Free New Jersey DMV practice tests

Chapter 2 of the New Jersey Driver Manual says the knowledge test consists of 50 questions, plus a survey question about organ donation. The TEST REQUIREMENTS table on the facing page sets the written standard at 80 percent, or 40 of the 50 questions, must have correct answers. Both figures are the manual's own text, not a modeled estimate.

At a driver testing center, after buying the permit there. The manual says most agencies conduct knowledge testing and vision screening and points you at njmvc.gov or (609) 292-6500 to find which MVC Licensing Centers offer driver testing services. Sixteen-year-olds on the driver-education route take the knowledge test at the driving school instead, per the MVC's age-16 page.

Online, and only by you. The MVC's Frequently Asked Questions sheet for first-time New Jersey drivers says you can only get an appointment by going online at NJMVC.gov, that only MVC can schedule appointments, that the agency does not work with third parties, and that it will verify individual ID at the appointment to confirm you booked it on the MVC website. It also warns against paying anyone for help and against non-.gov sites offering it.

The MVC's License and Permit Fees page prices a Student Learner's Permit at $10 and an auto Examination Permit at $10, and an auto license at $24 with $11 more for a REAL ID. The Driver Manual's chart prints the same $24/$35 pair for a basic automobile license and $63 for a probationary automobile license, with footnotes putting the later upgrade at a prorated fee that usually runs $19.50 standard or $29.00 REAL ID. Applicants under 21 add $4 for a pair of red GDL decals. Fees change — the manual says so itself; price it from the fee page.

Sixteen for a special learner permit through an approved behind-the-wheel course, 17 for an examination permit and 17 for a probationary license, and 18 for the unrestricted basic driver license, which the manual names as the program's minimum age. Turning 21 does not change the destination; it shortens supervised practice from six months to three under the manual's Adult Road chart.

The MVC's fee page gives a Student Learner's Permit two years, an auto Examination Permit inside the graduated program two years, and an auto Examination Permit outside the graduated program 90 days. On top of that, the First Driver License page prints a deadline in capitals: once you have your permit you have 2 years to finish steps 1-4 and get your probationary license, or you must get a new permit.

Seven days after a failed knowledge test, per both the First Driver License page and the MVC's age-16 page. Fourteen days after a failed road test: the Road Test page says you must wait at least fourteen (14) days before taking it again. Neither page caps the number of attempts, and none of the fee tables read here prices a repeat sitting — ask at the testing center rather than assuming a retake is free.

20/50 visual acuity with or without corrective lenses, per the MVC's Vision Test page, which adds that passing while wearing them puts a restriction on your license requiring you to wear them at the wheel, and that failing sends you to your doctor for Form ST-14. The manual scopes the one-eye case separately — that eye must meet 20/50 and you need documentation signed by a licensed physician — and holds commercial applicants to 20/40 in both eyes plus the ability to distinguish among red, green and amber lights.

The Road Test page sets three floors: at least six months for a graduated-program driver under 21, at least three months for a graduated-program driver over 21, and at least 20 days of non-GDL supervised practice. Under 21 the manual adds a minimum of 50 practice driving hours including 10 during darkness, certified by a parent, guardian or supervising driver on form BA-CSD and presented at the time of licensure.

The manual's Reasons for Rejection list runs long: an improper, expired or missing inspection sticker; no examiner access to the foot or parking brake; poor brakes or a lit brake warning light; parking brake, brake lights or signal lights that do not work; unsafe tires; an interior that is not reasonably clean; a fast engine idle; missing seat belts; tinted driver or front door windows; missing interior or driver door mirrors; cracked window glass; and a door or window that will not open from the inside. Self-parking vehicles and autocycles cannot be used at all.

After a year of unsupervised driving and at a minimum age of 18, per the manual's GDL charts. The First Driver License page says to upgrade online after that year and adds that if you do not upgrade within 3.5 years you must make an appointment at a Licensing Center to renew the probationary license; the manual words the same step as a visit to an MVC Licensing Center after the standard 12 months and warns that motorists who skip it remain subject to probationary restrictions and could be cited for violating them.