Is the Idaho Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Idaho ranks 6th-hardest of 51 jurisdictions on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has one of the weakest distracted-driving laws in the country and among the weakest graduated-licensing laws in America.
Most states cluster along a line — harder knowledge tests, safer roads. Idaho sits well above it: a hard test next to a road-safety composite among the country's lowest.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The ITD asks 40 questions and requires 85% correct — at least 34 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong. Among the 51 jurisdictions, 5 are harder; the other 45 are easier.
Idaho hands out permits earlier than most
Idaho permits driving instruction as early as 14½ — earlier than the 16-year-old norm most states use. The intermediate license follows at 15, with a full unrestricted license at 17.
- Learner's permitAge 14½held 6 months, 50 hours (10 at night)
Earlier than the 16-year-old norm.
- Probationary licenseAge 15night ban Sunset to sunrise for first 6 months
- Full licenseAge 17all restrictions lift
50 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Idaho requires 50 supervised hours — above the national mean of 45.2, short of the IIHS-recommended 70.
On Idaho's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Idaho, 13.3 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Idaho ranks 20th lowest of 51.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Idaho's road network sees 1.37 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
Idaho's distracted-driving law is among the country's weakest.
Idaho scores 2.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric — one of the country's lowest. The state bans handheld phones for all drivers. Idaho's seat-belt law is secondary enforcement — an officer cannot stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver unless another violation is present. Self-reported belt use is 92%.
On two wheels.
Idaho's motorcyclist fatality rate is 5.21 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Idaho's helmet law is partial — typically required only for younger riders.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
ITD's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Idaho Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the ITD road test. Required for riders under 18.
On bigger rigs.
The Idaho CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Idaho is $29. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the ITD.
Pass the ITD test before you take it.
Free Idaho practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Idaho practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.