North Carolina permit test
Test requirements, handbook sources, and practice for North Carolina.
Test and permit facts
Read the scope and exceptions alongside each fact. Requirements still awaiting review are omitted; their absence does not mean the agency has no rule.
| Fact | North Carolina | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Agency | North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles | Official source · PDF page 96 |
| Test name | Written knowledge | |
| Test format details | Applicants also take a traffic-sign recognition test; the written knowledge test covers traffic laws and safe driving. | |
| Images used in the test | signs | |
| Minimum permit age | 15 after an approved driver-education course for the Level One limited learner permit. | Official source · PDF page 14 |
| Permit fee | $25.50 for a Level 1 limited learner permit (ages 15–17). | |
| Driver’s education | The Level One limited learner permit requires an approved driver-education course. | Official source · PDF page 14 |
| Retest rules | A failed regular Class C knowledge test can be repeated after seven calendar days. | |
| Handbook | North Carolina Driver Handbook | Official source · PDF page 1 |
| Handbook edition | Revised May 2025 | Official source · PDF page 108 |
| Requirements for applicants under 18 | The Level One permit is for North Carolina residents ages 15–17. Before testing, provide a course certificate covering a minimum of 30 classroom hours plus six hours of driving instruction in an approved program. Pass the knowledge, sign-recognition and vision exams. | Official source · PDF page 14 |
Start with the handbook
North Carolina Driver Handbook
Official source · PDF page 1
Study the federal road-sign catalog.
Free permit practice
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