Penalties & Licensing

Study questions with answers

12 sample Penalties & Licensing questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. To renew your South Carolina driver's license, you must at minimum pass a:

   Correct answer: Vision test

   A vision test is required to renew your license; qualifying drivers may renew for an eight-year term for $25.

   Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Driver's License Renewal

2. 2. For at least how many days must a beginner’s permit be held before you can apply for a license?

   Correct answer: 180 days

   No matter your age, the permit has to be kept for a minimum of 180 days, so the earliest you can apply is day 181.

   Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Beginner's Permit

3. 3. A 15- or 16-year-old must complete how many hours of supervised driving practice, including night hours?

   Correct answer: 40 hours, including 10 at night

   Applicants who are 15 or 16 must log at least 40 hours of practice, ten of them at night, with a qualified supervising adult.

   Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Beginner's Permit / First-Time Driver's License

4. 4. A driver holding a beginner's permit or a conditional or special restricted license is suspended for excessive points at:

   Correct answer: 6 or more points

   Anyone driving on a beginner’s permit or a conditional or special restricted credential is suspended once six points or more pile up.

   Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Driver's License Suspension for Excessive Points

5. 5. South Carolina's minimum vision standard for a driver's license requires no more than:

   Correct answer: 20/40 corrected in one eye

   The minimum standard is 20/40 corrected vision in one eye; a restriction is added if corrective lenses are needed to meet it.

   Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Vision

6. 6. If your out-of-state license has been expired more than nine months, before getting an SC license you must:

   Correct answer: Pass the knowledge, skills, and vision tests

   Should your prior license have lapsed beyond nine months, South Carolina requires you to retake the written, road, and eyesight exams before licensing.

   Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Moving to South Carolina

7. 7. After moving permanently to South Carolina, you must apply for an SC license within:

   Correct answer: 45 days

   New residents must obtain an SC license or ID within 45 days of moving, unless they are active-duty military or federal employees.

   Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Moving to South Carolina

8. 8. How long must you wait to retake the skills test after failing it the very first time?

   Correct answer: Two business days

   After a first failed skills test, you must wait two business days before retaking it, regardless of age or experience.

   Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Failing the Skills Test

9. 9. Points that were assessed against your driving record are reduced by half after:

   Correct answer: One year from the violation date

   One year after the date printed on the citation, your points are halved; four points, for instance, become two the next year.

   Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — How the Point System Works

10. 10. A Class D license in South Carolina lets you operate non-commercial passenger cars and trucks that stay under a weight of:

    Correct answer: 26,000 pounds

    The Class D license covers non-commercial cars and trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds or less.

    Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Types of Driver's Licenses, Class D

11. 11. How often may a driver reduce points by completing an approved defensive driving course?

    Correct answer: Once every three years

    A point reduction from a defensive driving course may be taken only once in any three-year period, and the course must be completed in SC.

    Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Defensive Driving Course

12. 12. To get a beginner's permit, an applicant must pass which tests?

    Correct answer: The vision and knowledge tests

    A beginner's permit requires passing the vision test and the knowledge test.

    Source: South Carolina Driver's Manual — Beginner's Permit