The Ohio permit test, explained

The short answer

The Ohio knowledge test has 40 multiple-choice questions on traffic laws and signs, and you need 75 percent to pass, which is 30 right. You can take it from 15 years and 6 months, online, at any driver exam station or at some deputy registrar offices. Then you buy your permit within 60 days.

Source: Graduated driver licensing, Ohio BMV

Ohio calls the learner’s permit a temporary instruction permit identification card, or TIPIC. You pass the test first and then buy the TIPIC from a deputy registrar.

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This text was written with AI help, checked against the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ pages and approved by Fri Vei AS. Last updated .

Checked against the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles · Report a mistake

Drivoku is not connected to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). Every fact below links to the BMV page it comes from, checked on November 4, 2026.

The Ohio permit test at a glance

Ohio temporary instruction permit (TIPIC) and knowledge test
Minimum age15 years and 6 months (BMV)
Number of questions40, multiple choice
Passing score75 percent (30 of 40)
WhereOnline, any driver exam station, or some deputy registrar offices
If you failWait at least 24 hours; online, at most two tries in six months
After you passBuy the TIPIC at a deputy registrar within 60 days

How many questions are on the Ohio permit test?

Forty multiple-choice questions about traffic laws and road signs. The BMV says you must answer 75 percent correctly, so you need 30 right and can miss 10 (BMV: graduated driver licensing). You also pass a vision screening.

If you fail, you wait at least 24 hours before you try again. The online test can be taken at most twice in six months; after that, test in person.

Can you take the Ohio permit test online?

Yes. The BMV offers the knowledge test through its online services. If you test online and are at least 15½ but under 19, a supervising adult must be present. You still visit a deputy registrar afterwards to buy the TIPIC, and if you do not buy it within 60 days of passing, you start over with the vision screening and the test.

What to bring

  • A supervising adult, if you take the test online and are under 19.
  • The documents the BMV asks for when you buy the TIPIC at a deputy registrar. We have not checked the BMV’s document list, so read it on the BMV’s site before you go.

Rules for teen drivers in Ohio

Ohio, like every state, uses graduated driver licensing. From the BMV’s GDL page:

  • With a TIPIC under 16: a parent, guardian or licensed driving instructor sits in the front passenger seat.
  • With a TIPIC from 16: any licensed driver aged 21 or older may supervise, but from midnight to 6 a.m. it must be a parent, guardian or custodian, or a licensed driver 21 or older named on a notarized BMV form 2438.
  • Before the license: hold the TIPIC for at least six months, finish driver education, and log 50 hours of driving, at least 10 of them at night (affidavit BMV 5791).
  • Probationary license, first 12 months: no driving from midnight to 6 a.m. without a parent, guardian or listed adult, except to or from work or a school or religious event with the right BMV form. At most one passenger who is not family, unless a parent or guardian is with you.
  • After 12 months, until 18: no driving from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., with the same exceptions.
  • Phones: under 18 you may not use a phone or any other mobile device while driving.

What Drivoku covers for Ohio

Our free permit practice test and the questions below cover road rules and signs that apply in every state, with signs from the national sign manual. They do not cover Ohio’s own laws and numbers; the Ohio driver’s manual, which the BMV links from its GDL page, has those.

Practice five questions every state shares

Five shared road rules

Answer one question at a time. You see the answer and the reason after each one. Nothing you pick is saved or sent anywhere.

Question 1 of 5

  1. Speed and space

    On a clear, dry highway you drive so slowly that a long line of cars builds up behind you, though no hazard or law requires it. What does the law say?

    • You may drive any slow speed you choose
    • You must match the fastest car's speed
    • Do not block the normal flow of traffic Right
    • You must pull over and stop completely

    The right answer is C: Do not block the normal flow of traffic

    WhyDo not drive so slowly that you impede normal traffic, unless the slow speed is needed for safety or to obey the law.

    Source: UVC § 11-805 Minimum speed regulation (model law)

    Report this question

  2. Pavement markings

    A center lane is bordered by solid and broken yellow lines on each side and shows left-turn arrows. What is it for?

    A center lane with a solid and a broken yellow line on each side and white left-turn arrows pointing in opposite directions
    • Left turns from either direction Right
    • Passing slower traffic on both sides
    • Parking while you run errands
    • Buses and carpools only

    The right answer is A: Left turns from either direction

    WhyA center lane with left-turn arrows is a two-way left-turn lane for turning left from either direction.

    Source: MUTCD Section 3B.05 Pavement Markings for Two-Way Left-Turn Lanes

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  3. Traffic signals

    A steady yellow left-turn arrow is showing. What does it tell you?

    • The left-turn movement is ending; prepare to stop Right
    • You now have the right-of-way to turn
    • Left turns are now forbidden
    • The arrow is about to turn green

    The right answer is A: The left-turn movement is ending; prepare to stop

    WhyA steady yellow arrow warns that the current left-turn movement is ending; prepare to stop.

    Source: MUTCD Section 4A.03 Meanings of Steady Vehicular Signal Indications

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  4. Emergencies

    You slept very little, drank coffee, and now begin drifting out of your lane. A designated rest area is just ahead. What is the safest response?

    • Pull into the rest area and stop to rest Right
    • Keep driving because the coffee will prevent sleep
    • Open the windows and continue until your destination
    • Turn the music louder and increase your driving speed

    The right answer is A: Pull into the rest area and stop to rest

    WhyCoffee alone may not prevent microsleeps; stop in a safe place when sleepiness affects your driving.

    Source: NHTSA: Drowsy Driving, Short-Term Interventions

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  5. Lanes

    You are on a road with four lanes and two-way traffic, with a center line between the directions. When may you cross that center line?

    • To pass a slower car ahead of you
    • Whenever your side of the road is busy
    • To make a safe, permitted left turn into a driveway, alley, or private road Right
    • To use the oncoming lanes as a shortcut past traffic

    The right answer is C: To make a safe, permitted left turn into a driveway, alley, or private road

    WhyOn a four-lane two-way road, never drive left of center to pass; turning left into a driveway is allowed.

    Source: UVC § 11-301(c) Drive on right side of roadway - exceptions (model law)

    Report this question

Each topic's level is free in the app. Pro lets you practice every topic as much as you want.

In the app, questions you miss come back until you get them right. 5 questions a day are free.

45 free questions on this website and 379 in the app, checked against the MUTCD, the Uniform Vehicle Code and Texas law, with the reason for every answer. About the app

Out now on iPhone and Android.

Keep going with the 25-question permit practice test and the road signs quiz. To check how many you can miss in other states, see the pass mark page and permit test by state.

Common questions

How many questions can you miss on the Ohio permit test?

Ten. The test has 40 questions and you need 75 percent, which is 30 right.

Can you take the Ohio permit test online?

Yes. From 15½, with a supervising adult present if you are under 19. Online you get at most two tries in six months.

How old do you have to be for a permit in Ohio?

15 years and 6 months.

What happens after you pass the Ohio knowledge test?

You buy your temporary instruction permit at a deputy registrar within 60 days. If you do not, you take the vision screening and the test again.

Sources

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  1. Graduated driver licensing, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles