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Is the Arkansas Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

Arkansas ranks 38th of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state's road-safety, GDL and distracted-driving measures all land near the middle of the national distribution.

The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Arkansas sits close to the middle of both axes.

02550751000255075100Knowledge-test difficulty (0–100, higher is harder)Road-safety composite (0–100, higher is safer)Arkansas36th in road safety38th-hardest test

Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.

The test

The DFA asks 25 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 20 right answers. That leaves a margin of 5 wrong. That places Arkansas near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.

Arkansas hands out permits earlier than most

Arkansas 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.

  1. Learner's permit
    Age 14
    held 6 months, none required by state law

    Earlier than the 16-year-old norm.

  2. Probationary license
    Age 16
    night ban 11 PM - 4 AM
  3. Full license
    Age 18
    all restrictions lift

No required hours behind the wheel.

Arkansas does not require any minimum supervised-driving hours before the road test — one of only a few states with no logged-hours mandate. The national average is 45.2 hours; the IIHS recommends 70.

0 hr25 hr50 hr75 hrArkansas0 hrNational mean45.2 hrIIHS recommended70 hr
Supervised-driving hours required before unrestricted licensure. Source: IIHS state-laws table, 2025.

On Arkansas's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Arkansas, 14.9 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Arkansas ranks 26th lowest of 51.

U.S. avg 16.8Arkansas14.9 deaths26th-lowest of 5101020304050← betterworse →Teen-driver deaths per 100,000 licensed drivers ≤19

Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.

Across all drivers, Arkansas's road network sees 1.51 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

U.S. avg 1.25Arkansas1.51 deaths42nd-lowest of 5100.511.52← betterworse →Deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled

Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.

What Arkansas bans behind the wheel.

Arkansas scores 4.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric (rank 27th of 51). The state prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers and applies a total cellphone ban to teen and novice drivers. Arkansas'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.

Arkansas's motorcyclist fatality rate is 9.25 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well above the 6.87 U.S. average. Arkansas's helmet law is partial — typically required only for younger riders.

U.S. avg 6.87Arkansas9.25 deaths40th-lowest of 5105101520← betterworse →Motorcyclist deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles

Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.

DFA's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Arkansas Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the DFA road test. Required for riders under 21.

Source: IIHS — Motorcycle helmet use laws by state.

On bigger rigs.

The Arkansas CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Arkansas is $50. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DFA.

Pass the DFA test before you take it.

Free Arkansas practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.

Free Arkansas practice test

Nearby in the index.

Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.

Is the Arkansas Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics) | DMV IQ