Rhode Island permit test cheat sheet

Rhode Island-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
40 questions
Passing score
Not published
Permit and test fees
$13.50 total
Minimum age for a permit
16 years
Supervised driving
50 hours (10 at night)
Hold your permit
6 months minimum

Permits & licensing

  • Applicants aged 16 to 18 must pass an accredited 33-hour classroom driver education course and the computerized knowledge exam before the DMV issues a Limited Learner Permit. p. 10
  • Rhode Island defines a supervising driver as someone at least 21 years old who has held a license for at least five years. p. 11
  • You must hold the Limited Learner Permit for at least six months before the DMV road test. p. 12
  • A parent or guardian must sign a statement that you completed at least 50 hours of supervised driving, with 10 of those hours at night. p. 12
  • Under a Limited Learner Permit, nobody but the supervising driver may be in the front seat. p. 15
  • A provisional license holder may not drive alone between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless an exception applies, such as driving to or from work. p. 14
  • A provisional license holder may drive alone from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., and at any hour when driving to or from work. p. 16
  • For the first year of the provisional license you may carry no more than one passenger younger than 21. p. 14
  • State law lets a teen get a full license from age 17 after holding the provisional license for 12 months with no moving violations or belt infractions in the past 6 months. p. 16
  • After failing the road test you must make a new reservation, and the next appointment must be at least 30 days later. p. 14
  • The knowledge exam has forty multiple-choice questions and you get up to 90 minutes. p. 10
  • Rhode Island makes applicants who fail the knowledge exam wait at least 8 days before trying again. source

Alcohol & drugs

  • Any driver with a BAC of .08 percent or higher is legally intoxicated and charged with DUI. p. 61
  • Drivers under 21 with a BAC of .02 percent up to .08 percent are considered impaired and are charged with Driving While Impaired. p. 61
  • Implied consent means anyone who drives in Rhode Island is considered to have agreed to chemical tests of breath, blood, saliva or urine. p. 61
  • Refusing a chemical test brings a license suspension of at least six months, plus fines, a highway safety assessment, community service and possibly an alcohol course or treatment. p. 61
  • A first refusal brings a 6-month suspension, a $200 to $500 fine, a $500 highway safety assessment and 10 to 60 hours of community service. p. 61
  • A driver under 21 who knowingly carries alcohol in the vehicle, opened or unopened, can have their license suspended for up to 30 days. p. 64
  • A person under 21 found with alcohol faces a fine of $150 to $750 for a first offense and at least a 60-day license suspension. p. 64