Connecticut · DMV
Connecticut practice tests
25 questions and you need 20. Fail and it costs you seven days and another $40. And since January 2026 there is a course you must finish before you are even allowed to sit the test. Free practice questions from the official Connecticut Driver’s Manual.
Full exam
Connecticut Practice Test
25 questions at the same 20 of 25 bar as the real DMV test. Road rules, signs, right of way, the 16 and 17 year old driver law, and alcohol law.
Take the test
Signs and markings
Connecticut Road Signs Test
25 questions at the same 20 of 25 bar as the real test, covering shapes, colors, signals and markings plus rotaries and where black ice forms first.
Take the signs test
Quick reference
Connecticut Cheat Sheet
Every number in one place: the exam and the cost of failing, the Work Zone Safety course, vision standards, speed thresholds from the statutes and the alcohol limits with their sections.
See the numbers
Since January 2026 there is a course before the test
This is the newest thing in Connecticut licensing and a lot of study sites have not caught up with it.
Effective 1 January 2026, anyone applying for a learner’s permit must complete the free online Connecticut Work Zone Safety Course. It takes under an hour. You create an account in your legal name, finish the course, print the completion certificate, and hand it to the DMV along with your other documents before you are allowed to take the knowledge test.
Failing is expensive here
Most states let you come back the next business day. Connecticut does not.
- Fail the knowledge test: wait seven days, and pay the $40 exam fee again to reschedule
- Fail the vision test: you can reschedule immediately, no wait
That combination is worth taking seriously. A casual first attempt costs a week and forty dollars, which is a good deal more than the practice would have cost you.
You will find sites quoting 84% or 21 correct as the Connecticut pass mark. The DMV states plainly that the test is 25 questions and you need at least 20 correct, which is 80%, and the Driver’s Manual says the same. Twenty is the number.
What to bring
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Identification | As set out in the DMV document checklist. Photocopies and faxes are not accepted |
| Form R-229 | Completed and signed application, printable after booking your appointment |
| Exam fee | $40 |
| Work Zone Safety certificate | Printed |
| Glasses or contacts | If you need them for the vision test |
| Connecticut non-driver ID | If you hold one, it is surrendered when the permit is issued |
All testing is in person, by appointment only, at select DMV offices. The vision test comes first in the same appointment, and you must pass it before the knowledge test.
Vision standards
For a Class D license Connecticut requires 20/40 or better, with or without corrective lenses, and a binocular peripheral visual field of 140 degrees.
The knowledge test in 35 languages
Connecticut offers the computer-based test in eleven languages: Albanian, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, English, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.
A further 24 languages are available on request as a hard copy written test, including Amharic, Armenian, Bosnian, Croatian, Dari, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Nepali, Pashto, Persian Farsi, Punjabi, Romanian, Somali, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian and Urdu.
Teens: the eight-hour class includes two hours for your parent
Every 16 and 17 year old must complete an eight-hour program, and two of those hours must be attended by a parent or legal guardian, covering the laws governing drivers under 18 and the dangers of teen driving. It is part of the same course rather than an extra.
Training through a licensed Connecticut commercial or secondary school runs to 30 hours of classroom instruction and at least 40 hours behind the wheel. On completion the school issues form CS-1, and you cannot take the road test without it.
Adults
Anyone 18 or over needs an adult learner’s permit before a driver’s license, and it is valid for two years. A teen permit lasts until you get your license or two years from issue, whichever comes first.
One useful exception: if you already hold a driver’s license from another US state or territory, or from Germany, Canada or France, you can transfer it to Connecticut without getting an adult learner’s permit at all.
Testing in another state?
New England varies more than you would expect. Vermont asks 20 questions and starts at 15, New Hampshire has no learner permit at all, Rhode Island publishes no exam format, and Maine wants 70 hours of supervised driving. Compare them on our states page.
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 change and fees are revised. Always confirm current requirements against the official Connecticut Driver’s Manual and portal.ct.gov/dmv before you go.