By downloading a PDF version from you can have the handbook ready on your phone, tablet, or computer. The handbook is available at all DMV service centers but also online. It would be best if you started by getting the latest version of the California Driver Handbook. You will not pass the knowledge examination without a good understanding of California laws and rules of the road. What is the Best Way to Prepare for the California DMV Test? To avoid this, you should prepare well to be able to pass the first time. If you fail the California DMV test, you must wait seven days before you can try to pass the exam again.Ī re-test may also be subject to availability, which means you might have to wait longer. If you are caught using your phone or any testing aid during the knowledge test, your test will be marked as a failure, and DMV may act or postpone your possibility of earning a driving privilege. Turn off your phone, and don’t try to take pictures of exam questions with your phone! This includes, but is not limited to, the California Driver Handbook, cheat sheets, or electronic communication devices such as cell phones, hand-held computers, etc. All use of testing aids is strictly prohibited. Open-book exams allow you to take notes, texts, or resource materials into an exam situation, but the California knowledge test is not an open-book exam. Is the California DMV Test an Open-Book Test? Surveys, however, show that those test takers who studied the handbook, took at least 20 practice tests or more, and used more than a week had a pass rate of 92 percent.Ĭompared to other states, grade the difficulty of the California Class C DL examination as moderate. Approximately one in three test takers fail the exam. The failure rate on the California knowledge test is close to 40 percent. The passing score in California is 83 percent, which is higher than in many other states. For applicants 18 years and older, the test has 36 questions.Īnyone who must take a California renewal test will get 18 questions. If you are under 18 years when you apply for an instruction permit, you will get a knowledge test with 46 questions. Key numbers for the official CA written knowledge test: Number of Questions:

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