In Oregon, if you’re under 18, you must obtain an instruction permit before you may apply for a provisional license. (Your parent or guardian must give their signed consent.) Requirements for a permit include passing a vision test and a knowledge (permit) test on driving theory. You may take the knowledge test online or at a DMV office.
Oregon doesn’t require drivers of any age to complete a driver’s education course. However, taking driver’s education reduces the required hours of supervised driving practice for teen drivers after they receive their permits. If you’re under 18, you must either practice for 50 hours if you passed driver’s ed or for 100 hours if you did not.
If you’re at least 18 years old, you’re still required to pass the vision test and the knowledge (permit) test for a license, but an instruction permit is optional. You may take the drive (road) test immediately after passing the knowledge test if you feel ready for it. If not, consider obtaining an instruction permit to get more supervised driving practice.
All questions on the official knowledge test are based on the official Oregon DMV driver’s 2025 handbook (Oregon DMV Handbook (OR Driver's Manual) 2025). The DMV has published editions in English and Spanish, which you can easily download from this webpage for your convenience. The DMV has also published an online edition and made it accessible to web translation tools. You can instantly translate it into eleven more languages!
Sadly, in 2023, a whopping 59% of applicants failed the official Oregon DMV knowledge test on their first attempt. In contrast, our permit test preparation program is guaranteed to help you pass on your first try – or your money back!
We have also created an audiobook of the official driver’s handbook. It’s formatted as a series of MP3 files, one for each chapter of the manual: Welcome, Testing, Study for Your Tests, and so on. You can download each chapter file individually. The longest file is Lane Travel, whose running time is 26 minutes and 23 seconds. The audiobook has a total running time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 5 seconds, so you should be able to go through it in a couple of days.
Worried that you might freeze up or forget something important on the day of the permit test? We also offer our own permit test study guide (available elsewhere on this website) with last-minute tips for the big exam day. It covers what documents to take, fees you may have to pay, how to stay relaxed yet alert for the test, and frequently missed test questions.