North Carolina Passing Score & Test Length

Eighty percent of the questions must be answered correctly.

Source: 19A NCAC 03B .0201(a)(1), Driver's License Examination, as codified: "Eighty percent of the questions shall be answered correctly." Verified against the codified subchapter with current History Notes. · Verified Aug 2026

North Carolina does not publish how many questions its knowledge test asks. NCDMV states the pass standard rather than the length, and 19A NCAC 03B .0201(a)(1) sets it at 80 percent. Test takers and prep providers consistently report 25 multiple-choice questions on traffic laws and safe driving, which is a useful length to practice at but is not a figure the state stands behind. The traffic-signs test is separate and is passed on its own.

Source: Pass rule: 19A NCAC 03B .0201(a)(1). Length: consistently reported by NC test takers and prep providers (driving-tests.org, dmvquestionbank.com), read Sept. 27, 2026; NCDMV does not post the count · Verified Sep 2026

North Carolina publishes a percentage rather than a number of correct answers: 80 percent, under 19A NCAC 03B .0201(a)(1). Because the state does not publish how many questions the test asks, it does not publish how many you must answer correctly either. At the 25 questions test takers report, 80 percent is 20.

Source: 19A NCAC 03B .0201(a)(1): "Eighty percent of the questions shall be answered correctly"; 25-question length as widely reported by NC test takers and prep providers (NCDMV does not post the count) · Verified Sep 2026

NCDMV publishes no time limit for the knowledge test or the traffic-signs test.

Source: NCDMV web page "Driver License Tests" and NC Driver Handbook 2026 (no time limit stated) · Verified Sep 2026

North Carolina does not publish whether its knowledge test is taken on a computer or on paper. What the state does state is where and how: the knowledge test and the traffic-signs test are taken at an NCDMV driver license office, with no at-home online option, and an audio version of the knowledge test is available on request for anyone who has difficulty reading. The signs test is passed on its own, by identifying traffic signs by color and shape and explaining what each means.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook (2026), Chapter 1 (Test Requirements for an Original Driver License), p. 9: "The knowledge test is about traffic laws and safe driving practices. Audio tests are available, upon request, for those who have difficulty reading."; Chapter 1 (DMV on the Web), p. 4: "Customers cannot use the online system to obtain first time licenses or ID cards." · Verified Oct 2026

Seven calendar days. NCDMV says applicants who do not pass the knowledge test (or driving test) for a regular Class C license may retake it in seven calendar days; no escalation, age split, or attempt cap is published.

Source: NCDMV web page 'Driver License Tests': "Applicants who do not pass the knowledge test or driving test for a regular Class C license may retake the test in seven calendar days." · Verified Aug 2026

North Carolina gives the traffic-signs test separately from the knowledge test. You identify regulatory and warning signs by color and shape and explain what each means, and you must pass it on its own: a strong knowledge score does not cover a failed signs test.

Source: NCDMV web page "Driver License Tests", read Sept. 27, 2026: "Covers regulatory and warning signs" and "Applicant identifies signs by color and shape and provides an explanation of each" · Verified Sep 2026