Texas publishes its pass mark and withholds its question count. The handbook says 70 percent, plainly and repeatedly; the number of questions appears nowhere in it. This page collects every figure that is written down, from the official handbook and the Transportation Code.
The exam
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Pass mark, any knowledge exam | 70 percent |
| Question count | Not published by DPS |
| First failure | Application held 90 days |
| Start over | After 90 days, or after three failed exams |
| Driving exam fail | More than 30 points deducted |
| Temporary license | Valid 45 days |
Fees are payable before any exam is given. On the driving exam you may be asked for a quick stop from about 20 mph and to back the vehicle about 60 feet. Nobody under 18 is exempt from the driving exam, and every applicant of any age must complete Impact Texas Drivers before taking it.
Fees and ages
| License | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Learner license | 15 to 18 | $16 |
| Hardship license | 15 to 18 | $6 |
| Class C, adult applicant practicing | 18 and over | $33, valid 8 years |
- Phase One: hold the learner license at least six months. A suspension extends that period by the number of days suspended
- Phase Two, until 18: no more than one non-family passenger under 21, and no driving midnight to 5 a.m. except for work, a school activity or a medical emergency
- Supervising driver: at least 21 and at least one year of driving experience
- VOE form: 80 days attendance in the preceding semester, dated within 30 days during term or 90 days in summer
- Driver education: required for every applicant younger than 25
- Under 18: no wireless device at all, hands-free included
Speed limits
These come from Texas Transportation Code §545.352.
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| Urban district, street other than an alley | 30 mph |
| In an alley | 15 mph |
| State or US numbered highway outside an urban district, including farm-to-market and ranch-to-market roads | 70 mph |
| Highway outside an urban district that is not state or US numbered | 60 mph |
The statute even defines urban district: territory where buildings used for business, industry or dwellings sit at intervals of less than 100 feet for at least a quarter mile on either side of the highway. Texas also requires the same limit to be set for daytime and nighttime.
Right of way, in the order Texas states it
The handbook is emphatic that right of way is something you give, never something you take. These are the rules it lists.
- Uncontrolled intersection: yield to any vehicle that has entered or is approaching from your right
- Unpaved meets paved: the unpaved road yields
- Single or two-lane meets divided, or three or more lanes: the smaller road yields
- Three or more lanes one way: a vehicle entering a lane from the right yields to one entering the same lane from the left
- Private road, driveway or alley: stop before the sidewalk, then yield to vehicles and pedestrians
- T-intersection: the road that ends yields to the through road
- Frontage road: yield to vehicles entering from the highway or leaving to join it
- Turning left: yield to oncoming traffic
Failing to yield and causing bodily injury is a fine of $500 to $2,000, rising to $1,000 to $4,000 for serious bodily injury.
Railroad crossings
- Stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail
- You must stop for a train approaching within about 1,500 feet
- Fine for disobeying grade crossing law: $50 to $200
- Stalled on the tracks with a train coming? Get out and run toward the train, to the side of the tracks, away from the debris that will be thrown forward
Emergency vehicles and school buses
| Situation | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Following a fire truck answering an alarm | Stay back at least 500 feet |
| Passing a stopped emergency vehicle, posted limit 25 mph or more, cannot change lanes | Slow to 20 mph below the posted limit |
| Same, posted limit under 25 mph | Slow to less than 5 mph |
| Passing a stopped school bus, first conviction | $500 to $1,250 |
| Second conviction within five years | $1,000 to $2,000, plus possible six-month suspension |
You do not have to stop for a school bus if it is on a different road, or on a controlled-access highway where the bus is in a loading zone pedestrians cannot cross to reach.
Insurance and equipment
Texas minimum liability coverage is $30,000 for injury or death of one person, $60,000 for two or more, and $25,000 for property damage. A first conviction for driving without evidence of financial responsibility is $175 to $350; a second is $350 to $1,000 with suspension and 180 days of vehicle impoundment.
| Equipment | Standard |
|---|---|
| Foot brake | Stop within 25 feet at 20 mph |
| Horn | Audible from 200 feet |
| Rearview mirror | Reflects the highway 200 feet behind |
| Tire tread | At least 2/32 of an inch |
| Slow-moving vehicle emblem | Vehicles designed for 25 mph or less |
| Register a newly bought vehicle | Within 30 days |
Illegal equipment includes a radar interference device, a red light showing from the front, a siren or exhaust whistle, and a muffler cutout on anything that is not an emergency vehicle.
Alcohol and losing the license
| Trigger | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Under 21, any detectable amount of alcohol | Administrative License Revocation |
| 21 and over, 0.08 or more | Administrative License Revocation |
| Minor alcohol offense, first | 30-day suspension, fine up to $500, 8 to 12 hours community service, alcohol awareness course |
| Second | 60 days |
| Third | 180 days |
Separately, Texas suspends for repeated violations after four or more convictions within 12 months, or seven or more within 24 months. For drivers under 18 the threshold is far lower: two or more convictions within 12 months can bring suspension or revocation after a hearing.
Use this properly
Texas is unusual in that the thing you most need to know about the exam — how long it is — is the thing nobody will tell you. That makes the percentage the only sensible target. A cheat sheet is the last read-through rather than the study plan. Read the Texas Driver Handbook, use this page to check the numbers stuck, then take the full practice test until you are comfortably above 70 percent every time. For the licensing process, see the Texas permit guide.
Disclaimer: Pass The Permit is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Texas Department of Public Safety or any government agency. Laws change and local ordinances vary. Always confirm current figures against the official Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7) and the Texas Transportation Code before relying on them.