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Illinois Practice Permit Test

Maybe you’ve always wanted to drive through Chicago, or maybe you just want to get around your neighborhood. Either way, you’ll need to pass your Illinois driving test first. Taking a practice exam can help ensure that you pass your first time around.

Our practice tests are designed to test you on everything you’ll encounter on your Illinois driving test, including all the Illinois road signs you need to know. We know that passing your driver’s test can feel intimidating, which is why we made our practice tests as close to the real thing as possible.

Preparing early is the best thing you can do to make sure you arrive to your test confident and prepared. Get started by answering some questions below.

Illinois DMV Exam – Quick Stats

15

Min Age to Apply

80%

Passing Score

35

# of Questions

Illinois Permit Practice Tests

One of the best ways to prepare for you driving exam is by using free IL DMV practice tests. Our exams are completely free and require no registration. Utilize the answer explanations at the end of exam to better learn important concepts you may be tested on.

Illinois Road Signs

Many students are concerned about not recognizing common road signs when preparing for their exam. You can take our IL road signs practice test listed below. The exam includes only questions related to road signs.

About the Illinois Permit Test

The Illinois permit driving test is made up of 35 total questions. Of those 35 questions, individuals will need to answer 28 of those questions correctly to pass the exam. This comes out to a minimum passing score of 80%.

Individuals must be at least 15 years of age to take the Illinois permit test. You can expect to follow these steps before and after taking the Illinois permit test:

  1. Apply for your permit in person
  2. Bring proper documentation
  3. Fill out the form
  4. Get consent from parent or guardian
  5. Confirm completion of driver’s ed course
  6. Pass vision test
  7. Pay fee ($20)
  8. Pass the written exam
  9. Get your picture taken
  10. Get your permit

Documentation Required

When applying for your permit at the Illinois DMV, you will need to provide proof of your name, age, and address. Typical documents you can use include:

  • Birth Certificate
  • Passport
  • Social Security Card
  • 1099 Form, W2 Statement or Paystub
  • Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship

Please be sure to check the Official Illinois DMV Site for complete details.

In addition, you will typically need to have a parent or guardian present if you are under the age of 18.

After you receive your learners permit, you will need to complete some general requirements to get your full driver’s license. In the state of Illinois, you will need to complete 30 hours of drivers ed classroom hours and at least 50 hours of supervised driving hours.

Illinois Driving Test FAQs

To obtain an Illinois Class D driver’s license you will need to do the following: surrender any out of state driver’s licenses you may have, provide documentation proving your identity, pay all associated fees, and pass the written, vision, and driving examinations.

If you are between the ages of 18-20 you will also have to complete an approved driver’s education course if you have not yet done so.

In most cases, you must be at least 18 years old to obtain an Illinois Class D license.

However, exceptions can be made for applicants between the ages of 16 and 17 if they have completed a driver’s education course, practiced driving for at least 50 hours, and passed the written, vision, and driving exams.

You will need documentation that can verify your full legal name, date of birth, social security number, residency, and signature in order to apply for an Illinois Class D driver’s license. These documents are arranged into four groups (A, B, C, D) and you will need one from each group—except group D, for which you will need two.

Group A documents include cancelled checks, court orders, credit or debit cards, a government issued ID, a U.S. or foreign passport, or citizenship and immigration forms.

Group B documents include birth certificates, adoption records, high school or college transcripts, a naturalization certificate, a military ID, a U.S. visa, or a social security award letter.

Group C documents include a social security card, a social security award letter, a military ID, or any other government issued ID.

Group D documents include a bank statement, a cancelled check, a credit report, a mortgage, a rental/lease agreement, a pay stub, a utility bill, a medical claim, or a pension and/or retirement statement.

To obtain a Class D license you will need to pass a vision test, a written test, and a driving test. The written exam will require you to identify traffic signs by both shape and color and answer true/false and multiple choice questions about Illinois traffic laws.

You will be asked to execute several common maneuvers during your driving test—including checking vehicle controls and mirrors, parking, driving in reverse, and making a three point turn.

In 2014 the state of Illinois implemented a new policy stating that all applicants aged 18 to 20 must undergo a driver’s education course before being awarded a Class D license.

Similarly, applicants aged 16 to 17 who are looking to obtain a Class D license will also have to undergo a driver’s education course.

Many Illinois public schools offer driver’s education courses to help their students meet this requirement.

The state of Illinois utilizes a graduated licensing program. In the permit phase (phase one), drivers must be at least 15 years old and should always have a licensed driver age 21 or older in the vehicle with them.

They are not allowed to drive from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Phase two, also known as the initial licensing phase, requires drivers to remain conviction-free for the six months before this phase.

Drivers in this phase are not allowed to have more than one passenger under the age of 20 in the vehicle at a time, unless they are a sibling or other family member.

The written exam for the Illinois Class D license is a total of 35 questions. 15 of these questions will address the identification of traffic signs, and the remaining 20 are true/false and multiple choice questions pertaining to traffic laws.

The driving test will require you to perform ten driving maneuvers. You can find a complete list of these maneuvers in the Illinois Rules of the Road handbook.

You will need a score of at least 80% to pass your written exam.

If you fail your first attempt at the Illinois Class D license test your initial fee allows you up to two more charge-free attempts within the year.

If you subsequently fail those two attempts you will be required to pay another fee before trying again.

Unlike many states, Illinois will normally allow you to re-take your test on the same day you failed it, if possible.

The best way to study for the Illinois driver’s test is to familiarize yourself with the information contained in the Illinois Driving Handbook —an online guide provided by the Illinois Secretary of State. To prepare for the driving portion of your exam, you should spend time practicing the ten required maneuvers also listed in the Illinois handbook.

You will pay an initial fee of $20 for your instruction permit. For driver’s aged 18 to 20, your license fee is $5. It is $30 for those older than 20. Keep in mind that you will have to pay this fee again if you fail three attempts at your driving test.

You must be at least 15 years of age to receive an instruction permit. As with the Class D license, you will need to provide documentation proving your identity and residency within Illinois.

If you are under 18 you will also need permission from a parent or guardian.

You must be at least 15 years of age to receive an instruction permit. As with the Class D license, you will need to provide documentation proving your identity and residency within Illinois.

If you are under 18 you will also need permission from a parent or guardian.

You will need to find a Secretary of State facility that offers testing services. You can find a nearby location using the facility finder on the Secretary of State website.

You may need an appointment, but that will depend on the specific facility.

Gianni Evangelisti
Gianni has been working in the test prep industry for 6+ years. Gianni has created test prep materials across multiple different exam categories.