South Dakota Driver Handbook 2026

How to use the South Dakota Driver Handbook

The DPS draws its 25-question knowledge test from the South Dakota Driver Handbook, and you need 80% to pass, which is 20 correct answers. Read the 72 pages once for coverage, then answer practice questions to find the rules that did not stick. Practice tells you what you do not know yet; the Driver Handbook is where the rule is actually stated, in the words the state chose.

It is also the only source that settles an argument. When a practice answer and your instinct disagree, the South Dakota Driver Handbook decides it, and every explanation we write points back into it.

What is inside the South Dakota Driver Handbook

The South Dakota Driver Handbook runs to 72 pages. These are the areas it covers that the knowledge test can ask about.

• Traffic signs by shape and color, and what each one requires
• Traffic signals, including arrows, flashing signals and pedestrian signals
• Right-of-way at intersections, roundabouts and uncontrolled crossings
• Speed limits, the basic speed law and adjusting for conditions
• Lane use, passing, merging and following distance
• Turns, signaling and lane positioning
• Parking rules, restrictions and parking on a hill
• Sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles and trucks
• School buses, emergency vehicles and work zones
• Alcohol, drugs and the state's impaired-driving law
• Seat belts, child restraints and occupant safety
• Licensing steps, required documents and testing
• Crashes, insurance requirements and what to do at the scene

The South Dakota knowledge test at a glance

Everything below comes from the DPS directly. It is what the South Dakota Driver Handbook is preparing you for.

Questions

25

Passing score

80%

Correct answers needed

20 of 25

Time limit

Time limit not published

Test fee

$28

Minimum age

14

Can you take it online?

No, in person only

Verified against the DPS in 2026-07.