Is the Tennessee Driving Test Hard? (2026 Statistics)
Tennessee ranks 33rd of 51 on knowledge-test difficulty. The state has the country's strictest distracted-driving law and 4th-highest of 51 traffic-fatality rate per mile.
The 51 jurisdictions cluster along a clear line: stricter knowledge tests tend to pair with safer roads. Tennessee 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 DOS asks 30 questions and requires 80% correct — at least 24 right answers. That leaves a margin of 6 wrong. That places Tennessee near the middle of the national distribution on test difficulty.
Tennessee lifts driving restrictions before most states
In Tennessee, 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 17.
- Learner's permitAge 15held 6 months, 50 hours (10 at night)
- Probationary licenseAge 16night ban 11 PM - 6 AM
- Full licenseAge 17all restrictions lift
Full license earlier than the 18-year norm.
50 hours behind the wheel, with a parent watching.
Tennessee requires 50 supervised hours — above the national mean of 45.2, short of the IIHS-recommended 70.
On Tennessee's roads.
For every 100,000 licensed drivers aged 19 and under in Tennessee, 28.5 die in a crash each year — one of the highest rates in America (the U.S. average is 16.8). Only 3 jurisdictions fare worse.
Source: NHTSA FARS 2023 ÷ FHWA DL-22 2024.
Across all drivers, Tennessee's road network sees 1.68 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled — among the highest rates in America. 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.
Tennessee 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. Tennessee's seat-belt law is primary enforcement — an officer may stop a vehicle for an unbuckled driver alone. Self-reported belt use is 93%.
On two wheels.
Tennessee's motorcyclist fatality rate is 9.93 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles — well above the 6.87 U.S. average. Tennessee 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.
DOS's motorcycle knowledge test is 30 questions, with a 80% pass mark. Completion of the Tennessee Motorcycle Safety Education Program waives the DOS road test. All riders and passengers must wear a DOT-compliant helmet.
On bigger rigs.
The Tennessee CDL knowledge test is federally standardised — 50 questions, 80 percent to pass, the same content in every state. The CDL knowledge-test fee in Tennessee is $5. Other fees and endorsement processing run through the DOS.
Pass the DOS test before you take it.
Free Tennessee practice questions with instant explanations. Score 90 percent on three runs in a row and the real thing tends to look familiar.
Free Tennessee practice testNearby in the index.
Six more state pages — neighbours first, then the closest matches on road safety.
- Kentucky35th of 51 on road safety13th-hardest test
- Virginia23rd of 51 on road safety3rd-hardest test
- North Carolina28th of 51 on road safety5th-hardest test
- Georgia11th of 51 on road safety50th-hardest test
- Alabama33rd of 51 on road safety8th-hardest test
- Mississippi50th of 51 on road safety47th-hardest test