South Dakota Car / Permit practice
South Dakota Car / Permit: Penalties & Licensing practice test
The point system, license suspension, provisional-license rules, insurance requirements, and other licensing basics.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
16 questions · pass with 13 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
Study questions with answers
12 sample Penalties & Licensing questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
Show all 12 questions with answers
1. What happens to an applicant caught cheating on the South Dakota knowledge test?
Correct answer: They must wait at least two weeks
They must wait at least two weeks before testing again, rather than simply coming back the next day.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Required Noncommercial License Tests
2. You hand in an expired license when you renew. What extra test does that trigger?
Correct answer: A knowledge test
A vision test always applies at renewal, and surrendering an expired license adds the knowledge test.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Driver License Renewal
3. A restricted minor's permit holder may drive alone after 10 p.m. only in which circumstances?
Correct answer: Trips to or from school, church, work or farm work by the most direct route
Solo driving that late is allowed by the most direct route to or from school or a school event, church or a church event, work, or farm-related work and unregistered farm machinery.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Types of Driver's Licenses and Driver's Permits
4. You move to South Dakota holding a valid non-commercial license from another state. How long do you have to apply for a South Dakota license?
Correct answer: 90 days
New residents holding an out-of-state non-commercial license get 90 days from establishing residency to apply here.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Licensing Requirements
5. Who may ride along with a restricted minor's permit holder during the first six months?
Correct answer: Immediate family or household members only
Only immediate family or members of the same household may ride during those first six months on the restricted permit.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Types of Driver's Licenses and Driver's Permits
6. How long must a South Dakota driver under 18 hold an instruction permit before upgrading it?
Correct answer: 275 days, or 180 with driver education
The permit must be held without a break for 275 days, which drops to 180 days when the applicant finishes an approved driver education course.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Types of Driver's Licenses and Driver's Permits
7. How many points inside 12 consecutive months put a South Dakota driver at risk of suspension?
Correct answer: 15 points
Reaching 15 points inside 12 consecutive months, or 22 points inside 24 consecutive months, exposes a driver to suspension.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, South Dakota Point System
8. How much supervised practice must a minor complete while holding a South Dakota instruction permit?
Correct answer: 50 hours, including 10 in bad weather and 10 after dark
Fifty hours with an adult, of which at least ten must come in poor weather and ten after dark.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Types of Driver's Licenses and Driver's Permits
9. How far ahead of expiration may most South Dakota drivers renew a license?
Correct answer: 180 days
Renewal may be done at any point in the 180 days before the expiration date, unless the driver is turning 21.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Driver License Renewal
10. What is the minimum age for a South Dakota operator's license?
Correct answer: 16
The applicant has to be 16 or older and have passed the vision, knowledge and road tests.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Types of Driver's Licenses and Driver's Permits
11. How many points does a South Dakota conviction for driving while intoxicated carry?
Correct answer: 10 points
That conviction adds 10 points, and state law also requires that the license be revoked.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, South Dakota Point System
12. After a revocation, what does South Dakota require before a license can be issued again?
Correct answer: A reinstatement fee plus new vision and knowledge tests
The driver pays a reinstatement fee of $50 to $225 on top of the application fee, and must take the vision and knowledge tests again.
Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — The Driver's License, Loss of Driving Privileges
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Every South Dakota question is written from the official South Dakota driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free