South Dakota · South Dakota Department of Public Safety

South Dakota DMV practice test

The South Dakota knowledge test has 25 multiple-choice questions, and you need 20 correct answers to pass. DMV Champ teaches every question with its explanation, then checks you with 5 simulated exams in exactly that format.

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questions

correct to pass

80%

passing score

None

time limit

Part of this format is confirmed by sd.gov/dps; the rest is the best figure available, and it is the one DMV Champ’s exam simulator uses. Check the current South Dakota handbook before your exam.

What the South Dakota exam looks like

South Dakota’s exam is one of the shorter ones: only 5 jurisdictions ask fewer than 25 questions. You need 80% to pass, which means you can miss 5 questions and still get your permit. There is no time limit, so read every question twice.

The exam is given by the DPS (South Dakota Department of Public Safety). Its questions come from the official South Dakota driver’s handbook, which is also where every DMV Champ question is checked.

The same format is used in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota and Wyoming.

What the South Dakota handbook says

The South Dakota driver’s handbook calls it the knowledge test. Passing it is how you get an instruction permit, which you can apply for from age 14 in South Dakota. If you fail, the rule on retaking is: not before the next working day; three attempts per fee within six months.

36 topics in South Dakota: the 34 every state tests, plus winter driving and flooding, because the South Dakota handbook teaches them.

Exam simulator

5 simulated exams in the South Dakota format

25 questions20 to passNo time limit

Pick South Dakota once in the app and every simulated exam uses these figures. Nothing is revealed mid-exam, and each attempt is graded against the 20-correct passing score at the end. Retake an exam as often as you like, reordered each time.

What you study

4 sections, 36 topics, every one on the South Dakota exam.

Signs and signals, road rules, safe driving and driving laws. The topics come from the AAMVA guidelines every state builds its exam on, checked against the South Dakota handbook. Each is a short group of questions you can get through in a few minutes, and every answer is explained the moment you check it.

Learn by answering

No chapters to read first. Every practice question carries its answer and the reasoning, so a wrong answer is how the next thing is taught.

Mistakes come back

A question you get wrong returns until you get it right. Once you’ve answered every new question and corrected every mistake, you’ve finished the learning phase.

A predicted score

The score you’d likely get on the South Dakota exam today, with the 20-correct passing score marked on it and a 14-day trend.

South Dakota questions

Good to know before your South Dakota exam.

How many questions are on the South Dakota permit test?

25. The South Dakota knowledge test has 25 multiple-choice questions, and you need 20 correct answers (80%) to pass.

How many questions can you miss on the South Dakota knowledge test?

5. With 25 questions and 20 needed to pass, you can get 5 wrong and still pass.

Is the South Dakota knowledge test timed?

No. South Dakota does not put a time limit on the knowledge test. Only 8 jurisdictions do.

How old do you have to be to get a learner’s permit in South Dakota?

14. In South Dakota the first permit is called an instruction permit, and the handbook sets 14 as the youngest age for it. The knowledge test is part of getting one.

Where do the South Dakota questions come from?

From the official South Dakota driver’s handbook, which is what the DPS writes its test from. Every DMV Champ question is checked against it and explained the moment you answer.

Ready for the South Dakota exam?

A few questions a day is enough. Not in South Dakota?

Coming soon to the App Store