Is the Montana Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Montana ranks 24th of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has the most dangerous roads in America by our composite and one of the weakest distracted-driving laws in America.
Across the 51 jurisdictions, more lenient knowledge tests tend to pair with deadlier roads. Montana sits on the riskier side, near the bottom of the chart.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
The test
The MVD asks 33 questions and requires 82% correct — at least 27 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong. That places Montana near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.
Montana hands out permits earlier than most
Montana 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 16.
- Learner's permitAge 14½held 6 months, 50 hours (10 at night)
Earlier than the 16-year-old norm.
- Probationary licenseAge 15night ban 11 PM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 16all restrictions lift
50 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Montana requires 50 supervised hours — above the national mean of 45.2, short of the IIHS-recommended 70.
On Montana's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Montana, 34.5 die in a crash each year — one of the highest rates in America (the U.S. average is 16.8). Only 1 jurisdictions fare worse.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Montana's road network sees 1.50 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
Montana's distracted-driving law is among the country's weakest.
Montana scores 0.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric — one of the country's lowest. The state leaves most handheld-phone use unregulated. Montana'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 89%.
On two wheels.
Montana's motorcyclist fatality rate is 0.65 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Montana's helmet law is partial — typically required only for younger riders.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
MVD's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Montana Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the MVD road test. Required for riders under 18.
On bigger rigs.
The Montana CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Montana is $13. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the MVD.
Pass the MVD test before you take it.
Free Montana practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Montana practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.
- North Dakota31st of 51 on road safety41st-hardest test
- South Dakota49th of 51 on road safety31st-hardest test
- Wyoming46th of 51 on road safety19th-hardest test
- Idaho45th of 51 on road safety6th-hardest test
- Mississippi50th of 51 on road safety47th-hardest test
- Iowa48th of 51 on road safety45th-hardest test