · Space Coast → St. Augustine
  9. Sharing the roadLeg 9 · St. Augustine → Jacksonville
  10. Defensive drivingLeg 10 · Jacksonville → Tallahassee

Florida permit test: questions and answers

How many questions are on the Florida permit test?

50 multiple-choice questions on traffic laws, safe driving, and signs, signals and road markings.1 You have 60 minutes.3

What score do you need to pass the Florida permit test?

40 correct answers out of 50, which is 80%.2

Is the Florida permit test only in English?

Yes, since February 6, 2026, with no interpreter or translation.4 What the English-only rule covers.

Can I take the Florida permit test online?

Only if you are under 18: then an FLHSMV-approved provider can give it online, with a Parent Proctoring Form that is notarized or signed in front of a driver license examiner.2

How old do you have to be to get a learner's license in Florida?

15. A parent or legal guardian signs your application unless you are married.13,24

Florida guides

Sources

Every fact above was read on the official page on . The handbook is the August 2023 edition.

  1. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Driver License Testing”, p. 20. flhsmv.gov
  2. Class E Knowledge Exam & Driving Skills Test, FLHSMV. Checked .
  3. Third Party Administrator Program, FLHSMV. Checked .
  4. FLHSMV Announces Driver License Exams to Be Administered in English Only, FLHSMV. Checked .
  5. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Driver License Testing”, p. 19. flhsmv.gov
  6. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Fees”, p. 15. flhsmv.gov
  7. Fees, FLHSMV. Checked .
  8. Driver License Exams, FLHSMV. Checked .
  9. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “License Classifications”, p. 4. flhsmv.gov
  10. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Traffic Law Substance Abuse Education Course”, p. 17. flhsmv.gov
  11. Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS), FLHSMV. Checked .
  12. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Requirements for Driver License and ID Cards”, p. 5. flhsmv.gov
  13. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Requirements for Class E Learner's & Driver License”, p. 8. flhsmv.gov
  14. 322.1615 Learner's driver license - 2026 Florida Statutes, Online Sunshine, Florida Legislature. Checked .
  15. Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) Course Frequently Asked Questions, FLHSMV. Checked .
  16. What is Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) and how do I find the approved listing of TLSAE course providers?, FLHSMV. Checked .
  17. Chapter 322 Section 095 - 2026 Florida Statutes, The Florida Senate. Checked .
  18. What to Bring, FLHSMV. Checked .
  19. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Requirements for Driver License and ID Cards”, p. 6. flhsmv.gov
  20. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Requirements for Driver License and ID Cards”, p. 7-8. flhsmv.gov
  21. U.S. Citizen, FLHSMV. Checked .
  22. Immigrant, FLHSMV. Checked .
  23. New Resident - Welcome to Florida!, FLHSMV. Checked .
  24. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Parental Consent for Minors”, p. 8-9. flhsmv.gov
  25. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Restrictions for Minors (Driving Curfews)”, p. 25. flhsmv.gov
  26. Licensing Requirements for Teens, Graduated Driver License Laws and Driving Curfews, FLHSMV. Checked .
  27. Required Forms for Teens, FLHSMV. Checked .
  28. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Mandatory Restriction for Minors”, p. 29. flhsmv.gov
  29. Locations, FLHSMV. Checked .
  30. Broward County locations, FLHSMV. Checked .
  31. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Driver License Testing”, p. 20-21. flhsmv.gov
  32. Florida Driver License Handbook, 2023 edition (rev. 08/2023, FLHSMV), “Driver License Testing”, p. 21. flhsmv.gov