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Failed the Minnesota Permit Test? What to Do Next (2026)

Across 36 states, only about 62% of knowledge tests were passed in 2020–2023 (USA Today analysis). Here is what Minnesota says about retaking it, the earliest date you can go back, and a quick way to find what to study first.

Minnesota’s official retake rules

From official Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services Division sources, checked September 22, 2026. Tap a numbered chip to read the exact wording. Where a box says “not published”, the sources we checked don’t say, and we won’t guess.

Waiting period: Only one written test per day. Official source 1assets.dps.mn.gov“The written test includes multiple choice and true-or-false questions that assess your knowledge of Minnesota traffic laws and road signs. The test may ... taken on paper or on a computer. At exam stations offering the test on a computer, you can take it in English, several other languages or in American Sign Language (ASL). ... You may take only one written test per day and must score 80 percent to pass. ... If you fail two consecutive written tests, a $10 fee is charged for the third and any subsequent tests.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked September 22, 2026
Attempts before you reapply: Not published
Cost to retest: After two failed tests in a row, the third and later tests cost $10 each. Official source 1assets.dps.mn.gov“The written test includes multiple choice and true-or-false questions that assess your knowledge of Minnesota traffic laws and road signs. The test may ... taken on paper or on a computer. At exam stations offering the test on a computer, you can take it in English, several other languages or in American Sign Language (ASL). ... You may take only one written test per day and must score 80 percent to pass. ... If you fail two consecutive written tests, a $10 fee is charged for the third and any subsequent tests.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked September 22, 2026
Under 18 vs adults: No separate rule published
Online vs in office: Not published

These are the knowledge (written) test rules. Rules change; confirm with Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services Division when you book.

When can you retake it?

Enter the day you failed. We work out the earliest retake date from Minnesota’s official waiting period and show exactly how we counted.

The day you failed

While you wait: a free study checklist

Find what you missed with the 12-question check, so you study the right topics.
Retry every question you’ve missed so far in mistake review.
Take one weak-spot test a day. It picks questions from the topics you miss most (one a day is free).
Drill the Minnesota numbers: distances, speeds, fines and limits.
Practice your weakest topic in the topic drills until you get it right twice in a row.
Two or three days before, take the full exam simulator. Try to pass it on two different days.
Book the retest with DVS for a day you’ve studied for, and check what to bring.

Find what you missed

Studying everything again is slow. Studying the topics you actually miss is fast.

Reading your answers…

Why people fail the permit test

Retaking alone doesn’t fix it

California’s DMV studied its own results and found that fail rates “tend to either remain about the same or increase over multiple attempts.”Official source 2qr.dmv.ca.gov“The fail rates for all test types tend to either remain about the same or increase over multiple attempts.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Going back with the same preparation tends to give the same result. What changes it is studying what you got wrong.

The most-missed items are specific numbers

When California’s DMV analyzed its hardest test questions, it found that “many are numerical and have correct answers that must be learned by rote memorization.”Official source 3dmv.ca.gov“many are numerical and have correct answers that must be learned by rote memorization”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Following distances, speed limits, blood-alcohol limits, parking distances and fines all look alike under pressure. The Minnesota numbers page lists them with their sources.

Practice that felt easier than the real thing

If you took the same practice test until you scored 100%, you may have learned the answers rather than the rules. Mix in questions you haven’t seen: the exam simulator draws a new paper every time, built to Minnesota’s format.

Nerves and pace

Read every option before you choose, even when the first one looks right, and flag a hard question to come back to if your test allows it. Rehearsing the full test at home a few times makes the real one feel familiar.

Failed the Minnesota road test?

One road test per day. After a failure you must complete an assigned practice period: one week after the first failure and two weeks after the second, third or fourth. After two failures each further test costs $20. After four failures you must take six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction before testing again. Official source 1assets.dps.mn.gov“If you fail the road test two times, a retest fee of $20 will be charged for each subsequent test. If you fail the road test four times, you must complete at least six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction with a licensed instructor before taking the test again.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026Official source 4revisor.mn.gov“Any type of road or skills test may be attempted just once per day by an applicant, except in the case of an incomplete test.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026Official source 5revisor.mn.gov“A one-week practice period is required after the first failure of a completed road test.”“A two-week practice period is required after the second, third, or fourth failure of a completed road test.”Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↗Checked October 4, 2026

The Minnesota road-test guide Automatic failures to avoid

Retake questions

How long do you have to wait to retake the Minnesota permit test?

Only one written test per day.

How much does it cost to retake the Minnesota permit test?

After two failed tests in a row, the third and later tests cost $10 each.

What happens if you fail the Minnesota road test?

Sources

This page summarizes official sources for study. It is not legal advice, and only Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services Division decides when you can test. Retake rules in every state