Is the North Dakota Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)

The test

The NDDOT asks 25 questions and requires 80% correct - at least 20 right answers. That leaves a margin of 5 wrong. That places North Dakota near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.

North Dakota hands out permits earlier than most

North Dakota permits driving instruction as early as 14 - earlier than the 16-year-old norm most states use. The intermediate license follows at 15, with a full unrestricted license at 16.

On North Dakota's roads.

For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in North Dakota, 6.0 die in a crash each year - one of the lowest rates in the country (the U.S. average is 16.8). In Mississippi the figure is 44; in Montana, 34.

Across all drivers, North Dakota's road network sees 1.06 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The U.S. average is 1.25.

What North Dakota bans behind the wheel.

North Dakota scores 4.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric (rank 27th of 51). The state prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers and applies a total cellphone ban to teen and novice drivers. North Dakota's seat-belt law is primary enforcement - an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 90%.

What it costs to insure a car here.

Once you have the license, insurance is the real running cost. In North Dakota, the average driver pays about $808 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 10.6% of North Dakota 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 North Dakota lands 48th of 51 on our insurance-burden score, where 1st is the heaviest.

One way to trim the bill: North Dakota law makes insurers give a discount for finishing an approved defensive-driving course (for drivers all ages (2yr); 3yr for 55+), good for 2 years.

On two wheels.

North Dakota's motorcyclist fatality rate is 3.62 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles - well below the 6.87 U.S. average. North Dakota's helmet law is partial - typically required only for younger riders.

NDDOT's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Whether a safety course waives the NDDOT road test is not something we have verified for North Dakota, so check with NDDOT before you count on it. Required for riders under 18 and all passengers under 18.

On bigger rigs.

The North Dakota CDL knowledge test is federally standardised - 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in North Dakota is $5. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the NDDOT.