Is the Alaska Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Alaska ranks 14th of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has one of the lowest teen-driver fatality rates in America.
The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Alaska sits close to the middle of both axes.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The DMV asks 20 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 16 right answers. That leaves a margin of 4 wrong. That places Alaska near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.
Alaska hands out permits earlier than most
Alaska permits driving instruction as early as 14 — earlier than the 16-year-old norm most states use. The intermediate license follows at 16, with a full unrestricted license at 18.
- Learner's permitAge 14held 6 months, 40 hours (10 at night)
Earlier than the 16-year-old norm.
- Probationary licenseAge 16night ban 1 AM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 18all restrictions lift
40 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Alaska requires only 40 supervised hours before the road test — below the 45.2-hour national mean and well short of the IIHS-recommended 70.
On Alaska's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Alaska, 4.7 die in a crash each year — one of the lowest rates in the country (the U.S. average is 16.8). In Mississippi the figure is 44; in Montana, 34.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Alaska's road network sees 1.11 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
What Alaska bans behind the wheel.
Alaska scores 2.5 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric (rank 42nd of 51). The state prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers. Alaska's seat-belt law is primary enforcement — an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 92%.
On two wheels.
Alaska's motorcyclist fatality rate is 3.13 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Alaska's helmet law is partial — typically required only for younger riders.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
DMV's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Alaska Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the DMV road test. Required for riders under 18 and all passengers.
On bigger rigs.
The Alaska CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Alaska is $15. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DMV.
Pass the DMV test before you take it.
Free Alaska practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Alaska practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.
- Vermont20th of 51 on road safety14th-hardest test
- West Virginia22nd of 51 on road safety42nd-hardest test
- Nevada19th of 51 on road safety25th-hardest test
- Virginia23rd of 51 on road safety3rd-hardest test
- Illinois24th of 51 on road safety8th-hardest test
- Pennsylvania18th of 51 on road safety2nd-hardest test