Free Michigan DMV practice tests

The SOS fee list shows $25 for a first-time standard license and $45 for a first-time enhanced one, with renewals at $18 and $38 and replacements at $9 and $24. The Temporary Instruction Permit is a separate $25. The department's July 2025 announcement adds that an adult who completes the road test before that permit expires receives the license free of charge. Confirm all of these on the SOS license and ID information page and the adult new-driver page, which carry the figures.

The written test. The SOS states that the knowledge test, which includes a road sign test, must be passed before a Temporary Instruction Permit can be issued. The permit is handed over at the counter after you also pass a vision test, present four categories of proof, pay the fee and have your photo taken.

180 days from the date of issue, per both the adult new-driver page and the October 2025 handbook; the July 2025 announcement describes the same permit as valid for six months. Miss the driving skills test inside that window and the SOS says the whole process starts over with a new application at an office.

At least 30 days of supervised driving on the permit. The supervising adult must hold a valid license and can be a family member, a friend or a co-worker; alternatively the applicant may train through a driver education provider. Driving on the permit without supervision is illegal.

Independent driver testing businesses whose examiners are authorized by the Michigan Department of State. The department states that the fees those businesses charge are not regulated by it, and advises asking about initial and retest fees, refund policies, and charges for improper documents, defective equipment or a missed appointment before booking.

No count appears in the October 2025 handbook or on the SOS pages read for this guide. What the department publishes is the shape and the clock for the online version: two portions must be passed, Operator taking about 45 minutes and Signs about 15. This site drills against a working model of 50 questions with 40 correct so practice has a length and a target, and flags both numbers as ours rather than the department's.

One year. The catch the SOS flags twice on its adult page: if you apply for a new Temporary Instruction Permit because the previous one expired, you have to take the knowledge test again regardless of where you are in that year.

Online, an applicant may test up to two times per calendar day, paying the $6.50 fee each time; if one portion passes and the other fails, the announcement says you may visit a branch office to complete the full test at no charge. In an office, failing terminates the testing process and you reschedule for a different day. On the road test, only one attempt is allowed in a 24-hour period. Check the online fee on the SOS adult new-driver page.

Whether your vision meets minimum standards — the October 2025 handbook uses that phrase without printing an acuity number. If glasses or contact lenses are needed to pass, the license carries a requirement to wear them. Fail it and your eye-care specialist must complete a vision statement, after which a limitation such as daylight driving only can be imposed.

Yes — the examiner inspects the vehicle first, and a car that fails legal or safety standards ends the appointment. The SOS gives a missing side view mirror and a broken taillight as examples, and the examiner also checks for valid Michigan No-Fault insurance, the registration, and a plate with the correct year's tab.

It expires on your birthday every four years, and on the 21st birthday for drivers under 21. Most renewals can be done online, by mail or at a self-service station, but every 12 years the renewal has to happen in a Secretary of State office with a vision screening and a new photograph.

Yes, for a minimum of three years, whatever their age. The SOS says the last 10 months of that period must pass without an at-fault crash, a had-been-drinking crash, a license suspension or a traffic conviction; anything on that list extends the probation.