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Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles

Rhode Island permit test 40 questions, 90 minutes

Rhode Island doesn't rush you: the computerized permit exam has 40 questions and allows up to 90 minutes. Before you sit for it, you need the 33-hour classroom course, and for most teens that runs through the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). Here's the process, the provisional rules, and the state's fines, with a practice test.

Last reviewed October 30, 2026 · Rhode Island Driver's Manual, April 2024

Path A

CCRI students

Take the 33-hour CCRI driver education class ($120), then the knowledge exam through CCRI.

Path B

Everyone else

With a 33-hour certificate in hand, reserve online and test at the DMV main office in Cranston.

What to bring

  • A certified birth certificate, passport, RI ID or resident alien card (no photocopies)
  • Your 33-hour driver ed certificate
  • Two proofs of Rhode Island residency
  • Form LI-1
  • The permit fee: cash, check (no third-party checks), credit card or money order
  • A parent, guardian, foster parent or adult spouse

You'll take a vision test, or bring a Vision Examination Card from your eye doctor, then the 40-question exam. The manual says other languages are available on request.

Not stated in the April 2024 manual: the passing score, the permit fee, the language list, the retake wait and any online test. Since the pass mark isn't published, our practice test uses an 80% target, not an official standard.

Rhode Island DMV practice test

Free quiz · no sign-up

Rhode Island DMV 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 age range for a Rhode Island limited learner permit?

    • 15–17
    • 16–18
    • 15½–18
    • 17–18

  2. How many hours is the required classroom driver ed course?

    • 30
    • 33
    • 36
    • 40

  3. How many questions are on the computerized knowledge exam?

    • 25
    • 30
    • 40
    • 50

  4. What is the maximum time for the exam?

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

  5. Where is the DMV main office for testing?

    • Providence
    • Cranston
    • Warwick
    • Newport

  6. What does the CCRI driver education class cost?

    • $60
    • $100
    • $120
    • $200

  7. Who may supervise a permit holder?

    • Anyone 18+
    • Someone 21+ licensed at least 5 years
    • Someone 25+ licensed 3 years
    • Any parent

  8. How many proofs of Rhode Island residency do you need?

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • None

  9. How long must you hold the permit before a provisional license?

    • 3 months
    • 6 months
    • 9 months
    • 12 months

  10. How many supervised hours must the notarized affidavit certify?

    • 30
    • 40
    • 50
    • 60

  11. How many of those hours must be at night?

    • 5
    • 10
    • 15
    • 20

  12. When can't a provisional driver drive unsupervised?

    • 11 p.m.–5 a.m.
    • Midnight–5 a.m.
    • 1–5 a.m.
    • 12:30–5 a.m.

  13. How many passengers under 21 may you carry in the first 12 months?

    • 0
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3

  14. At what age can you get a full operator's license?

    • 17
    • 17½–18
    • 18 only
    • 16½

  15. How long must you hold the provisional license before a full license?

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

  16. What BAC range counts as DWI for a driver under 21?

    • .01–.05
    • .02 to under .08
    • .04–.08
    • .05–.10

  17. What is the suspension for a first under-21 DWI?

    • 30 days
    • 3 months
    • 6–12 months
    • 2 years

  18. What is the residential speed limit?

    • 20 mph
    • 25 mph
    • 30 mph
    • 35 mph

  19. What are the typical highway limits?

    • 45–55 mph
    • 50–65 mph
    • 55–70 mph
    • 65–75 mph

  20. What following distance rule does the manual teach?

    • 1 second
    • 2 seconds
    • 3 seconds
    • 5 seconds

  21. A school bus is stopped opposite you on a highway divided by a guardrail. You:

    • Must stop
    • Don't need to stop
    • Slow to 10 mph
    • Honk

  22. Children under what age must ride in a child restraint (if also under 57 inches and 80 lb)?

    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 10

  23. What is the seat belt fine per unbelted occupant?

    • $25
    • $40
    • $85
    • $100

  24. What is the fine for going 1–10 mph over the limit?

    • $50
    • $85
    • $95
    • $150

  25. Which of these is an instant road test failure?

    • Signaling
    • A stop sign violation
    • Checking mirrors
    • Parking slowly

Permit to full license

  1. Limited Learner Permit (16–18): your supervisor must be 21+ and licensed at least five years, seated beside you. Everyone belts up.
  2. Provisional License: after six months on the permit with no moving violations, a skills test, and a notarized affidavit of 50 hours (10 at night).
  3. Full Operator's License (17½–18): after 12 months provisional, with no violations or belt infractions in the last six.

Provisional limits

  • No unsupervised driving 1:00–5:00 a.m., except for work, volunteer fire, rescue or EMS duty, or 4–5 a.m. school athletics.
  • First 12 months: at most one passenger under 21 (family doesn't count).

Why limit passengers? The manual says one teen passenger doubles a teen driver's fatal-crash risk, and two or more raise it 300%.

Road test: instant fails

Any one of these ends the skills test: not wearing a seat belt, a stop sign violation, hitting a curb or cone, or the examiner having to intervene.

Rhode Island by the dollar

Speeding 1–10 mph over$95
Speeding 11+ over$10 per mph
Seat belt$40 per occupant
Child restraint (under 8, under 57", under 80 lb)$85
Minor using a wireless device$100

More rules

  • Speed: 25 mph in residential areas, 50–65 mph on most highways. Keep a three-second following distance.
  • School buses: stop for red lights from either direction. You don't stop if you're on the opposite side of a highway divided by a barrier, median, trees or water.
  • Texting: banned for all ages.
  • Alcohol: DUI at .08. Under 21, .02 to under .08 is DWI: a 6–12 month suspension and a $150 assessment for a first offense, and suspension until 21 for a second.

Neighbors

Massachusetts (25 questions, 18 to pass) · Connecticut

Rhode Island DMV permit test FAQ

How many questions are on the Rhode Island permit test?

40 multiple-choice questions on a computer, with up to 90 minutes. The manual doesn't state the passing score, so we don't give one.

Where do I take the RI permit test?

Students in the 33-hour CCRI driver education course take it through CCRI. Everyone else tests at the DMV main office in Cranston, and an online reservation is required.

Do I need driver's ed for a Rhode Island permit?

Yes. You must pass a 33-hour classroom driver education course first. The CCRI class costs $120.

How old do you have to be for a Rhode Island permit?

The limited learner permit is for ages 16 to 18.

Who must come with me to the DMV?

A parent, guardian, foster parent or adult spouse.

Is the Rhode Island test available in other languages?

The manual says it's available in other languages on request, but doesn't list them.

Keep studying

Source: Rhode Island Driver's Manual (PDF, April 2024); RI DMV. Not affiliated with the RI DMV or CCRI.