Florida Permit Test 2026: What's on It and How to Pass

How many questions are on the Florida permit test, and what score do you need?

The Florida permit test, officially the Class E knowledge exam, has 50 multiple-choice questions, and you need 40 correct answers (80%) to pass. Since February 6, 2026, it is given in English only, and first-time applicants under 18 must finish a 6-hour driver education course before they apply. As a driving school in Kissimmee, we offer the state-required online driver education courses from American Safety Institute along with behind-the-wheel lessons.

The questions test three things: Florida traffic laws, safe driving practices and your ability to identify traffic controls such as signs and signals.

At the office, before the learner's license is issued, you also pass a vision and hearing screening. Vision of 20/40 or better in each eye meets the standard without a referral, and you need a field of vision of at least 130 degrees.

What topics does the Class E knowledge exam cover?

The official Florida driver handbook lists the subjects the exam draws from. Grouped the way most students study them:

• Rules of the road: speed limits, yielding the right-of-way, turns, signaling and lane controls.
• Signs and signals: traffic controls, including what sign colors and shapes mean.
• Safe driving: vehicle control, headlight use and maintaining attention.
• Legal topics: licensing, insurance, seat belt laws, parking restrictions and vehicle restrictions.

Study from the handbook itself rather than from memorized answer lists. The Florida DMV still publishes it in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole, plus a study guide that shows where each answer is located. You will find the download links on our Florida driver handbook page.

What course do you need before the permit test: DETS or TLSAE?

It depends on your age on the day you apply.

• Under 18: Since August 1, 2025, anyone under 18 who has never held a license must complete the 6-hour Driver Education Traffic Safety (DETS) course before applying. It can be taken online or in person, it ends with a 40-question final exam, and completion is reported to the state electronically.
• 18 and older: First-time applicants who have never been licensed anywhere take the 4-hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course, often sold as the first-time driver or drug and alcohol course.

A few teens do not need DETS: those with a valid out-of-state license and those who got a Florida learner's license before August 1, 2025. Approved school courses (DELAP, or Florida Department of Education Traffic Safety 1900300 and 1900310) can take its place. Teens who finished TLSAE before August 1, 2025 had one year to use it, so that window has closed.

Both courses are available online from American Safety Institute, which appears on the Florida DMV's approved provider lists for DETS and TLSAE. The official rules are on the Florida DMV's DETS course page.

Can you take the Florida permit test online?

Only if you are under 18. Teens can take the knowledge exam at home through a state-approved third-party provider, and American Safety Institute is on the Florida DMV's list of online exam providers. We offer it as our online Florida permit test for teens.

A parent, guardian or responsible adult takes part twice:

1. Before the exam, they give the provider their driver license number and certify that they will monitor the test.
2. Before the learner's license is issued, they certify it again on the Parent/Guardian On-line Test Proctoring Form (HSMV 71144), signed in front of a driver license examiner or notarized.

Results reach the state electronically, so there is no paper certificate. At the office, the teen still brings proof of identity, Social Security number and residential address, plus the Parental Consent Form (HSMV 71142), and passes the vision and hearing test. The office may also pick an online tester at random for a no-fee retest.

Applicants 18 and older test in person at a driver license office or with an in-person provider. In Osceola County, the written test is given at the Main Office (appointment or walk-in) and the Campbell City office (appointment only), from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The BVL and St. Cloud branches do not give written or road tests.

Can you take the Florida permit test in Spanish in 2026?

No. Since February 6, 2026, all Florida driver license knowledge and skills exams, for every license class and including oral exams, are given in English only. Translation services are no longer permitted, and printed exams in other languages were removed. The Florida DMV announced the change on January 30, 2026 (read the official announcement).

What you can still do in Spanish is learn. The official handbook is still published in Spanish, and our behind-the-wheel lessons are taught in English, Spanish or a mix. A practical tip: as you study each chapter in Spanish, write down the English terms for the signs, rules and maneuvers, because those are the words you will read and hear on test day.

What kinds of questions come up? Practice questions from the handbook

These practice questions are our own, written from facts in the official handbook. Cover the answer and test yourself.

1. What does a pennant-shaped sign mean? No passing zone.
2. What does an orange sign warn you about? Construction work ahead.
3. What does a pentagon-shaped sign mark? A school area.
4. What is the standard speed limit in a residential or business area? 30 mph, unless a sign says otherwise.
5. On a limited access highway posted at 70 mph, what is the minimum speed? 50 mph.
6. Two cars reach a four-way stop at the same time. Who goes first? The driver on the right. Otherwise, the first car to arrive goes first.
7. How close to an oncoming vehicle can you keep your high beams on? Dim them within 500 feet. When following a vehicle, dim them within 300 feet.
8. What following distance should you keep? At least four seconds.
9. What happens to a driver under 21 with a blood alcohol level of .02 or higher? An automatic six-month suspension.
10. How must a 4- or 5-year-old ride? In a child safety seat or a booster seat.
11. How many points does texting while driving add to your record? 3 points.

What happens if you fail the knowledge exam?

You can take it again, and a retest fee applies. Use the result as a study map: go back to the handbook chapters on the topics you were unsure of and take a practice test before you return. The current rules are on the Florida DMV's Class E exam page.

Once you pass and get your learner's license, supervised practice comes next. Teens need 50 hours of driving with a licensed driver 21 or older (10 of them at night) before the road test, and professional lessons in a dual-control car, with pick-up on our road packages, can make those first hours less stressful.