Is the Mississippi Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Mississippi has one of the country's most forgiving knowledge tests. The state has the highest teen-driver fatality rate in the country and some of the most dangerous roads in the country.
The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: more lenient knowledge tests tend to pair with deadlier roads. Mississippi sits at the trend's far bottom-left end.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The DPS asks 30 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 24 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong — among the country's most forgiving pass-fail lines.
Mississippi lifts driving restrictions before most states
In Mississippi, 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 16½.
- Learner's permitAge 15held 6 months, none required by state law
- Probationary licenseAge 16night ban 10 PM - 6 AM
Full license earlier than the 18-year norm.
No required hours behind the wheel.
Mississippi 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.
On Mississippi's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Mississippi, 43.9 die in a crash each year — one of the highest rates in America (the U.S. average is 16.8). Only 0 jurisdictions fare worse.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Mississippi's road network sees 1.76 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled — among the highest rates in America. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
What Mississippi bans behind the wheel.
Mississippi scores 2.5 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric (rank 42nd of 51). The state prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers. Mississippi's seat-belt law is primary enforcement — an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 89%.
On two wheels.
Mississippi's motorcyclist fatality rate is 19.72 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well above the 6.87 U.S. average. Mississippi 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.
DPS's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Mississippi Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the DPS road test. All riders and passengers must wear a DOT-compliant helmet.
On bigger rigs.
The Mississippi CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Mississippi is $16. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DPS.
Pass the DPS test before you take it.
Free Mississippi practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Mississippi 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
- Alabama33rd of 51 on road safety8th-hardest test
- Louisiana37th of 51 on road safety19th-hardest test
- Arkansas36th of 51 on road safety38th-hardest test
- Montana51st of 51 on road safety24th-hardest test
- South Dakota49th of 51 on road safety31st-hardest test