Is the Minnesota Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Minnesota ranks 29th of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has the country's strictest distracted-driving law and 2nd-lowest of 51 traffic-fatality rate per mile.
Across the 51 jurisdictions, stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Minnesota sits on the safer side, near the top of the chart.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The DVS asks 40 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 32 right answers. That leaves a margin of 8 wrong. That places Minnesota near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.
Minnesota lifts driving restrictions before most states
In Minnesota, a new driver picks up a learner's permit at 15, holds it for 6 months, qualifies for an intermediate license at 16, and earns a full unrestricted license at 17.
- Learner's permitAge 15held 6 months, 50 hours (15 at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16night ban 12 AM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 17all restrictions lift
Full license earlier than the 18-year norm.
40 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Minnesota 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 Minnesota's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Minnesota, 6.8 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Minnesota ranks 6th lowest of 51.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
The same pattern holds across all drivers. Minnesota's road network sees 0.68 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled — one of the country's lowest rates. 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.
Minnesota 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. Minnesota'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.
Minnesota's motorcyclist fatality rate is 3.05 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Minnesota's helmet law is partial — typically required only for younger riders.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
DVS's motorcycle knowledge test is 40 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the DVS road test. Required for riders under 18 and all permit holders.
On bigger rigs.
The Minnesota CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Minnesota is $10. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DVS.
Pass the DVS test before you take it.
Free Minnesota practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Minnesota practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.
- Wisconsin26th of 51 on road safety25th-hardest test
- Iowa48th of 51 on road safety45th-hardest test
- South Dakota49th of 51 on road safety31st-hardest test
- North Dakota31st of 51 on road safety41st-hardest test
- Connecticut5th of 51 on road safety14th-hardest test
- Utah7th of 51 on road safety29th-hardest test