Skip to content

Colorado DMV · Department of Revenue

Colorado permit test your age decides the path

In Colorado, a 15-year-old and a 15½-year-old face different requirements before the same permit test. You can test at home, at a driving school or at a DMV office — up to twice a day. Everything here comes from the January 2025 DR 2337 Colorado Driver Handbook and the DMV's permit pages.

Last reviewed October 30, 2026 · DR 2337 Colorado Driver Handbook, January 2025

What you need first, by age

15 – 15½

30-hour driver education course

15½ – 16

4-hour driver awareness program or the 30-hour course

16+

No course required for the permit

Per the DMV's first-time driver page. Driver education requirements change on Jan. 1, 2027 under HB24-1021 — recheck if you're applying after that date.

Three places to take the test

The handbook says the knowledge test covers road signs, DUI, driving rules, safety rules and legal topics. You can take it at a DMV office, at a driving school, or through @Home testing on a desktop or laptop with a webcam. The @Home version has a 60-minute limit, and anyone under 19 needs an adult proxy older than 19 present. Offices stop starting written tests 30 minutes before closing.

What a test attempt costs

ItemAmount
@Home testing fee$5.00
@Home card fee$1.50
State DMV fee (from April 1, 2026)$11.50
Each written retest (state fee)$11.50
Driving retest$15.40

The permit fee itself wasn't on any official page we opened, so we don't quote one. Check the DMV fee schedule before your appointment.

You can retake the test as often as you need, but no more than twice a day. It's offered in English and Spanish. Read-aloud is available, you may bring your own translator, and the DMV provides ASL. The number of questions and the pass score aren't published.

Colorado DMV practice test

25 questions from DR 2337 and the DMV's permit pages. Colorado doesn't publish the test length or pass mark, so this is a practice set — treat 80% as your minimum.

Free quiz · no sign-up

Colorado permit practice test

Questions
25
To pass
80%
About
17 min

Instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.

Preview the 25 free questions

  1. What is the minimum age for a Colorado instruction permit?

    • 14
    • 15
    • 15½
    • 16

  2. If you're 15 but not yet 15½, what must you complete before getting a permit?

    • A 4-hour driver awareness program
    • A 30-hour driver education course
    • Nothing
    • 6 hours behind the wheel

  3. Between 15½ and 16, what is the minimum course required?

    • A 4-hour driver awareness program
    • A 10-hour course
    • 50 hours of driving
    • None

  4. How old must your permit supervisor be?

    • 18
    • 19
    • 21
    • 25

  5. How long must you hold a permit if you're under 18?

    • 6 months
    • 9 months
    • 12 months
    • 18 months

  6. How many hours of driving must you log?

    • 40
    • 50
    • 60
    • 62

  7. How many of the 50 logged hours must be at night?

    • 5
    • 10
    • 12
    • 15

  8. How many times per day can you attempt the written test?

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • Unlimited

  9. What is the time limit on the Colorado @Home knowledge test?

    • 30 minutes
    • 45 minutes
    • 60 minutes
    • 90 minutes

  10. A test taker under 19 using @Home testing needs:

    • A teacher
    • An adult proxy over 19
    • Nothing extra
    • A notary

  11. In what languages does Colorado offer the knowledge test?

    • English only
    • English and Spanish
    • Ten languages
    • Spanish only

  12. During the first six months of a minor license, who may ride with you?

    • One passenger under 21
    • Only passengers 21+ (siblings and medical emergencies excepted)
    • Anyone
    • Two passengers

  13. What is the first-year curfew for a minor license?

    • 11 p.m.–5 a.m.
    • Midnight–5 a.m.
    • 10 p.m.–6 a.m.
    • No curfew

  14. How far from a school bus with flashing red lights must you stop?

    • 10 feet
    • 15 feet
    • 20 feet
    • 50 feet

  15. If you can't move a lane away from a stationary vehicle with hazards on, you must slow to at least how far below the limit?

    • 5 mph
    • 10 mph
    • 15 mph
    • 20 mph

  16. Passing a stopped emergency vehicle on a road posted 40 mph, slow to:

    • 15 mph
    • 20 mph
    • 25 mph
    • 30 mph

  17. At what BAC can you be charged with Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI)?

    • .02
    • .04
    • .05
    • .08

  18. Under 21, your license can be revoked for a BAC over:

    • .00
    • .02
    • .04
    • .05

  19. On a freeway, signal at least how far before changing lanes?

    • 50 feet
    • 100 feet
    • 200 feet
    • 500 feet

  20. How many days do you have to report a name or address change?

    • 10
    • 30
    • 60
    • 90

  21. If you live more than 30 miles from a driving school, the 6 behind-the-wheel hours can be replaced with how many extra supervised hours?

    • 6
    • 10
    • 12
    • 20

  22. When can a driver under 18 use a cell phone while driving?

    • Hands-free is fine
    • Only for an emergency call to police
    • Texting at red lights
    • With a parent in the car

  23. Passing snow plows working in a staggered diagonal formation is:

    • Allowed
    • Illegal
    • Allowed on the right
    • Allowed at night

  24. What is the state DMV fee for each written retest?

    • $5
    • $6.50
    • $11.50
    • $15.40

  25. On long drives, the handbook recommends breaking the trip into segments of:

    • 1 hour
    • 2 hours
    • 3 hours
    • 4 hours

Appointment day, step by step

  1. Pre-register online at myDMV.
  2. Pass the written test (@Home, at a school or in the office).
  3. Go to your state driver license office appointment with proof of identity (a passport or birth certificate — a school ID alone won't do) and two proofs of address.
  4. Bring your parent to sign the DR 2460 Affidavit of Liability (or have it notarized ahead of time), plus your driver ed confirmation and online test certificate. A parent can sign an Affidavit of Identity if you have no government ID.
  5. Vision test, fingerprints, photo and fee. You leave with a temporary paper permit, and the card arrives within 30 days.

A full year on the permit

Colorado's holding period is 12 months (or until 18), twice as long as many states. The permit itself is valid three years or until 21. Your supervisor must be 21+ with a valid Colorado license (or military ID plus an out-of-state license) and ride in the front passenger seat. Log 50 hours, 10 at night, on form DR 2324 or in the RoadReady app. If you're under 16½, add six hours behind the wheel with an approved school. If the nearest school is more than 30 miles away, do 12 extra supervised hours instead, for 62 total.

Your first year with a license

PeriodPassengersNight driving
Months 1–6Only passengers 21+None midnight–5 a.m., unless with a parent or guardian, for school or work with a signed statement, or a medical emergency
Months 7–12Up to one passenger under 21

Siblings and medical emergencies are exempt from the passenger limits. Until 18, you can't text or talk on a phone except to call police in an emergency. The license test is run by third-party examiners.

Colorado rules worth knowing cold

  • Move Over: move one lane away from any stationary vehicle with its hazards on. If you can't, slow to at least 20 mph below the limit. For stopped emergency vehicles on roads posted 45 or less, slow to 25 mph.
  • Two impaired-driving levels: DUI per se at 0.08%, and DWAI at 0.05% (8 points and a $200–$500 fine for a first offense). Under 21, revocation applies over 0.02%.
  • School buses: stop at least 20 feet away for flashing red lights, from either direction or at an intersection.
  • Freeways: signal 200 feet before a lane change.
  • Snow plows: it's illegal to pass plows working in a staggered diagonal formation. Yield to maintenance vehicles with flashing yellow and blue lights.
  • Seat belts: required for the driver, front passengers and children under 16.
  • Paperwork: report a name or address change within 30 days.

Mountain drives are long, so the handbook suggests breaking trips into two-hour segments.

Nearby states

Compare Wyoming, Nebraska (school permit at 14), Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.

Colorado permit test FAQ

How many questions are on the Colorado permit test?

The Colorado DMV doesn't state the number of questions or the passing score on its permit pages or in the DR 2337 handbook. Study the whole handbook and use practice tests to aim well above 80%.

Can I take the Colorado permit test online?

Yes. The @Home test runs on a desktop or laptop with a webcam and has a 60-minute limit. If you're under 19 you need an adult proxy older than 19. It costs $6.50 per attempt ($5 testing fee plus $1.50 card fee) on top of the $11.50 state DMV fee.

How many times can I retake the Colorado written test?

As many times as you need, but no more than twice in one day. Each retest carries the $11.50 state fee.

What driver's ed do I need for a Colorado permit?

At 15 to 15½ you need a 30-hour driver education course. At 15½ to 16, a 4-hour driver awareness program or the 30-hour course. At 16 or older, no course is required for the permit. These rules change on January 1, 2027 (HB24-1021), so check the DMV page if you're applying after that.

How long do I have to hold my Colorado permit?

12 months, or until you turn 18. During that time you log 50 hours, 10 at night.

Can I take the Colorado permit test in Spanish?

Yes. Colorado offers the knowledge test in English and Spanish, in the office and @Home. Read-aloud is available, you may bring your own translator, and the DMV provides ASL interpretation.

Keep studying

Sources: DR 2337 Colorado Driver Handbook (Jan 2025), DMV permits & first-time license, @Home knowledge tests. Independent study site; not affiliated with the Colorado DMV.