1.1 MVA Knowledge Test, Skills Test & Testing Accommodations

Why the Testing Rules Matter

Every first-time Maryland driver starts at an MVA branch with two checks: a vision screening and a knowledge test. The Maryland Driver's Manual (DL-002, October 2025 edition) says it "includes all the information you will be tested on," so the manual is the blueprint for this guide. Knowing the test format, the retest waits and the paperwork keeps a missing document or a rushed attempt from costing you weeks.

Knowledge Test at a Glance

Twenty minutes for 25 questions works out to 48 seconds per question. The test does not reward speed, so read every option. Many wrong answers on driving tests are almost right: a distance that is off by 100 feet, or a rule that applies to a different license stage.

If You Fail: Retest Waits

The MVA knowledge-test FAQ sets two different waits:

• First failure: you may retest the next business day if an appointment is available.
• Two or more failures: you must wait at least seven calendar days before retesting. This applies to all noncommercial and commercial knowledge tests.

Passing scores on knowledge and skills tests are valid for a maximum of six months. You must retest and submit a new application if, for example, you passed but were never issued the permit, or your permit expired before it became a license.

What to Bring to the Permit Appointment

Make an appointment at a full-service MVA branch. The manual lists the documents for a noncommercial (Class C) license application:

1. A document that proves your age and shows your full name, such as a birth certificate or passport.
2. Proof of lawful status, if you were born outside the United States.
3. Your Social Security number, or proof that you are not eligible for one.
4. Two documents that prove you live in Maryland.

Bring originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. The MVA does not accept photocopies, notarized copies, or documents with changed or erased information. Applicants under 16 also need a school attendance form: DL-300, completed by the school or the county home-school coordinator in a sealed envelope, or DL-300A, completed and co-signed by a parent or guardian. After the appointment the permit is mailed to you.

Language Help and Accommodations

The Class C knowledge test is offered in English, Spanish, American Sign Language and 14 other languages, and the manual is available in the same languages. Key interpreter rules:

• The MVA keeps a list of approved interpreters. The MVA charges no interpreter fee, but you pay the interpreter yourself.
• If the knowledge test is offered in your language, the manual says you must take it at least five times before using an interpreter.
• Interpreters must show a valid photo ID, and they may not provide other services to the customer being tested.
• Deaf or hard-of-hearing applicants may request a sign language interpreter at no cost.

For customers with disabilities, the MVA offers extra time, ASL and Certified Deaf Interpreters, oral testing, screen readers, headphones and visual aids. A voluntary blue Developmental Disability Disclosure Card can also be carried with your license. You get it at any MVA information desk, and no medical documentation is required.

Looking Ahead: The Driving Skills Test

You will take the behind-the-wheel test later, after holding your permit and finishing driver education. It is still part of the manual's Section 1, so expect questions on it.

Your test vehicle must:

• Have up-to-date license plates and registration, with proof of insurance.
• Be safe to drive, with no windshield cracks that block your view.
• Have at least a half tank of gas.
• Have working windows, heater, defroster and wipers, because you test in the weather that day.

Who rides along: a licensed supervising driver must bring you to the test site, but only you, the examiner and an MVA-approved interpreter may be in the car during the test.

Maneuvers: you must complete pull-in parking and back-in parking in a 10-by-20-foot space and a three-point turn in a 16-by-20-foot space. Parallel parking is no longer tested; a reverse two-point turnabout checks the same skills. The closed-course exercise has a three-minute limit. Backup cameras may stay on, but you must still use mirrors and head checks.

Automatic failures include not wearing required glasses, not fastening your seat belt, moving a cone, running a stop sign, an avoidable crash, driving over a curb, and making the examiner intervene.