Failed the Virginia DMV Test? Here's What to Do Next
Failing the knowledge test is more common than people expect, and most states let you try again quickly. Here's how the retake process works in Virginia and how to actually pass next time.
Failing the Virginia knowledge test is more common than the people walking out smiling will tell you. The two-part format is unforgiving: you have to identify ten signs correctly to even begin part two, then score 80 percent on the general-knowledge section. Miss a single sign in part one and you are done before you started. Score 79 percent on part two and you are done. The test does not round up.
This chapter is for the reader who just walked back to the parking lot. Virginia's retake rules let you get back in the chair quickly, and your first attempt told you exactly where to focus.
The retake rules
If you are 18 or older, you can retake the Virginia knowledge test after one business day. If you are under 18, you must wait 15 days before retesting. Either way, the retake is on a computer at a Virginia DMV customer service center, and you re-pay the application fee each time you sit for it.
Book your appointment online at dmv.virginia.gov before you go. Walk-in slots fill up; standing in line for two hours when you could have walked straight to the testing terminal is not how you want to spend a retake day.
Which part failed?
Before you study anything, figure out which section sank you.
Part one (signs). You needed 10 out of 10 to advance. If you missed one, the outcome was the same as missing five. This part is the easier of the two to fix because the universe is finite: the federal MUTCD set, organized by shape and color. Yield is the only downward-pointing triangle. Stop is the only octagon. Warning signs are yellow diamonds. Construction is orange. School zones are pentagons. Railroad advance warning is a yellow circle with an X and two Rs.
Part two (general knowledge). You needed 80 percent. Questions are drawn from the Virginia Driver's Manual and cover traffic signals and pavement markings; safe-driving rules (speeds, stopping, right-of-way, roundabouts, lane changes, passing, turning, signals, space cushion, blind spots, parking, lights, hazardous conditions); dangerous-driving behaviors including aggressive, distracted, drowsy, and impaired driving; crash procedure; seat belts, air bags, and child seats; license suspensions and penalties; and license types.
If you remember even roughly which questions stumped you, write them down before you leave the parking lot. Memory of a specific question fades within an hour, and the topics those questions pointed to are exactly where your study time should go.
A five-day plan
Adults can retest after one business day. Take five anyway. The cost of an extra day of preparation is small; the cost of a second failure is another fee and another appointment.
Day 1. Diagnose and rebuild the map. Re-read the chapters of this book that cover the section you failed. Note every rule that surprised you. If part one was the problem, work through the universal MUTCD chapter and the signs reference at the back. If part two was the problem, list the three topics that tripped you most.
Day 2. Signs and pavement markings. Drill until shape and color trigger meaning automatically. Pavement markings count here too: a broken yellow line beside a solid yellow line means the driver on the solid-line side may not cross to pass, except to pass pedestrians, bicyclists, or riders of scooters and skateboards when the opposite lane is clear.
Day 3. Right of way and emergency-vehicle rules. Four-way stops, T-intersections, roundabouts, unprotected left turns. Virginia tests the small-print versions of these, not just the obvious cases. While you are there, lock in the move-over rule: when you approach a stationary emergency vehicle, tow truck, or any vehicle showing flashing blue, red, amber, or white lights, change to a lane not next to it; if you cannot change lanes safely, reduce your speed and proceed with caution. Never follow an emergency vehicle with flashing lights closer than 500 feet.
Day 4. The numbers. Virginia's test rewards readers who memorize exact thresholds rather than approximations. Memorize these:
- Following distance: 2 seconds under 35 MPH, 3 seconds from 35 to 45 MPH, 4 seconds from 46 to 70 MPH. Add a second behind a motorcycle, and double that addition in bad weather.
- Headlights: required from sunset to sunrise, whenever your wipers are on for weather, and whenever weather drops visibility to 500 feet or less. Dim to low beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 200 feet of a vehicle you are following.
- Speed limits: 25 MPH in residential and business districts and school zones, 55 MPH on rural roads, 65 MPH on interstates.
- BAC: 0.08 percent for drivers 21 and older; 0.02 percent for drivers under 21.
- Cyclist passing clearance: three feet, measured to the left of the bicycle. The same three feet applies when you pass a horse-drawn buggy.
- Demerit-point suspension threshold: 18 points in 12 months, or 24 points in 24 months.
These numbers carry weight on the test because each one is a question waiting to happen. The wrong-answer choices are written as near misses (3 seconds instead of 4, 300 feet instead of 500). Memorize the exact number, not the neighborhood.
Day 5. Full-length practice, then go. Take a timed, uninterrupted practice exam at roadready.press/virginia/diagnostic. Review every miss, not just the count. Then book your appointment for the next morning.
Walking in the second time
Bring the same documents you brought the first time, plus the application fee. Eat first; an empty stomach makes second-guessing worse. Read each question all the way through before you look at the answer choices. The wrong answers on the Virginia test are written to sound reasonable, and the one that sounds most familiar is sometimes the trap.
If you fail a second time, the rules do not change. Wait the required period, study the specific topics that beat you, and book the next appointment. The test is not measuring whether you deserve to drive. It is measuring whether you have the rules in your head on the day you take it.
Manual reference: Virginia Driver's Manual, Section 8 (Examinations)
Retake rules
- Retake wait (days)
-
Applicants 18 or older may test only one time per day, so the earliest retake is the next day. Applicants under 18 must by law wait a full 15 days (fail on January 1, earliest retake January 17; Va. Code 46.2-332(B)). Regardless of age, after a third failure you cannot test a fourth time until you complete a driver's manual course (8-hour course for 18+, or the 36-period classroom driver education for under 18) and give DMV the completion certificate. Each retake requires reapplying for a learner's permit.
- Retake fee
-
Virginia no longer charges a reexamination fee for the knowledge exam. DMV announced on 2022-06-30 that the $2 reexamination fee was removed (SB 301 / HB 530), and Va. Code 46.2-332 (fees, amended through 2025) contains no reexamination fee. The learner's permit fee is paid when the permit is issued after passing.
- Knowledge-test pass rate (%)
-
52% pass; 2020-2023 pooled; all tests administered (first attempts not separated); knowledge test. The figure comes from a 2024 analysis of test results supplied by 36 state licensing agencies, pooled across 2020 to 2023. It counts every test administered, so retakes are mixed in with first attempts.
Test format and scoring
- Passing score (%)
-
Part One (10 sign questions) requires 100% correct before Part Two is unlocked; Part Two (30 questions) requires at least 80% correct, i.e. 24 of 30. Overall that is 34 of 40 (85%), but the published pass rule is 10/10 then 24/30.
- Number of questions
-
Two-part exam: Part One is 10 road-sign questions, Part Two is 30 general knowledge questions (40 total). The manual gives the 10-sign count and 80% rule but not the Part Two count; the DMV knowledge-exam page gives 30.
- Test format
-
computer
Source: Virginia Driver's Manual, Section 1: Testing, Two-Part Knowledge Exam, p. 3
- Retake wait (days)
-
Applicants 18 or older may test only one time per day, so the earliest retake is the next day. Applicants under 18 must by law wait a full 15 days (fail on January 1, earliest retake January 17; Va. Code 46.2-332(B)). Regardless of age, after a third failure you cannot test a fourth time until you complete a driver's manual course (8-hour course for 18+, or the 36-period classroom driver education for under 18) and give DMV the completion certificate. Each retake requires reapplying for a learner's permit.
- Per-section minimums?
-
Yes. 10/10 required on part-one sign questions before part two; 80% required on part two
Source: Virginia Driver's Manual, Section 1: Testing, Two-Part Knowledge Exam, p. 3
Fees
- Learner permit fee
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The learner's permit fee is $3, charged together with the yearly cost of the driver's license you will receive, so the full license fee is paid when you apply for the permit.
- Knowledge test fee
-
Virginia's fee chart lists no charge for the knowledge exam; the fees you pay are the learner's permit fee and the driver's license fee. Adults may take the exam once per day, and after three failures must complete a training course before testing again.
- First-time license fee
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The driver's license costs $4 per year with a $20 minimum, so the standard eight-year license is $32. A REAL ID compliant license adds a one-time $10 fee.
Source: Virginia DMV, DMV 201, dated 08/10/2026 ("Driver's license only ($4 per year) (minimum $20) $32.00")
- Retake fee
-
Virginia no longer charges a reexamination fee for the knowledge exam. DMV announced on 2022-06-30 that the $2 reexamination fee was removed (SB 301 / HB 530), and Va. Code 46.2-332 (fees, amended through 2025) contains no reexamination fee. The learner's permit fee is paid when the permit is issued after passing.
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