Is the North Dakota Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
North Dakota ranks 41st of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has one of the lowest teen-driver fatality rates in America.
The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. North Dakota sits close to the middle of both axes.
Source: DMV IQ Driving Index. FARS 2023 · FHWA 2024 · CDC BRFSS 2023 · IIHS 2025.
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.
- Learner's permitAge 14held 6 months, 50 hours (10 at night)
Earlier than the 16-year-old norm.
- Probationary licenseAge 15night ban 9 PM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 16all restrictions lift
50 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
North Dakota requires 50 supervised hours — above the national mean of 45.2, short of the IIHS-recommended 70.
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.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, North Dakota's road network sees 1.06 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
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%.
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.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 · FHWA MV-1 2024.
NDDOT's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the North Dakota Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the NDDOT road test. 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.
Pass the NDDOT test before you take it.
Free North Dakota practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free North Dakota practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.
- Montana51st of 51 on road safety24th-hardest test
- South Dakota49th of 51 on road safety31st-hardest test
- Minnesota6th of 51 on road safety29th-hardest test
- District of Columbia32nd of 51 on road safetytest difficulty not scored
- Tennessee30th of 51 on road safety33rd-hardest test
- Alabama33rd of 51 on road safety8th-hardest test