Part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog: 285 practice questions for Tennessee, written from the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual. Join the notify list and we will email you when it is available. Practice will be free.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
Tennessee writes its own knowledge test from its own manual. Licensing runs through the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security’s Driver Services Division — Tennessee has no separate “DMV” — and the first step for a new driver is the Learner Permit, GDL Level 1 (a Class PD license), available at age 15 after passing the written knowledge test and a vision screening. Tennessee also offers something most states do not: applicants aged 15 to 17 can take the knowledge test online at home, proctored by a parent or legal guardian through the Tennessee Proctor ID App.
PassProfessor’s Tennessee set is 285 practice questions built only from the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual — its licensing chapters, its traffic signs and signals, its rules of the road, its alcohol and drug material, and its graduated-license procedures. The manual is the syllabus for Tennessee’s test, so it is the syllabus for this practice set too.
What’s included
Tennessee only, from Tennessee’s handbook. A question that helps in another state can mislead in Tennessee, because speed limits, following distances, blood-alcohol rules, and permit steps differ by state. This set is not a national bank with a Tennessee label: all 285 questions were built from the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual only, so every number in front of you is Tennessee’s number.
An explanation on every question. Every one of the 285 practice questions carries an explanation of why the correct answer is correct, so a missed question becomes a short lesson in the handbook rule behind it instead of a dead end.
Organized by the handbook’s own sections. The set follows the structure of the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual itself — see the section-by-section map below — so you can practice one part of the handbook at a time and then mix sections the way the real test does.
Free practice, with no price attached. This is a free program in PassProfessor’s Free Practice hub. There is no purchase price for this practice test, and nothing on this page should be read as implying a charge for it. Joining the notify list is only about being told when the program opens.
The real test at a glance
Current as of October 2026, from the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security (tn.gov) and the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual. Your state’s handbook and agency are the authority for your test — confirm the details on the agency’s official pages before you go. Full guidance on reading your state’s rules is in our driver permit test guide.
| Licensing agency | Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security (TDOSHS), Driver Services Division |
| First step | Learner Permit — GDL Level 1 (Class PD) in Tennessee’s Graduated Driver License program |
| Knowledge test | Knowledge test — taken in person at a Driver Services Center, or online (ages 15–17) under a parent/legal-guardian proctor |
| Questions (online knowledge test) | 30 questions |
| Time limit (online knowledge test) | 60 minutes |
| Passing standard (online knowledge test) | Minimum score of 80% |
| Minimum age (learner permit) | 15 years old |
| Learner permit fee | $10.50 for applicants under 18 (one year); $5.50 for applicants 18 and older (one year) — per the manual’s fee table |
| Handbook | Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual |
- The online route has its own rules. The online knowledge test is only for applicants at least 15 and no older than 17. It consists of 30 questions with 60 minutes to complete it and a minimum score of 80% to pass, is available in English and Spanish, and must be taken on a computer, laptop, or tablet (cell phones are not permitted for testing) while a parent or legal guardian proctors through the Tennessee Proctor ID App — including a mid-test re-authentication scan at the 30-minute mark.
- Online attempts are capped at two. Applicants who fail the online test must wait 24 hours before retesting, and the online test may be taken a maximum of two times; the department may also require an applicant to retake the knowledge test at a Driver Services Center even after passing online. For in-person testing, the manual sets a mandatory one-day waiting period after failing any driver license knowledge test before returning to a Driver Services Center to try again.
- The permit stage lasts 180 days. Learner permit holders may drive only with a licensed driver 21 years of age or older in the front seat, and may not drive between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The permit must be held for 180 days before advancing to the Intermediate Restricted License.
- Alcohol and drugs carry real weight on this test. The Tennessee manual’s structure — reflected in this practice set — gives alcohol, other drugs, and driving its own substantial chapter, alongside signs and signals, interstate driving, and night and inclement-weather driving.
How the practice maps to the real test
The Tennessee practice set follows the sections of the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, so the material you drill is the material Tennessee’s test is built from. The counts below are the bank’s own section counts.
| Handbook section (bank label) | Practice questions |
|---|---|
| Section B, Chapter 3 — Traffic Signs and Signals | 49 |
| Section B, Chapter 7 — Alcohol, Other Drugs and Driving | 28 |
| Section A, Chapter 3 — Intermediate Licenses for Drivers Under 18: Graduated License Procedures | 27 |
| Section B, Chapter 5 — Interstate Driving | 22 |
| Section B, Chapter 4 — Rules of the Road | 21 |
| Section B, Chapter 6 — Driving at Night and in Inclement Weather Conditions | 20 |
| Section B, Chapter 8 — Driving Responsibilities | 20 |
| Section A, Chapter 1 — Your License | 19 |
| Section A, Chapter 4 — The Examinations | 15 |
| Section C, Chapter 3 — Sharing the Road Safely | 15 |
| Section A, Chapter 2 — Applying for Your License | 12 |
| Section B, Chapter 2 — Tennessee Safety Belt Laws | 12 |
| Section B, Chapter 1 — Getting Familiar With Your Vehicle | 11 |
| Section C, Chapter 2 — Special Driving Conditions and Your Vehicle | 6 |
| Section C, Chapter 1 — Defensive Driving and Road Rage | 5 |
| Section B, Chapter 8 — Driving Responsibility | 3 |
| Total | 285 |
How to use it
- Join the notify list today. When the program opens, start with the Tennessee set — not a neighboring state’s, and not a generic national set. Tennessee writes its own test, and state selection is the whole point of this program.
- Get Tennessee’s current handbook first. Download or pick up the current edition of the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual from TDOSHS Driver Services. It is the document Tennessee’s test is built from.
- Practice topic by topic. Work through the handbook’s sections in order — signs and signals, rules of the road, safe driving, and the rest. When a practice question surprises you, find that rule in your handbook and read the surrounding section.
- Then practice mixed. Once the topics feel familiar on their own, take mixed sets that pull from across the handbook, the way the real knowledge test does. A rule you only recognize inside its own chapter is not yet learned.
- Confirm your test-day facts from Tennessee, not from practice sites. Before you go, check TDOSHS Driver Services’s official pages for the current test format, minimum age, required documents, and fees. Those facts change, and Tennessee’s agency is the only authority for them.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Tennessee knowledge test, and what passes?
For the online knowledge test, the Department of Safety & Homeland Security publishes the format directly: 30 questions, 60 minutes to complete the test, and a minimum score of 80% to pass. The test is available in English and Spanish.
Can I really take the Tennessee test online?
Yes, if you are at least 15 and no older than 17. A parent or legal guardian must serve as your proctor using the Tennessee Proctor ID App on their own device, while you take the test on a computer, laptop, or tablet — cell phones are not permitted for testing. At the 30-minute mark your proctor must complete a mid-test authentication by scanning a QR code; failing to do so is an automatic failure. Adults take the knowledge test in person at a Driver Services Center.
How old do I have to be for a Tennessee learner permit?
15 years old. You must pass the standard written (knowledge) test and a vision screening, and hold the learner permit for 180 days before you can advance to the Intermediate Restricted License.
How much does the learner permit cost?
The Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual’s fee table lists the Class PD learner permit at $10.50 for one year for applicants under 18, and $5.50 for one year for applicants over 18. Confirm current fees on tn.gov before you go.
What happens if I fail?
Online, you must wait 24 hours before retesting, and you may take the online knowledge test a maximum of two times. In person, the manual requires a mandatory one-day waiting period after failing any driver license knowledge test before returning to a Driver Services Center to attempt it again. Note that the department may require an applicant to retake the knowledge test at a Driver Services Center even if they passed the online test.
What are the rules while I hold the permit?
You may drive only when accompanied by a licensed driver 21 years of age or older riding in the front seat, and you may not drive between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
What does the test cover?
The material in the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual — traffic signs and signals, rules of the road, interstate driving, night and inclement-weather driving, alcohol and other drugs, safety belt laws, and Tennessee’s graduated licensing steps. This practice set is organized around those same manual sections.
Are these the actual test questions from Tennessee?
No. Every PassProfessor practice question is original, written from Tennessee’s published driver handbook. States do not publish their live test questions, and we never use actual test items or another provider’s bank. The handbook is public; the test built from it is not — practice works because it teaches the handbook, not because it copies the test.
Is this practice really free?
Yes. The Tennessee Driver Permit Practice Test is a free program in PassProfessor’s Free Practice hub. There is no price for the practice test itself. The notify form on this page only signs you up to be emailed when the program opens; it is not a purchase.
When will this program be available?
The bank is complete, and the program opens as the catalog expands. Join the notify list on this page and we will email you when it opens. It will be free when it opens.
What should I study besides practice questions?
The Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, cover to cover. Tennessee’s agency builds its knowledge test from that handbook. Use practice to find the sections you have not actually learned, then go back to those sections in the handbook.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider. This program is practice only: it is not driver education, provides no education credit, does not satisfy any Tennessee driver-education or training requirement, and is not affiliated with the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security or any other Tennessee agency. All practice questions are original, written to Tennessee’s published driver handbook; they are not actual test questions. Tennessee’s current handbook and licensing agency govern your test — if anything here differs from them, they are correct.