Is the Maryland Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Maryland requires the country's highest knowledge-test pass-fail score. The state has the country's strictest distracted-driving law and some of the country's safest roads.
The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Maryland sits at the trend's far top-right end.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The MVA asks 25 questions and requires 88% correct — at least 22 right answers. That leaves a margin of 3 wrong — the country's hardest pass-fail line.
Maryland's path from permit to full license
In Maryland, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15 + 9 months, holds it for 9 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16 + 6 months, and earns a full unrestricted license at 18.
- Learner's permitAge 15 + 9 monthsheld 9 months, 60 hours (10 at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16 + 6 monthsnight ban 12 AM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 18all restrictions lift
- Learner's permitAge 15 + 9 monthsheld 9 months, 60 hours (10 at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16 + 6 monthsnight ban 12 AM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 18all restrictions lift
60 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Before the road test, a Maryland teen must log at least 60 supervised hours — one of the highest documented requirements in the country. The national mean is 45.2; the IIHS recommends 70.
On Maryland's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Maryland, 10.3 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Maryland ranks 15th lowest of 51.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Maryland's road network sees 1.09 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
The country's strictest law on driving with a phone in your hand.
Maryland scores a full 6.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric — the only state to do so. The law bans handheld phones for all drivers, prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers, and applies a total cellphone ban to teen and novice drivers. Maryland's seat-belt law is primary enforcement — an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 96%.
On two wheels.
Maryland's motorcyclist fatality rate is 8.98 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well above the 6.87 U.S. average. Maryland 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.
MVA's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 84% pass mark. Completion of the Maryland Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the MVA road test. All riders and passengers must wear a DOT-compliant helmet.
On bigger rigs.
The Maryland CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. Fees, scheduling and endorsement processing run through the MVA; see https://mva.maryland.gov for current rates.
Pass the MVA test before you take it.
Free Maryland practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Maryland practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.
- Pennsylvania18th of 51 on road safety2nd-hardest test
- Delaware8th of 51 on road safety19th-hardest test
- Virginia23rd of 51 on road safety3rd-hardest test
- West Virginia22nd of 51 on road safety42nd-hardest test
- District of Columbia32nd of 51 on road safetytest difficulty not scored
- New Jersey1st of 51 on road safety8th-hardest test