Texas driving test requirements

Who takes the knowledge test

First-time applicants who have not already passed it in driver education. Teens aged 15 to 17 applying for a learner licence take the knowledge exam during the classroom part of driver education or at a driver licence office. Adults take the written knowledge test as part of applying. Ages 18 to 24 applying for a first licence must first complete a six-hour adult driver education course. Ages 25 and older have no driver education requirement.

Who does not take it

New residents surrendering a valid licence from another U.S. state, a U.S. territory, or Canada take neither the knowledge test nor the skills test. Licence holders from the reciprocity countries (France, Germany, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan) may have both exams waived. Minors holding a valid licence or learner licence from another state skip the knowledge test and still take the skills test.

What DPS does not publish

No DPS page checked states how many questions the Class C knowledge test has, what score passes it, whether it is timed, or what the attempt and retest rules are. Figures that circulate on other sites for all four come from outside DPS, and some are attributed to a handbook whose text we could not read in this pass. Until an official DPS source states them, our Texas pages print none of them, and our Texas sets are practice sets graded against our own target. The recheck stays open on our source sheet.

What it costs

A learner licence is $16 new, under 18, and expires on the 18th birthday. A Class C licence is $16 new if under 18, $33 new for ages 18 to 84, and $9 new at 85 and older. The listed amounts include a $1 administrative fee. The DPS fees page lists licence fees only, and states no separate knowledge test fee.

Languages

The Class C knowledge test is offered in English and Spanish only, in DPS's words, and you must be able to understand road signs written in English to pass. A translator may help you talk to the specialist before and after a test, never during it. A certified ASL interpreter can be requested. The CDL knowledge tests are a different rule: English only since June 1, 2026.

Official information and booking: Texas Department of Public Safety (official site).