Iowa · Department of Transportation
Iowa’s knowledge test, given by the Iowa DOT or your county treasurer’s office, has 25 questions, and you need 20 right, or 80%, to pass.
25
questions
20
right to pass
80%
passing score
Checked against the Iowa Driver’s License Manual (July 23, 2026 edition) on October 25, 2026. How we check facts
Practice test
Pick an answer and check it. Every question comes with the reason behind the right answer and the sentence of an official document it rests on.
To pass here you need 8 of 10, since Iowa’s test asks for 80%.
Question 1 of 10 · Work zones and flaggers
The answer is B: Slow down and give the shoulder room.
People are working on the shoulder, close enough that a car passing at speed is a danger to them. The lanes stay open, so there is nothing to stop for. Move to the next lane if you can. Where you cannot, slow down and leave as much room as the road allows.
“Shoulder Work signs (see Figure 6H-1) warn of maintenance, reconstruction, or utility operations on the highway shoulder where the roadway is unobstructed.”
Question 2 of 10 · Right-of-way
The answer is A: No. Wait for the person to finish crossing.
A green light means you may go when the intersection is clear. A person still in the crosswalk has the right of way, even on your green. Wait until they are out of your path, then go. The light tells you when you may move, not that the way is clear.
“You must yield the right of way to all pedestrians in the intersection even if the traffic light is green.”
Question 3 of 10 · Flooding and high water
The answer is A: No. Find another road.
A barricade on a flooded road means someone has checked the road and closed it. The road may be washed away, or there may be debris or a power line in the water. In many states driving around a flood barricade is against the law as well as unsafe.
“If a flooded road is blocked off by safety barricades, do not drive around them. The barricades are there because it is unsafe for vehicles. There may be debris or power lines in the water or the road may have been washed away.”
Question 4 of 10 · Pavement markings
The answer is C: You are going the wrong way.
Raised reflectors show red only to a driver going the wrong way. Drivers going the right way see white or yellow on the same markers. Red reflectors mean stop and turn around as soon as it is safe.
“When used, red raised pavement markers or delineators shall delineate”
Question 5 of 10 · School buses and school zones
The answer is A: Stop and wait until the guard waves you on.
A crossing guard directs traffic at a school crossing, and you obey the guard as you would a police officer. The guard steps out to make a gap before the children cross. That is why the road looks empty when you are told to stop. Stay stopped until the guard lowers the paddle and waves you through.
“Traffic control devices include traffic signals, signs, pavement markings, and directions provided by law enforcement, highway personnel, and school crossing guards.”
Question 6 of 10 · Pedestrians and bicyclists
The answer is B: Stop behind the crosswalk too.
Never pass a car that has stopped at a crosswalk. It may be waiting for a person you cannot see, and its body hides the crosswalk from you. Stop too, and go only once you can see that the crosswalk is clear.
“When driving next to parked or stopped vehicles, pedestrians can walk out between these vehicles. Slow down and do not pass until you are sure there are no pedestrians crossing in front of it.”
Question 7 of 10 · Warning signs
The answer is C: The start of a no-passing zone.
The pennant is posted on the left side of the road where a no-passing zone starts. The zone is marked by a solid yellow line on your side. Stay in your lane until the zone ends. The zone usually ends with no sign. The line on your side turns broken again.
“When used, the NO PASSING ZONE sign shall be installed on the left-hand side of the roadway at the beginning of no-passing zones identified by pavement markings or DO NOT PASS signs or both (see Sections 2B.36 and 3B.03).”
Question 8 of 10 · Licensing, insurance and penalties
The answer is A: Report it within your state's deadline.
Your license has to show who you are and where you live. Report a new name or a new address to your state's licensing agency. Each state sets a deadline, often a few weeks. If you move to another state, you apply for its license within the time it allows. You hand in the old one, since you may hold only one license at a time.
“If you have changed your name or address, you must report the change to the Department of Motor Vehicles within 30 days.”
Question 9 of 10 · Night driving and headlights
The answer is C: Well before you meet it.
Dim your high beams as soon as you see a car coming toward you, well before the two of you meet. Most states set a distance, so switch early rather than late. Do not wait for the other driver to go first. If neither of you dims, both of you may be blinded.
“Dim your high beams for approaching traffic.”
Question 10 of 10 · Highways, merging and exits
The answer is A: The speed posted for the ramp.
A ramp has its own posted speed, and it is set for the curve. It is much lower than the highway's because the ramp bends you off a fast road onto a slower one. Carry highway speed into it and you may not get around the bend. Slow down before the curve, not in it.
“Check the posted speed for the deceleration lane.”
These 10 questions are from the DMV Champ app’s practice set, last updated October 23, 2026. Spot a mistake in a question? Email us.
5
You need 20 of the 25 right.
Iowa DOT’s page on commercial license tests lists the Iowa operator test as 25 questions, and you can miss up to 5.
“Iowa operator (if applicable) (25/5)”
DMV Champ uses the same format for Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
If you fail, the examiner decides whether you can take the test again.
“An applicant who fails a knowledge test may repeat the test at the discretion of the examiner.”
It’s given at Iowa driver’s license stations and county treasurer’s offices.
“This practice test generates 25 questions, randomly chosen from a larger group of sample questions that includes questions from the real knowledge test given at any Iowa driver’s license station or county treasurer’s office.”
To take the real test, you schedule an appointment.
“Take our practice knowledge test online at iowadot.gov/mvd/driverslicense/manuals-and-practice-tests then schedule an appointment to take the test for real.”
Iowa DOT’s website explains how to take the test at home or at school, which it calls Skip the Trip.
“Taking your knowledge test at home or school (Skip the Trip)”
If you can’t read or understand the written test, you can ask for an oral test, given by an examiner or a machine.
“An applicant who is unable to read or understand a written test may request an oral test. The oral test may be administered by an examiner or by an automated testing device.”
Test simulator
DMV Champ teaches every question with its explanation, then checks you with 5 simulated tests of 25 questions, graded against the 20-correct passing score. 36 topics in Iowa: the 34 every state tests, plus winter driving and flooding, because the Iowa handbook teaches them.
Download on the App Store