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Connecticut DMV · 25 questions · 20 to pass

Connecticut permit test book it, then study

Connecticut changed the rules for 2026: you now need a Work Zone Safety certificate before the DMV will let you sit the 25-question test. Testing is in person, by appointment, at ten offices. Here's the full checklist, both training routes, and a practice test built from the March 2023 Connecticut Driver's Manual.

Last reviewed October 30, 2026 · Connecticut Driver's Manual, revised March 2023

Your appointment checklist

  • Be 16 or older
  • Printed CT Work Zone Safety Course certificate (free, online)
  • Form R-229 application
  • Original ID documents from the DMV checklist
  • Form 2-D parental consent, if a parent isn't with you
  • $40 testing fee (prepaid when you book online)
  • Your glasses or contacts
  • $19 for the permit once you pass

Where and how you test

You book and prepay online, then go in person — the DMV's knowledge test page is explicit that there's no online version. Only these offices give the test:

BridgeportCheshireDanburyEnfieldHamdenNorwalkOld SaybrookWaterburyWethersfieldWillimantic

The vision test comes first: you need 20/40 acuity and a 140° binocular field. Then you take the 25 questions, and need 20 right. The test runs on screen in 11 languages and on paper in 24 more. Fail it and you wait seven days and pay $40 again. Fail only the vision test and you can rebook right away.

Connecticut DMV practice test

25 questions, scored at the real standard of 20 correct (80%). Each answer cites the manual or a DMV page.

Free quiz · no sign-up

Connecticut 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 Connecticut learner's permit?

    • 15
    • 15½
    • 16
    • 17

  2. How many questions are on the Connecticut knowledge test?

    • 20
    • 25
    • 30
    • 40

  3. How many correct answers do you need to pass?

    • 18
    • 19
    • 20
    • 21

  4. After failing the knowledge test, how long must you wait to retest?

    • Next day
    • 7 days
    • 14 days
    • 30 days

  5. What is Connecticut's testing fee (vision, knowledge and road test)?

    • $19
    • $30
    • $40
    • $84

  6. What does the learner's permit itself cost?

    • $19
    • $25
    • $40
    • $84

  7. Since January 1, 2026, what must you complete before the permit test?

    • A defensive driving class
    • The CT Work Zone Safety Course
    • First aid training
    • Nothing

  8. How many hours of behind-the-wheel practice do all training options require?

    • 30
    • 40
    • 50
    • 60

  9. With commercial or secondary school training, how long must you hold the permit before the road test?

    • 90 days
    • 120 days
    • 180 days
    • 365 days

  10. With home training, how long must you hold the permit?

    • 90 days
    • 120 days
    • 180 days
    • 365 days

  11. What is the curfew for 16- and 17-year-old drivers?

    • 10 p.m.–5 a.m.
    • 11 p.m.–5 a.m.
    • Midnight–5 a.m.
    • 1–5 a.m.

  12. In months 7–12 of a teen license, who else may ride with you besides instructors, parents and qualified adults?

    • Friends
    • Immediate family
    • Any one teen
    • Anyone 18+

  13. Can a 16- or 17-year-old in Connecticut use a hands-free phone while driving?

    • Yes
    • No, not even hands-free
    • Calls only
    • At red lights only

  14. What is the minimum visual acuity for a Connecticut permit?

    • 20/20
    • 20/30
    • 20/40
    • 20/50

  15. What binocular peripheral field is required?

    • 90°
    • 120°
    • 140°
    • 180°

  16. Under 21, what BAC leads to a suspension in Connecticut?

    • .00
    • .02
    • .05
    • .08

  17. What is the minimum suspension for refusing a chemical test?

    • 30 days
    • 45 days
    • 90 days
    • 180 days

  18. A school bus with red lights is approaching on a road separated by a median barrier. You:

    • Must stop
    • Aren't required to stop
    • Must slow to 10 mph
    • Should honk

  19. Connecticut's Move Over Law requires you to:

    • Stop
    • Slow below the limit and move over a lane when safe
    • Flash your lights
    • Speed up past

  20. What is the maximum fine for a work zone violation?

    • $250
    • $500
    • $1,000
    • $2,500

  21. About how long does it take to pass a vehicle at 55 mph?

    • 3 seconds
    • 5 seconds
    • 10 seconds
    • 15 seconds

  22. At a roundabout, who has the right of way?

    • Entering vehicles
    • Circulating traffic
    • The larger vehicle
    • The vehicle on the right

  23. What is the minimum age for a home-training "Qualified Trainer"?

    • 18
    • 20
    • 21
    • 25

  24. After failing the road test, how long do you wait?

    • 7 days
    • 10 days
    • 14 days
    • 30 days

  25. You're being tailgated and the right lane is open. You should:

    • Brake hard
    • Move to the right lane
    • Speed up
    • Stop

School training vs. home training

Commercial or secondary schoolHome training
Classroom30 hours, including the 8-hour safe driving practices course and a 2-hour parent class22 hours plus the 8-hour course
Behind the wheel40 hours40 hours
Hold the permit120 days180 days
Who trainsThe schoolA "Qualified Trainer": 20+, licensed 4+ years, no suspension in the last 4. Must be a parent, grandparent, foster parent, guardian or spouse — or a stepparent, sibling, aunt or uncle if none of those is available

Either way, the road test costs another $40 attempt if you fail, with a 14-day wait. Once you pass, you pay $84 for the license and the permanent card arrives by mail within 20 days.

The first year after the road test

Months 1–6

Your only passengers can be a driving instructor, your parents or guardian, or one person 20+ who has been licensed four years.

Months 7–12

Immediate family members are added to that list.

Until 18

No driving 11 p.m.–5 a.m. except for work, school, religious activities, medical necessity or the Safe Ride Program. No more passengers than seat belts, and no driving public passenger transportation or vanpool vehicles. No phone use at all — Connecticut bans even hands-free calls for permit holders and 16–17-year-olds.

What the manual emphasizes

  • Work zones: fines up to $1,000, and handheld phone fines double inside them. That's also why the new course exists.
  • Move Over: slow below the limit and move over a lane for any vehicle pulled over, not just police.
  • School buses: stop on either side and at intersections. The only exception is a bus on the far side of a median or physical barrier.
  • Under 21: .02% BAC means at least a 45-day suspension and a year with an ignition interlock. Refusing a test brings the same minimum at any age.
  • Passing at 55 mph takes about 10 seconds and 1,600+ feet. If you can't see a third of a mile clear, don't start.
  • Roundabouts: entering traffic yields to circulating traffic.
  • Tailgaters: move right if you can, or slow gradually. Never brake-check.

Connecticut's statutory speed limits weren't in the sections of the manual we extracted, so they're left out here. Note that the DMV calls its 2014 audio manual outdated.

Neighbors

See New York (20 questions plus a road-sign minimum), Massachusetts (25 questions, 18 to pass) and Rhode Island (40 questions).

Connecticut permit test FAQ

How many questions are on the Connecticut permit test?

25 questions. You need at least 20 correct (80%).

Can I take the Connecticut permit test online?

No. The DMV says the knowledge test must be taken in person, by appointment, at select offices. You take the vision test first.

What is the Connecticut Work Zone Safety Course?

A free online course that has been required since January 1, 2026 before you can take the knowledge test. Print the certificate and bring it to your appointment.

What happens if I fail the Connecticut knowledge test?

Wait seven days, then reschedule and pay the $40 testing fee again. If you fail the vision test, you can reschedule right away.

How much does a Connecticut learner's permit cost?

$40 for testing (vision, knowledge and road test) plus $19 for the permit. The license after your road test is $84.

Can I take the CT permit test in Spanish or Polish?

Yes. It's offered on screen in Albanian, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, English, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese, and on paper in 24 more languages, including Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Ukrainian and Urdu.

Keep studying

Sources: Connecticut Driver's Manual (rev. 3/2023), DMV knowledge & vision test, DMV teen driver's license. Independent study site; not affiliated with the CT DMV.