As its residents know well, Alaska is big. Really big. In several ways. Alaska is by far the largest US state. It’s more than twice the size of Texas, the second-largest state. Alaska is about 21% (about one-fifth) of the size of all the Lower 48 states combined. It also has 6,640 miles of coastline, longer than the coastlines of all the other US states combined. With that much territory to cover, a driver’s license would sure come in handy.
To obtain a driver’s license, you must meet a series of requirements, including passing three tests: a vision test, a written knowledge test, and a road test. If you’re learning to drive, the vision and written tests are also crucial requirements for obtaining an instruction permit, which you must hold to practice supervised driving. The written test consists of 20 questions based on the official driver’s manual (Alaska DMV Handbook (AK Driver's Manual) 2025). The questions cover traffic laws, safe driving practices, and road sign recognition. The passing score is 80%.
Please don’t assume that all you have to do to pass the written test is read the driver’s manual a couple of times beforehand. Other aspiring drivers have found that it wasn’t so easy. Roughly one-half of those who have taken the Alaska DMV written test failed it on their first try.