Licensing, insurance and the law
How many attempts do you get at the knowledge test before you must reapply, and how long must a minor wait after failing one?
- Three attempts; a minor waits seven days, not counting the day of the failure. Correct answer
- Three attempts; a minor waits 14 days, not counting the day of the failure.
- Two attempts; a minor waits seven days, not counting the day of the failure.
Why
Three tries, and after the third you start the application over. A minor also has a waiting period of seven days before a retake, and the day of the failure does not count toward it. Fourteen days is the real number for the other test: a minor who fails the behind-the-wheel test waits 14 days for another go, again not counting the day of the failure. Two things worth knowing before you sit down. No testing aids are allowed during a knowledge test, and the handbook names the California Driver's Handbook itself and your phone as examples. And when you are renewing rather than applying for the first time, eLearning may be offered instead, a no-fail, self-paced course with a quiz after each module.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Three attempts; a minor waits seven days, not counting the day of the failure.
The rule behind this one
License, points and insurance in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on licensing, insurance and the law
- You are in a collision and you do not have proper insurance coverage. What happens to your driving privilege?
- You move to California bringing your car with you. How long do you have to register it here?
- Your driver's license is about to expire and you are 72 years old. How must you renew it?
- A law enforcement officer pulls you over. Which documents must you, as the driver, produce?