Rhode Island publishes neither a question count nor a pass mark for its knowledge exam. What it does publish is everything around the exam — and several of those figures matter more than the ones that are missing. This page collects them.
The two numbers that do not exist
The DMV describes a computerized knowledge exam drawn from the Driver’s Manual and says nothing about its length or its pass mark. Search around and you will find 25, 40 and 50 questions each stated confidently, and pass marks of 70%, 80% and 85%. They cannot all be right, and none traces to the DMV.
One testing location in the entire state
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where | DMV headquarters, 600 New London Avenue, Cranston |
| When | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. |
| Booking | By reservation only |
| Exception | CCRI driver education students may schedule at the college |
| Arrive | An hour early |
| In the exam room | The applicant only |
Languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese on the computer. Other languages are available as a printed exam, booked in advance through a separate form, and you must bring someone who can translate for you before and after the test.
Driver education, and the five schools
- 33 classroom hours for every applicant under 18, certified through CCRI
- You may start the course at 15 years and 10 months, but the permit waits until your 16th birthday
- Online driver education has not been accepted since 1 July 2022, and is not an approved curriculum in Rhode Island at all
- The original completion certificate is required — photocopies are not accepted
- A parent, legal guardian, licensed foster parent or adult spouse must attend to sign, or have their signature notarized on the LI-1 form
Only five driving schools are authorized statewide: AAA in Providence, CCRI in Lincoln, The MET Driving School in Providence, Newport County Driving School in Tiverton, and Labonte’s Auto School, which is actually in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Places fill up.
The three stages
| Stage | Rule |
|---|---|
| Limited Instruction Permit | From 16. Valid one year or until you turn 18, whichever is greater, renewable once |
| Hold before the road test | 6 months — but you may book the road test as soon as the permit is issued |
| Supervised driving | 50 hours, with 10 at night, on a parent-signed affidavit |
| Limited Provisional License | Unsupervised 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. |
| Passenger limit | First 12 months: no more than one passenger under 21, immediate family and household members excepted |
| Full license | Automatically at 18, or from 17 with 12 months provisional and no conviction in the preceding six months |
Book the road test the day the permit is issued. Waiting lists are long, and the appointment can sit behind the six-month holding period rather than after it.
Three curfew exceptions, and one of them is oddly specific
A provisional license holder may drive outside the 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. window only for:
- Travel to or from work
- Travel to or from an activity of a volunteer fire department, rescue squad or emergency medical service, if you are a member
- Between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., traveling between home and a school-sponsored athletic activity for which the school provides no transport
With a supervising driver beside you in the front seat, you may drive at any hour.
Speed limits split between day and night
Rhode Island uses prima facie limits under R.I. Gen. Laws §31-14-2. Exceeding one is evidence that your speed was not reasonable or prudent, rather than an offense in itself — and a driver can defeat a ticket by showing the speed actually was reasonable.
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| Any business or residence district | 25 mph |
| Other locations, daytime | 50 mph |
| Other locations, nighttime | 45 mph |
| Within 300 feet of school house entrances and exits, daytime on school days | 20 mph |
Daytime is defined in the statute as from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. The 20 mph school limit applies only where appropriate warning signs are posted near the 300-foot boundary.
Section 31-14-3 requires a reduced speed when approaching an intersection or railroad crossing, going around a curve, approaching a hill crest, driving a narrow or winding roadway, in bad weather — and in the presence of tow trucks, transporter trucks and roadside assistance vehicles displaying flashing amber lights.
Adults get a rule almost nobody else has
Adults also need no driver education, and take the road test after 30 days with the permit rather than the six months teens wait.
Use this properly
When the pass mark is unpublished, counting your allowed mistakes is guesswork. Aim comfortably high instead — and remember the eight-day wait makes a casual first attempt more expensive here than almost anywhere.
Read the Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, use this page to check the numbers stuck, then take the full practice test. Bank the easy marks with the signs and markings test, get direct answers on the questions and answers page, and see the whole process on the Rhode Island permit 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. Rules change. Always confirm current figures against the official Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, the RI DMV and the Rhode Island General Laws.