Is the Oregon Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Oregon ranks 25th of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has the country's strictest distracted-driving law.
The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Oregon 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 DMV asks 35 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 28 right answers. That leaves a margin of 7 wrong. That places Oregon near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.
Oregon's path from permit to full license
In Oregon, 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 18.
- Learner's permitAge 15held 6 months, 50 hours (including some at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16night ban 12 AM - 5 AM
- Full licenseAge 18all restrictions lift
50 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Oregon requires 50 supervised hours — above the national mean of 45.2, short of the IIHS-recommended 70.
On Oregon's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Oregon, 13.8 die in a crash each year. The U.S. average is 16.8; Oregon ranks 22nd lowest of 51.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Oregon's road network sees 1.57 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. The U.S. average is 1.25.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA VM-2 2024.
The country's strictest law on driving with a phone in your hand.
Oregon scores a full 6.0 of 6 on our distracted-driving rubric — the only state to do so. The law bans handheld phones for all drivers, prohibits texting and manual data entry for all drivers, and applies a total cellphone ban to teen and novice drivers. Oregon's seat-belt law is primary enforcement — an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 98%.
On two wheels.
Oregon's motorcyclist fatality rate is 4.89 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well below the 6.87 U.S. average. Oregon 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.
DMV's motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Oregon Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the DMV road test. All riders and passengers must wear a DOT-compliant helmet.
On bigger rigs.
The Oregon CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Oregon is $10. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DMV.
Pass the DMV test before you take it.
Free Oregon practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Oregon practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.