PermitPal
Failed the Permit Test? Here's How Soon You Can Retake It
Updated July 9, 2026
How soon can you retake it, by state
There is no national rule. 6 states let you try again the same day, 18 make you wait until the next day, and Virginia makes under-18s wait 15 days. Find your state below. Each state name links to the official source.
| State | Wait before retaking | Attempts allowed | Retake fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Alaska | Next day | no limit published | not published |
| Arizona | Next day following business day |
3 per application fee | not published |
| Arkansas | not published | no limit published | $5 |
| California | 7 days (under 18) 7 days if under 18; DMV publishes no wait period for applicants 18 and older |
3 per application | not published |
| Colorado | not published @Home online test may be taken no more than twice in one day |
no limit published | not published |
| Connecticut | 7 days | no limit published | $40 |
| Delaware | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Florida | not published | no limit published | $10 |
| Georgia | Next day 1 day after the first failure, 7 days after a second failure |
no limit published | not published |
| Hawaii | not published licensing is county-administered; this is the City and County of Honolulu online permit test rule |
no limit published | not published |
| Idaho | 3 days calendar days |
no limit published | not published |
| Illinois | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Indiana | Next day next business day |
no limit published | not published |
| Iowa | not published at least one business day must elapse between tests |
no limit published | not published |
| Kansas | Next day next working day; after a fourth failure you must wait six months |
4 before a six-month wait applies | $1.50 |
| Kentucky | Next day next available day |
no limit published | not published |
| Louisiana | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Maine | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Maryland | Next day next business day after a first failure; 7 calendar days after two or more failures |
no limit published | not published |
| Massachusetts | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Michigan | Next day must be a different day; the online at-home test may be taken up to twice per calendar day |
no limit published | not published |
| Minnesota | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Mississippi | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Missouri | Same day up to two written tests per day |
no limit published | not published |
| Montana | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Nebraska | Next day | no limit published | not published |
| Nevada | Next day | no limit published | $10 |
| New Hampshire | 10 days calendar days |
no limit published | not published |
| New Jersey | not published | no limit published | not published |
| New Mexico | not published same day allowed, but no more than twice in a single week; after three failures you wait six months |
no limit published | not published |
| New York | not published | no limit published | not published |
| North Carolina | 7 days calendar days |
no limit published | not published |
| North Dakota | Next day one attempt allowed per day |
no limit published | $5 |
| Ohio | Next day unlimited in-person attempts, one per day; online testing allows only two attempts per six-month period |
no limit published | not published |
| Oklahoma | not published | no limit published | not published |
| Oregon | Same day same day subject to office availability; online you may test twice per 24 hours and four times total |
no limit published | $7 |
| Pennsylvania | Next day following business day |
no limit published | not published |
| Rhode Island | 8 days | no limit published | not published |
| South Carolina | not published | no limit published | not published |
| South Dakota | Next day next working day |
3 per fee paid, within a six-month period | not published |
| Tennessee | Next day 24 hours |
2 online attempts, after which you must test at a Driver Services center | not published |
| Texas | not published | 3 per application (the application is held 90 days) | not published |
| Utah | Same day you may test twice in one day |
no limit published | not published |
| Vermont | Next day | no limit published | not published |
| Virginia | 15 days (under 18) 15 days if under 18; age 18 and older may test once per day |
no limit published | not published |
| Washington | not published | no limit published | not published |
| West Virginia | 7 days | no limit published | not published |
| Wisconsin | Next day online the test may be attempted only once per 24 hours and only twice total |
5 per one-year period | not published |
| Wyoming | Same day you may take the same written test twice in one day |
no limit published | not published |
10 states do not publish a knowledge-test retake rule at all: Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Washington. Where the table says "not published" it means exactly that, and the right move is to ring your local office rather than trust a number from anywhere else. A few of those states do publish a wait for the ROAD test, which is a different test with a different rule, so do not assume it carries across.
First, breathe. Failing the permit test is common, it isn't the end of anything, and California expects it — that's why the rules build in more than one try. Plenty of great drivers missed on their first attempt. Here's exactly what happens next and how to make the retake the last one.
The retake rule, plainly
You get three attempts to pass the knowledge test per application before you have to reapply (California Driver's Handbook — The Testing Process). So one fail still leaves you two tries on the same application.
If you're under 18, you must wait seven days to retake a failed knowledge test — and that count doesn't include the day you failed (California Driver's Handbook — The Testing Process). Use those seven days; don't waste them. Adults aren't given a fixed statewide wait in the handbook, so confirm the soonest slot with your local DMV field office.
On fees: there's no separate charge to retake the test within your current application — your $46 original driver's license application fee covers all three tries (dmv.ca.gov — Licensing Fees). Only if you burn through all three do you reapply and pay the $46 again, which resets the count.
Why people fail (and it's fixable)
Most fails aren't about being a bad driver. They come from thin spots: guessing on road signs, mixing up right-of-way at four-way stops, or blanking on specific numbers — speed limits, following distance, blood-alcohol limits. These are memorization gaps, and memorization gaps close fast with the right method.
How to use the wait wisely
Seven days is plenty if you study the way memory actually works. Cramming the handbook the night before is the least effective thing you can do — you forget most of it by morning. The proven alternative is spaced repetition: you review each fact right before you'd naturally forget it, so it locks into long-term memory instead of leaking out.
- Day 1–2: Find your weak topics. Take a practice test and note every category you missed.
- Day 3–5: Drill those topics daily in short bursts. Ten focused minutes beats an hour of skimming.
- Day 6: Grind the 41 road signs — they're the easiest points on the test to bank.
- Day 7: Take a full real-format mock exam. If you clear 80% twice, you're ready.
📱 Study smarter: Start free in your browser turns your state's handbook into short lessons, sign games, and real-format mock exams. Free to start — $29.99 once for everything, or $6.99 a week in the app. Also on the App Store and Google Play.
PermitPal covers all 50 states — car, motorcycle, and CDL — and its flashcards use a spaced-repetition engine (FSRS) that quietly tracks which facts you're about to forget and puts them back in front of you at the perfect moment. It's the single best way to turn a seven-day wait into a guaranteed pass. Its mock exams copy the real format exactly — 46 or 36 questions, three choices, 80% to pass — so test day feels like something you've already done.
Retake-day checklist
- Know your passing number cold: 38 correct if you're under 18, 30 if you're 18+.
- Leave the phone and handbook in the car — no testing aids are allowed.
- There's no time limit, so slow down and read every question fully.
- Eliminate the two wrong choices instead of hunting for the right one.
You already know most of this material — the retake is about closing a few gaps, not starting over. Go get it.
Keep going: how to pass on your next try, the hardest questions people miss, or the full road sign guide. Adult tester? See the adult permit guide.