Connecticut gives you 25 questions and lets you miss five. What it does not give you is a cheap second attempt: fail and you wait seven days and pay the $40 exam fee again. This page collects every figure worth committing to memory before you book.
The exam
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 25 |
| To pass | 20 correct, which is 80% |
| Fail the knowledge test | Wait 7 days, pay $40 again |
| Fail the vision test | Reschedule immediately, no wait |
| Where | In person, by appointment only, at select DMV offices |
| Languages | 11 on computer, 24 more as hard copy |
Since 1 January 2026, a course comes first
Every learner’s permit applicant must complete the free online Connecticut Work Zone Safety Course before taking the knowledge test. Under an hour, done in your legal name, and you must print the completion certificate and hand it in with your documents.
No certificate means no test that day, whatever else you brought.
What to bring
- Form R-229, completed and signed, printable after booking online
- $40 exam fee
- Identification per the DMV checklist — photocopies and faxes are not accepted
- Printed Work Zone Safety certificate
- Glasses or contacts if you need them
- Your Connecticut non-driver ID if you hold one — it is surrendered when the permit is issued
The vision test comes first at the same appointment, and you must pass it before the knowledge test.
Vision standards
| Requirement | Standard |
|---|---|
| Visual acuity, Class D | 20/40 or better, with or without corrective lenses |
| Binocular peripheral field | 140 degrees |
Speed limits, and the clause aimed at teenagers
Connecticut sets speeding thresholds in C.G.S. §14-219 and the framework for limits in §14-218a.
| Where | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Any highway other than a multiple-lane limited-access highway with an established limit | More than 55 mph |
| Multiple-lane limited-access highway with an established limit | More than 65 mph |
| Maximum the Office of the State Traffic Administration may set on a multiple-lane limited-access highway | 65 mph |
Above all of it sits the reasonableness rule in §14-218a(a)(1): never faster than is reasonable given the width, traffic and use of the road, the intersections and the weather. And §14-218a(a)(4) is explicit that being under the posted limit does not relieve you of the duty to slow down when a special hazard exists.
Alcohol, with the statute behind each number
| Driver | Illegal at | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Age 21 and over | 0.08% | 14-227a |
| Commercial motor vehicle | 0.04% | 14-227a |
| Under 21 | 0.02% | 14-227g |
| DUI conviction | Penalty |
|---|---|
| First | $500 to $1,000, 45-day suspension, then one year with an ignition interlock |
| Second within ten years | $1,000 to $4,000, 120 consecutive days non-suspendable, three years interlock |
| Third within ten years | $2,000 to $8,000, up to three years imprisonment with one non-suspendable, and permanent revocation |
All interlock installation and maintenance costs fall on the convicted driver, plus a $100 fee to the commissioner before installation. A court sentencing a DUI conviction may not waive those fees.
Ages and holding periods
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 16 |
| Teen permit validity | Until you are licensed, or 2 years from issue, whichever comes first |
| Adult learner’s permit | 2 years, required for anyone 18 or over who has never been licensed |
| Under 18 | Parent or legal guardian signature required |
Teen driver education, including your parent’s two hours
- Every 16 and 17 year old completes an eight-hour program
- Two of those hours must be attended by a parent or legal guardian, covering the laws for drivers under 18 and the dangers of teen driving
- Training at a licensed Connecticut school: 30 hours classroom and at least 40 hours behind the wheel
- The school issues form CS-1 on completion, and you cannot take the road test without it
Moving here with a license
Hold a driver’s license from another US state or territory, or from Germany, Canada or France, and you can transfer it to Connecticut without getting an adult learner’s permit at all.
Use this properly
Five wrong answers out of twenty-five is real room. The expensive part is not the exam, it is the week and the $40 you lose by walking in underprepared, and the Work Zone Safety certificate you are not carrying. A cheat sheet is the last read-through rather than the study plan.
Read the Connecticut Driver’s Manual, use this page to check the numbers stuck, then take the full practice test until you are consistently above 22 out of 25. Bank the easy marks with the signs and markings test, and see the whole process on the Connecticut permit guide.
Disclaimer: Pass The Permit is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles or any government agency. Laws and fees change. Always confirm current figures against the official Connecticut Driver’s Manual, portal.ct.gov/dmv and the Connecticut General Statutes before relying on them.