Kentucky permit test cheat sheet
Kentucky-specific rules from our question bank, condensed to one line each with the handbook page. Read it the night before; don’t use it instead of practicing.
Study sheet for before your test. Notes aren’t allowed in the DMV test room. See the study sheets to print.
- Test format
- Not published
- Passing score
- 80%
- Permit and test fees
- $15 total
- Minimum age for a permit
- 15 years
- Supervised driving
- 60 hours (10 at night)
- Hold your permit
- 6 months minimum
Permits & licensing
- Kentucky lets you take the vision and written knowledge tests and apply for a learner's permit once you are 15. p. 13
- Every Kentucky permit holder may drive only with a licensed driver who is at least 21 sitting in the front passenger seat. p. 13
- Kentucky permit holders may carry only one unrelated passenger under 20. p. 13
- Permit holders under 18 may not drive between midnight and 6:00 a.m. unless they can show good cause, such as school, work or an emergency. p. 13
- Permit holders aged 15 through 20 must hold the permit for at least 180 days. p. 13
- The Practice Driving Log, signed by a parent or guardian, must show at least 60 hours of practice driving, and 10 of those hours must be at night. p. 13
- Permit holders under 18 may not commit permit violations, moving violations or DUI offenses. p. 14
- After holding the permit for at least 180 days, a teen must also be at least 16 to take the road test for the intermediate license. source
- To move from an intermediate license to a full unrestricted license, you must hold the intermediate license for 180 days, complete the required driver education course and reach age 17. p. 14
- If you fail the road skills test in Kentucky, you must wait at least one week from the failure date before testing again. p. 21
- Kentucky requires a visual acuity of at least 20/40, corrected or uncorrected, before you take the written test. p. 18
Alcohol & drugs
- In Kentucky you violate the DUI law if you drive with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. p. 34
- All Kentucky drivers under 21 are under the Zero Alcohol Tolerance rule, defined as a .02 blood alcohol concentration. p. 14
- By driving in Kentucky you have implicitly consented to a lawfully requested test of your blood, breath, urine or any combination. p. 34
- Right before any test, Kentucky gives you at least 10 and no more than 15 minutes to try to contact and talk with an attorney. p. 35
- A first DUI conviction within 10 years brings a fine of $200 to $500, 48 hours to 30 days in jail, and a license suspension of four to six months. p. 35
- Kentucky requires mandatory jail time when a DUI involves aggravating circumstances such as carrying a passenger under 12, a BAC of .15 or more, driving more than 30 mph over the limit, or driving the wrong way on a limited access highway. p. 35
- An ignition interlock device prevents the vehicle from being driven if the driver's breath alcohol concentration is over .02. p. 35