How to Pass the Arkansas DMV Exam 2026
Step 1: Confirm Eligibility and Gather Your Documents
Make sure you qualify before you begin
Arkansas splits driver licensing between two agencies. The Arkansas State Police (ASP) gives the knowledge, vision and skills tests, and the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) issues the license at a state revenue office. You may apply for an instruction permit once you turn 14.
- Under 18: an original or certified copy of your U.S. birth certificate — no hospital certificates, photocopies, scans or laminated documents
- Under 18: a parent or legal guardian present with a state driver's license or ID to sign, or a completed ASP-33 affidavit
- Under 18: one accepted secondary identification, such as the in-office or notarized ASP-33 Parent Affidavit
- 18 and older: two primary documents, or one primary and one secondary document
- If you wear glasses or contact lenses, bring them with you to the test
New residents have 30 calendar days to obtain an Arkansas license under Arkansas Code 27-16-606, and non-residents who have been in the state six months must do the same.
Step 2: Study the Official Arkansas Driver License Study Guide
Every exam question comes from this one book
The Arkansas knowledge exam is written directly from the Arkansas Driver License Study Guide published by the Arkansas State Police. The Arkansas State Police are not affiliated with third-party practice test sites, but they do publish their own official practice test and an AR Driver Testing app.
- Learn sign shapes and colors, traffic signals, lighted arrows, and pavement markings
- Memorize the Arkansas numbers: the two-second following distance, the four-second merging gap, signaling 100 feet before a turn, and parallel parking within 18 inches of the curb
- Know the parking distances — 15 feet from a fire hydrant, 20 feet from a crosswalk, 30 feet from a stop sign or signal, and 50 feet from a railroad crossing
- Review the Arkansas-specific rules: the 0.02 limit for drivers under 21, the 25/50/25 insurance minimums, and the 20-foot median rule for stopping for a school bus
Work through Arkansas practice tests until you score comfortably above 80%, and revisit any question you miss twice.
Step 3: Schedule Your Exam Appointment
Book your slot with the Arkansas State Police
Driver license tests are administered statewide through the Arkansas State Police highway patrol troops. Scheduling an appointment online guarantees your exam date and time rather than leaving it to walk-in availability.
- Choose the Driver's License/Motorcycle Instruction Permit Test appointment type for the written exam
- Applicants with a professionally diagnosed learning difference may request the Driver's License Test for Learning Differences, an oral exam read aloud through headphones
- Bring documentation such as an IEP or 504 Plan if you are requesting oral testing
- Act 1289 of 2015 adds a $5 fee for each written examination, collected by the DFA with the cost of your license
Double-check your document list before you leave home — a missing birth certificate or an absent parent signature is the most common reason a trip is wasted.
Step 4: Pass the Knowledge and Vision Tests to Get Your Instruction Permit
25 questions stand between you and your permit
At the ASP testing station you take a vision screening and the written knowledge exam on a computer kiosk. Pass both and you receive an Arkansas instruction permit, valid for two years from the date you pass the knowledge exam.
- The exam has 25 multiple-choice questions and you need 20 correct — 80% — to pass
- You may skip up to two questions; they roll to the end of the test and do not count against you
- Vision: 20/40 uncorrected for an unrestricted license, or 20/70 corrected for a restricted license requiring eyewear
- Your field of vision must be 140 degrees with two functional eyes, or 105 degrees with one
If you do not pass, you may retest — the $5 written examination fee applies to each attempt, and there is no limit on the number of exams charged at licensing.
Step 5: Practice Driving Under Supervision
Build real experience behind the wheel
With an instruction permit you may practice on Arkansas roads only under supervision. Use the time to drive in a wide range of conditions — city traffic, rural county roads, rain, and after dark — because the skills test can be given anywhere in the troop's testing area.
- A licensed driver at least 21 years old must occupy the seat beside you at all times
- Every passenger in the vehicle must wear a seat belt
- Cell phone use while driving, talking or texting, is prohibited except in an emergency
- Keep your record clean: applicants for a Learner's License must be free of any serious crash or serious traffic violation conviction in the previous six months
Practice the maneuvers you will be graded on: smooth starting and stopping, signaling at least 100 feet before turns, lane changes with a shoulder check, backing, and parking.
Step 6: Pass the Skills Test and Know Your Restrictions
Prove you can drive, then drive within the rules
Schedule your skills exam through the same ASP appointment system. The examiner inspects your vehicle first, so make sure the seats, mirrors, brakes, lights, horn, windshield and wipers, tires, steering and exhaust are all in working order.
- Bring your instruction permit, a licensed driver 21 or older whose license is not suspended or revoked, current proof of insurance in paper or electronic form, and the vehicle registration
- Drivers 14 to 16 receive a Learner's License, restricted until their 16th birthday and until six months of restricted driving are complete
- Drivers 16 to 18 receive an Intermediate License: no more than one unrelated minor passenger, and no driving between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older or traveling to or from school, church, a job, or an emergency
- Cell phone use is prohibited for drivers under 18, and text messaging is prohibited at every age
Once you pass, take your paperwork to any Arkansas revenue office to have the license issued.
Step 7: Receive Your Arkansas Driver's License and Get Insured
Get licensed and drive responsibly
At 18 an Arkansas driver becomes eligible for a non-restricted Class D License, issued by the Department of Finance and Administration once the knowledge, vision and skills exams are complete. Applicants will also be asked whether they wish to register as an organ or tissue donor.
- Carry at least Arkansas's minimum liability insurance of 25/50/25: $25,000 for bodily injury to one person, $50,000 for two or more people, and $25,000 for property damage
- You must produce your driver's license, proof of insurance and vehicle registration whenever a law enforcement officer requests them
- A first DWI conviction carries a fine of $150 to $1,000, up to a year in jail, and a six-month license suspension; refusing a chemical test suspends your privileges for 180 days on its own
- The point system mails a warning letter at 10 points and schedules an automatic hearing at 14 or more
What it costs
Arkansas licenses run on an eight-year cycle for most adults, and REAL ID costs no more than a standard license at renewal.
- Class D license, age 21 and older: $40 for eight years
- Ages 18 to 21: a prorated license running to one month past your 21st birthday
- Age 70 and older: $20 for four years or $40 for eight years
- Converting a valid license to REAL ID mid-cycle: a $10 duplicate card charge
- Written examination fee: $5 per exam, added to the cost of your license
You may renew starting 90 days before expiration. Fees and document lists change from time to time, so confirm current requirements before your visit: Arkansas State Police — Driver Examination
These links should help guide you through the application and testing process. Each official state agency page contains the latest requirements and resources to ensure you have everything needed to obtain your Arkansas driver’s license.
