Minnesota: Minor & Provisional Licensing Questions
10 real, verified Minnesota driving-test questions on minor & provisional licensing, each with the correct answer and a full explanation below. Want to practice these interactively instead? Start a Minor & Provisional Licensing practice round.
1. What must a Minnesota instruction permit applicant complete before taking the written test, unless they are 18 or older?
Why: Applicants under 18 must complete 30 hours of classroom instruction and be enrolled in behind-the-wheel training, or be enrolled in a concurrent driver education course with at least the first 15 classroom hours done. Applicants 18 or older skip this requirement entirely.
2. How long must a Minnesota instruction permit holder hold the permit before taking the road test?
Why: An instruction permit holder 18 or younger must hold the permit at least six months before the road test; a holder 19 or older only needs to hold it three months. The permit itself is valid for two years of practice driving.
3. How old must the supervising driver be for a Minnesota instruction permit holder under 18, and how does that change once the permit holder turns 18?
Why: A supervising driver for a permit holder under 18 must be at least 21; once the permit holder turns 18, the supervising driver only needs to be at least 18.
4. How many supervised driving hours must a Minnesota teen log before getting a provisional license, and how does completing a parent class change that number?
Why: Without a completed parent class, a teen must log at least 50 hours of supervised driving including 15 at night. If a parent or guardian completes the approved parent class, that requirement drops to 40 hours, still including 15 at night.
5. During the first six months of a Minnesota provisional license, when can the holder legally drive between midnight and 5 a.m.?
Why: During the first six months, a Minnesota provisional license holder can't drive from midnight to 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a licensed driver at least 25, driving between home and work, driving to a school event the school doesn't provide transportation for, or driving for employment.
6. How many non-family passengers under 20 may a Minnesota provisional license holder carry, and how does that change over the license's first year?
Why: For the first six months of a Minnesota provisional license, only one passenger under 20 is allowed unless a parent or guardian is present; that cap rises to three such passengers for the second six months. Immediate family members under 20 don't count against either limit.
7. May a Minnesota instruction permit or provisional license holder under 18 use a hands-free cell phone while driving?
Why: Minnesota bans permit and provisional holders under 18 from using a cell phone while driving at all -- handheld or hands-free -- with the sole exception of calling 911 in an emergency.
8. Under Minnesota's Vanessa's Law, what happens to an unlicensed teen convicted of a crash-related moving violation or an alcohol-related violation while driving?
Why: Vanessa's Law bars an unlicensed teen convicted of a crash-related moving violation or an alcohol/controlled-substance violation from getting a license, permit, or provisional license until age 18, after which they must meet reinstatement requirements and restart the GDL process.
9. What are the two paths to qualifying for a Minnesota under-21 Class D license, and when does that license expire?
Why: An applicant qualifies for a Minnesota under-21 Class D license by being at least 18, or by holding a provisional license for 12 consecutive months with no alcohol, controlled-substance, or crash-related moving-violation convictions. The license expires on the holder's 21st birthday, then renews every four years.
10. What is Minnesota's special medical driver's license, and when can it be issued at age 15?
Why: Minnesota's special medical driver's license may be issued at 15 when there's no licensed driver in the household and the applicant must drive for their own or a relative's medical needs; the restriction appears on the license as MEDLIM.
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Rules and requirements change — always confirm current details with Minnesota DVSbefore your exam. Take the full Minnesota practice test or check the Minnesota cheat sheet.