How Many Questions Are on South Dakota's Permit Test?
South Dakota's permit test has 25 multiple-choice questions, requiring at least 20 correct (80%) to pass.
What the test covers
The 25 questions are drawn from the South Dakota Driver's Manual, covering topics like traffic laws, safe driving practices, road signs, and signals.
South Dakota's minimum age to apply for an instruction permit is just 14 — one of the youngest permit ages in the country.
The permit stage that comes before unsupervised driving
Passing the knowledge test only gets a South Dakota teen the instruction permit — a hold period of 275 days (reduced to 180 with an approved driver's ed course) and 50 hours of supervised driving still stand between the permit and the Restricted Minor's Permit that follows.
That supervised-driving requirement is unusually specific: 10 hours must happen in inclement weather, and another 10 after dark.
How our practice tests are structured
dmvwrittenexam.com's South Dakota question bank covers both nationally-consistent rules of the road and South Dakota-specific details like its Restricted Minor's Permit and its unusually young age ladder.
Each question includes an explanation and a source reference, so you learn why an answer is correct instead of just memorizing a letter.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on South Dakota's permit test?
25 questions, requiring at least 20 correct (80%) to pass.
What is the minimum age for a South Dakota instruction permit?
14 years old, one of the youngest permit ages in the country.
Does passing the knowledge test get me unsupervised driving right away?
No — a hold period of 275 days (or 180 with driver's ed) and 50 supervised hours still come before the Restricted Minor's Permit stage.
Ready to put this into practice?
Start a free South Dakota permit practice testLast reviewed: 2026-07-24