What have you dreamed of doing once you get a driver’s license? Driving on the Kancamagus Highway or the Mount Washington Auto Road to enjoy the sights? Or driving yourself to work in Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, or somewhere in Massachusetts, with your vehicle’s climate control and audio system set to your liking?
Whatever your dream, you have a series of steps to complete before you can obtain a license. Regardless of your age, you must provide all required documentation and pass three important tests: a vision test, an automated knowledge test, and finally a road test. If you’re 16 or 17 years old, you must also complete an approved driver education program.
The knowledge test has 40 questions, and the passing score is 80%. You should study the official driver’s manual (New Hampshire DMV Handbook (NH Driver's Manual) 2025) because the knowledge test questions are based on it. Think passing the test will be easy once you’ve read the manual? Not necessarily! In 2020 – 2023, 31.2% – nearly one-third – of applicants failed the DMV knowledge test on their first try.