Free South Dakota DMV permit practice tests

14. You pass a vision test and the knowledge test, and a parent or guardian gives consent, in person at the exam station or on a notarized form. The knowledge test is waived if you bring a certificate showing you passed an approved driver education course within the last year.

80% or higher. The Department of Public Safety doesn't publish how many questions the test has. If you fail, you can retest on a later working day, and one application fee covers three attempts within six months.

Drive only with a parent, guardian or licensed adult with at least a year of driving experience in the seat beside you, and don't use a phone or any other wireless device. Teens log 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 in bad weather and 10 after dark, and hold the permit for 275 days, or 180 days after passing driver education with 80% or better.

Drive alone from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a parent's permission. After 10 p.m. a parent or guardian must sit beside you, unless you're taking the most direct route to or from school, church, work or farm work. For the first six months you can carry only family or household members; after that, one passenger under 18 from outside your family.

At 16, after at least six months on the Restricted Minor's Permit with no traffic convictions in the last six months. If you're still on the restricted permit at 18, it turns into an operator's license on its own.

The Department of Public Safety posts the Driver License Manual as a free download on its Driving Manuals page at sd.gov/dps, and paper copies are available at exam stations. The department doesn't offer pre-tests or sample tests, so the practice tests here are original questions written from the manual.

As of October 2026, the South Dakota Driver License Manual lists $38.00 for a regular driver license or instruction permit, whether it is new, an upgrade, a renewal or a transfer from out of state. The manual marks its fees as subject to change.

New drivers and first time applicants visit an exam station in person and provide an identity document, a Social Security document and proof of a South Dakota address, according to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. You may schedule an appointment or walk in during open hours.

A South Dakota instruction permit is valid for five years, or until the date your documents authorizing your presence in the U.S. expire, whichever occurs first, according to the South Dakota Driver License Manual.