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View All PlansFree NC DMV Diagnostic Test 2025
It will take more than a North Carolina driver’s license for you to take a lap around the Charlotte Motor Speedway. That kind of fun should be left to the professionals. However, if you want to drive your friends to the Outer Banks or the Appalachian Trail, you need to get ready to take a driving knowledge test. North Carolina requires you to correctly answer 80% of the 25 questions to receive a passing score, which is one of the requirements for a learner permit or driver’s license. Your favorite basketball team would not step on the court to play a game against their Tobacco Road rival without practicing beforehand. Why do you think preparing for the knowledge test is any different? There are a variety of online knowledge test preparation resources. However, one stands above all the rest.
This free North Carolina Diagnostic Driving practice test will effectively prepare you to achieve a passing score in a time-efficient way. While you may be somewhat familiar with the rules of the road, you will need to demonstrate a deep understanding of traffic laws and driver safety. There are 15 questions on the official knowledge test that many North Carolinians drop the ball on when trying to answer them. These questions present challenges in the way they are worded and the possible answer choices provided. They are designed to make you think hard and second-guess yourself. You will need to pay close attention to the structure of the questions to avoid going from the frying pan into the fire.
Using our Diagnostic Driving practice test, you will take a giant step in preparing yourself to meet the challenges of the knowledge test. The practice test is based on the most recent North Carolina DMV driver’s handbook (North Carolina DMV Handbook (NC Driver's Manual) 2025) and is up to date as of October 2025. If you’re thinking you might use a study guide, you need to get that thought out of your head and use some common sense. Study guides are not as useful because they help you memorize the answers to the questions without explaining them. In comparison, the practice test will identify any wrong answers that you submit. You will be given a detailed explanation of the information you need to learn to make the answer correct. This approach will give you a clear understanding of the information that will greatly reduce the chance of you being duped by one of those 15 tricky questions. You’ll feel poised, confident, and ready to pass your official test on the first try.
Although you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, you can find valuable information about practice tests for other U.S. states and Washington D.C. at https://driving-tests.org/academy/drivers-license.
Verified for accuracy: October 2025
Reviewed by Steven Litvintchouk, M.S.
Chief Educational Researcher (ACES member)
Methodology & Editorial Policy
What to expect on the actual NC permit test
questions
correct answers to pass
passing score
minimum age to apply
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We know how Driver's Ed goes
Noses sneeze. Babies cry. Frustration groans. And when it's finally time to take your test, you're sweating. Thirty minutes later, you're crying. Because despite your best efforts. You failed. Next thing you know, you're chasing a Waymo in circles to get home (embarrassing!).
At Driving Tests, we know emotions can get in the way of doing what you need to do. So we deliver Driver's Ed that makes it easy to start, and even easier to finish. We get you DMV Smart ASAP. Testing you with real, up-to-date questions. Backing up tricky driving situations with easy-to-grasp visuals & engaging practice tests that reaffirm what you know, and test you again on what you don't. So by the time test day comes - you *own* the DMV. Your only worry? Convincing the proctor you didn't cheat ;)