Is the Mississippi Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

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.

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.

Across all drivers, Mississippi's road network sees 1.76 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled - among the highest rates in America. The U.S. average is 1.25.

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%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In Mississippi, the average driver pays about $1,200 a year, less than the $1,282 a typical American pays. Here is where that sits next to the national average and the cheapest and priciest states.

About 28.2% of Mississippi drivers carry no insurance at all (the national figure is 15.4%), and the least coverage the state lets a driver carry is $25,000 for injuries to one person, $50,000 total for injuries per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Roll spend, uninsured drivers, affordability and required coverage together and Mississippi lands 6th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: Mississippi law makes insurers give a discount for finishing an approved defensive-driving course (for drivers 55+), 10%, good for 3 years. The same course can also knock points off your record or help dismiss a ticket.

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 20 jurisdictions with a universal helmet law: every rider, every passenger, no age exemptions.

DPS's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Whether a safety course waives the DPS road test is not something we have verified for Mississippi, so check with DPS before you count on it. 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.