Arkansas never publishes its exam format — not in the Driver License Study Guide, not on the State Police examination page. But almost everything around the exam is written down, and several of those figures are unusual. This page collects them.
Two agencies, two buildings
There is no Arkansas DMV, whatever a study site calls it. The Arkansas State Police administer the vision test, the knowledge exam and the road skills test at troop testing centers. The Department of Finance and Administration revenue office issues the physical credential afterwards.
Permit and learner’s license are two different credentials
| Stage | Rule |
|---|---|
| Instruction permit | From 14, after the knowledge and vision tests. Valid two years from the date you passed the knowledge exam |
| Learner’s license | Ages 14 to 16. Requires a valid instruction permit showing knowledge, vision and skills tests complete |
| Intermediate license | Ages 16 to 18 |
| Class D license | Unrestricted, from 18 |
| Supervision on a permit | A licensed driver 21 or older beside you |
The two-year permit validity is worth flagging, because a large number of sites publish one year.
A clean record is a licensing requirement
Arkansas statute 27-16-704 requires a driving record free of any serious accident or serious traffic violation conviction for the previous 6 months before a learner’s license, and the previous 12 months before an intermediate license.
The State Police flag this as an important notice, because it delays licensing more often than applicants expect.
Points: 3 to 8, warning at 10, hearing at 14
| Violation | Points |
|---|---|
| Speeding 1 to 10 mph over | 3 |
| Speeding 15 or more over | 5 |
| Speeding 31 or more over | 8 |
| Reckless driving, hit and run, racing, illegally passing a school bus | 8 each |
| Failure to yield, following too closely, running a stop sign or signal | 3 each |
| DUI | No points — it brings revocation instead |
A warning letter goes out at 10 points. At 14 or more a hearing is scheduled automatically, and failing to attend means automatic suspension. DFA does not publish the window over which points accumulate, so we have not stated one.
Intermediate restrictions
- No driving between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older, or traveling to and from a school activity, church activity, job, or an emergency
- No more than one unrelated minor passenger unless a licensed adult 21 or over is in the front seat
- Under 18: no phone use at all, including hands-free
- 18 to 20: hands-free only
- Texting is banned at every age
Four ways to skip the intermediate stage
A 16 or 17 year old with six months of driving experience can obtain an unrestricted Class D license early if they have graduated with a diploma or GED, are married, have enlisted in the US military, or are legally emancipated. Few states offer anything comparable.
School bus rules are unusually strict
Illegally passing a stopped school bus is a Class A misdemeanor, with a fine between $500 and $2,500 and up to a year in jail. Under Isaac’s Law, causing a death that way is a Class C felony for negligent homicide.
Speed limits are absolute maximums
Under Ark. Code §27-51-201(c), the limits are maximum lawful speeds rather than prima facie evidence. Exceeding one is the violation. That is the opposite of Arizona and Rhode Island, where the number is evidence rather than the offense.
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| Any urban district | 30 mph |
| Trucks of one-and-one-half-ton capacity or more, other locations | 50 mph |
| Controlled-access highway in an urban area | 65 mph |
| Controlled-access highway, maximum | 75 mph |
| Commercial vehicle on that highway | 70 mph |
| Overwidth, overlength, overheight, or gross load over 64,000 lbs excluding the front axle | 30 mph, even under a special permit |
On top of the numbers sits the basic rule in subsection (a), and subsection (d) requires an appropriate reduced speed when approaching an intersection or railway grade crossing, going around a curve, approaching the crest of a hill, driving a narrow or winding roadway, or when a special hazard exists because of pedestrians, other traffic, weather or road conditions.
The two numbers that do not exist
We checked both places the state could reasonably publish them. The Arkansas Driver License Study Guide is detailed about the $5 exam fee, the vision standard and every licensing stage — and never gives a question count or a pass mark. The State Police Driver Examination page, run by the agency that administers the test, says nothing about the format either.
Study sites widely print 25 questions with 20 to pass. That may be accurate, but nothing official supports it, so we will not repeat it as fact.
Use this properly
Arkansas is one of the few states where the process itself is more complicated than the test — two agencies, two credentials before you are even licensed, and a clean-record requirement that catches people out. A cheat sheet is the last read-through rather than the study plan.
Read the Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, use this page to check the numbers stuck, then take the full practice test. Bank the easy marks with the signs and markings test, and see the whole process on the Arkansas permit guide.
Disclaimer: Pass The Permit is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Arkansas State Police, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, or any government agency. Rules change. Always confirm current figures against the official Arkansas Driver License Study Guide and the Arkansas Code.