Is the Georgia Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Georgia has one of the country's most forgiving knowledge tests. The state has one of the country's strictest graduated-licensing pathways.
Across the 51 jurisdictions, more lenient knowledge tests tend to pair with deadlier roads. Georgia sits well to the left of the cloud — a more forgiving test than most — with a road-safety composite closer to the middle.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The DDS asks 40 questions and requires 75% correct — at least 15 right answers. That leaves a margin of 25 wrong — among the country's most forgiving pass-fail lines.
Georgia's path from permit to full license
In Georgia, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15, holds it for 12 months and 1 day, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16, and earns a full unrestricted license at 18.
- Learner's permitAge 15held 12 months and 1 day, 40 hours (6 at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16night ban 12 AM - 6 AM
- Full licenseAge 18all restrictions lift
40 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Georgia 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 Georgia's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Georgia, 13.1 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Georgia ranks 19th lowest of 51.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Georgia's road network sees 1.32 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
What Georgia bans behind the wheel.
Georgia scores 4.5 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric (rank 19th of 51). The state bans handheld phones for all drivers and prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers. Georgia's seat-belt law is primary enforcement — an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 94%.
On two wheels.
Georgia's motorcyclist fatality rate is 8.86 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well above the 6.87 U.S. average. Georgia is one of 19 jurisdictions with a universal helmet law: every rider, every passenger, no age exemptions.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
DDS's motorcycle knowledge test is 20 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Georgia Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the DDS road test. All riders and passengers must wear a DOT-compliant helmet.
On bigger rigs.
The Georgia CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Georgia is $10. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DDS.
Pass the DDS test before you take it.
Free Georgia practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Georgia practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.
- Tennessee30th of 51 on road safety33rd-hardest test
- North Carolina28th of 51 on road safety5th-hardest test
- South Carolina44th of 51 on road safety36th-hardest test
- Florida25th of 51 on road safety25th-hardest test
- Alabama33rd of 51 on road safety8th-hardest test
- Oregon12th of 51 on road safety25th-hardest test