Rhode Island is the one state where we cannot tell you how many questions are on the exam, because the DMV does not publish it. Sites that quote a confident number disagree with each other: 25, 40 and 50 are all in circulation, with pass marks from 70% to 85%. We are not going to invent one.
What is certain is where you take it and what it covers. The computerized exam is given at DMV headquarters in Cranston, by reservation, and every question comes from the Rhode Island Driver’s Manual. This practice test runs 30 questions scored at 80%, which is the sensible target whatever the real format turns out to be.
Rhode Island Practice Test
Why we will not quote you a question count
Because Rhode Island does not publish one. The DMV describes a computerized knowledge exam based on the Driver’s Manual and leaves it there.
Search around and you will be told, with equal confidence, that the exam has 25 questions and an 80% pass mark, or 40 questions at 70%, or 40 at 85%, or 50 at 80%. Those cannot all be right. Rather than pick one and dress it up as fact, we have built this test at 30 questions scored at 80%, which prepares you properly for any of them.
One testing location for the whole state
The computerized exam is given at DMV headquarters, 600 New London Avenue in Cranston, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., by reservation only. A vision test is done at the same visit. Students who took their driver education through CCRI have the option of testing at the college instead; everyone else goes to Cranston.
The exam runs in English, Spanish and Portuguese on the computer. Other languages are offered as a printed exam, but must be booked in advance, and you need to bring someone who can translate for you before and after the test. Only the applicant is allowed in the exam room.
33 hours, five schools, no online option
Anyone under 18 must finish a 33-hour classroom driver education course before the permit is issued. You can start it at 15 years and 10 months.
Two things catch people. First, online courses have not been accepted since 1 July 2022, and they are not an approved curriculum in Rhode Island at all, so an online certificate is money wasted. Second, only five driving schools are authorized to teach it, and one of those is over the state line in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Book early.
Bring the original certificate to the DMV. Photocopies are refused.
Adults get something unusual
If you are 18 or over, no driver education is required, you take the road test after holding the permit for 30 days, and in the meantime you may drive alone. Almost every other state requires a licensed adult beside a permit holder at all times. Rhode Island does not, for adults. It has never applied to anyone under 18.
Rotaries, bridges and fog
Rhode Island driving is short distances and dense conditions. Rotaries are everywhere and the rule is the same as any roundabout: yield to traffic already circulating. Colonial-era streets in Providence and Newport are narrow, with parked cars, cyclists and pedestrians all competing for the same few feet.
The bay bridges are their own thing. Crosswinds hit hardest as you come out of the shelter of the approach, so slow down and hold the wheel properly. Coastal fog rolls in fast and wants low beams, not high. And ice arrives on the bridges before it arrives anywhere else.
Testing in another state?
Most states are more forthcoming about their format. West Virginia passes you at 76%, Idaho demands 85%, and South Dakota waives the written test entirely for driver education students. Compare them all on our states page, or read the full Rhode Island licensing guide.
Disclaimer: Pass The Permit is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles or any government agency. Our questions are original practice material, not real exam questions, and our 30-question format is our own rather than a claim about the official exam. Always confirm current requirements with the official Rhode Island Driver’s Manual and the RI DMV.