Connecticut DMV Cheat Sheet
A condensed study guide for the Connecticut DMV written knowledge test — test logistics, plus the Connecticut-specific rules most likely to differ from what you already know. This isn't a substitute for the official Connecticut driver's manual, or for practicing the real questions. Looking for the core rules and signs that apply everywhere, not just Connecticut? Check the general driving theory cheat sheet instead.
25Questions
80%To Pass
$84 license fee (paid after passing the road test)Fee
- Test length varies: The Connecticut DMV knowledge test is 25 multiple-choice questions, and you need 20 correct (80%) to pass -- this site's own Connecticut practice test draws from the same 25-question, 80%-passing format.
- Fee: Connecticut collects its $84 license fee after you pass the road test, not when you apply for the learner's permit.
- Documents required:
- Learner's permit
- Proof of completing the 8-hour Safe Driving Practices course (CS-1 form)
- $84 license fee
- Clearance letter from DMV Medical Review Division (only if required)
- For 16- or 17-year-olds: proof of driver training (CS-1) and proof of parental training (CS-1 form)
- If you don't pass: The manual does not publish a fixed wait period or retake fee for retesting after a failed knowledge or road test; check ct.gov/dmv/offices for current appointment and retest procedures.
- Online testing: Connecticut lets applicants schedule and pay for the learner's permit knowledge test online at ct.gov/dmv, but the knowledge test itself, the vision test, and the road test are all administered in person at a DMV office.
Connecticut-Specific Rules
Minor & Provisional Licensing
- Connecticut's 25-question knowledge test requires 20 correct answers to pass -- 80 percent.
- To get a Connecticut learner's permit you must be at least 16 years old and pass both a vision test and the 25-question knowledge test.
- A permit is valid until you obtain a driver's license or 2 years from the issue date, whichever happens first.
- Anyone who has never held a Connecticut license or a valid out-of-state license -- at any age -- must complete an 8-hour Safe Driving Practices course before getting a permit.
- 16- and 17-year-olds can complete driver training three ways: a licensed commercial driving school, a secondary school program, or a Home Training Program plus the 8-hour safe driving course.
- A parent or legal guardian of a 16- or 17-year-old permit holder must complete 2 hours of instruction on the laws governing drivers under 18 and the dangers of teen driving -- skip it, and licensing waits until age 18.
- Commercial driving school or secondary school training means at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and at least 40 hours of behind-the-wheel training, capped off with a CS-1 completion certificate.
- After the permit is issued, school-trained applicants wait 120 days before the road test; everyone else (including home-trained applicants) waits 180 days.
- A Home Training Program instructor must be at least 20 years old, have held a license four or more consecutive years without suspension, and be a parent, guardian, grandparent, or (if none available) an uncle, aunt, sibling, or stepparent.
- Home training also requires 30 hours of course study -- including the 8-hour Safe Driving Practices class (at least 4 hours on alcohol and drug effects) and the two-hour parent training -- on top of at least 40 hours behind the wheel.
- Applicants 18 years or older must hold their learner's permit at least 90 days before taking the road test.
- The license fee is $84, paid after you pass the road test.
- For the first six months of licensure, a 16- or 17-year-old may only carry a licensed driving instructor, a parent/guardian with a valid license, or one person at least 20 years old who has held a license four or more consecutive years.
- During the second six months of licensure (months seven through twelve), the only additional passengers a newly licensed 16- or 17-year-old may add are immediate family members.
- 16- and 17-year-old drivers face an 11 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew, with exceptions for work, school, religious activities, medical necessity, or the Safe Ride Program.
- Connecticut drivers who are 16 or 17 years old may not use any cell phone or mobile device while driving -- not even hands-free -- a stricter rule than the hands-free allowance for drivers 18 and older.
- A first GDL violation (curfew, passengers, cell phone, etc.) brings a suspension of 30 days and a $175 restoration fee; a second or later offense jumps to a suspension of 6 months (or until 18, whichever is longer).
- A 16- or 17-year-old caught going 20 mph or more over the speed limit faces a 60-day suspension for a first offense, 90 days for a second, and 6 months for a third, plus the $175 restoration fee.
- Anyone 24 or younger with two or more moving or suspension violations, or 25 or older with three or more convictions, must complete the DMV's certified Operator Retraining Program.
Cell Phone & Electronic Device Laws
- Hand-held cell phone and mobile device use while driving is banned statewide; drivers 18+ may use only hands-free accessories, except for on-duty peace officers, firefighters, and ambulance drivers, or anyone contacting emergency services.
Seat Belts & Child Passenger Safety
- Failing to buckle up carries a $75 fine for the driver or the unbelted passenger.
- Child restraint rules by age/weight: under 2 or <30 lbs, rear-facing 5-point harness; 2-5 or <40 lbs, rear- or forward-facing 5-point harness; 5-8 or 40-60 lbs, 5-point harness or booster; 8+ and 60+ lbs, booster or seat belt -- the more restrictive rule applies when age and weight disagree.
- A rear-facing child restraint can never go in the front seat of a vehicle with a working passenger-side airbag.
DUI Laws & Penalties
- Failing a chemical test after a DUI arrest suspends your license at least 45 days, with an ignition interlock device required for at least six months to reinstate (longer with prior offenses).
- Connecticut's zero-tolerance law penalizes drivers under 21 at a blood alcohol content of just .02% or more -- far below the standard limit that applies to drivers 21 and older.
- Refusing a chemical test still triggers a license suspension of at least 45 days and an ignition interlock device requirement of at least 1 year, regardless of age.
Pedestrians, Bicyclists & Children
- The Vulnerable User's Law requires at least 3 feet of passing distance for pedestrians, bicyclists, wheelchair users, and highway workers, with enhanced penalties if a driver's carelessness causes serious injury or death.
- Approaching an ice cream truck with flashing lights and an extended stop arm: stop at least 10 feet from the front or back, then proceed at up to 5 mph once clear.
Emergency Vehicles, School Buses & Work Zones
- The Move Over Law requires both slowing below the posted limit and moving over one lane (when safe) for any vehicle pulled over on a highway or road.
- Speeding, ignoring traffic control devices, or endangering a highway worker in a work zone can mean fines up to $1,000 plus license points, and illegal hand-held device fines are doubled.
- Stop for a school bus with red lights flashing no matter which side of the road it's on or which direction you're heading, unless a median or physical barrier separates the roadway.
Speed, Right-of-Way & Legal Rules
- When your direction of travel has fewer than three lanes, Connecticut law requires you to drive in the right lane except when passing.
- At an intersection with a dark (inoperative) stop light, treat it exactly like a stop sign.
- Entering a roundabout, yield to traffic already circulating and to pedestrians in the crosswalk; never stop inside the roundabout to let other traffic enter.
Weather & Road Surface Conditions
- Studded snow tires are legal in Connecticut only from November 15th through April 30th.
Rules and fees change — always confirm current details with Connecticut DMV before your exam. Cheat sheet v1.0, last checked 2026-08-02.