Passing Your Driver’s Test: How Hard It Is In Pennsylvania

Handing the car keys to the kid is a frightening rite of passage for parents no matter where they live, but some states are more rigorous than others in driver’s license tests. Pennsylvania is ranked 11th in terms of overall difficulty.

The study by the personal injury law firm Siegfried & Jensen reviews the variations in the minimum knowledge states require on written tests, how drivers are judged in road tests, whether applicants over 18 are required to get learner permits, and the cost of licenses and tests. Each area was weighted, with 100 possible points.

Here’s what the study showed about Pennsyvlania:

The Keystone State's overall difficulty score was 67 out of 100. The road test is perhaps the hardest part: it includes 18 different elements, more than any other state except for Washington.

The knowledge test also requires an 83 percent score in order to pass. That's the second highest requirement in the whole country. As a comparison, Indiana and Michigan drivers need just a 70 percent to pass.

It’s easiest to get a driver’s license in South Dakota than anywhere else in the country, according to the study. Drivers over the age of 18 don’t have to get a learner’s permit, license fees are only $9 and applicants can take three passes at the test, which requires 80 percent proficiency. Driver tests concentrate on six elements — Washington, which has the toughest standards, tests skills in 19 areas — and the state’s overall score was only 42, compared with 80 points for Washington State.

Joining Washington among the top five states with difficult driver licensing standards are Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina and Kansas, respectively. On the other end, just above South Dakota were Ohio, Arkansas New York and Nebraska.

The study used information from driver handbooks issued by each state’s Department of Motor Vehicles or equivalent agency and from comparison websites Driving-Tests.org and DMV.org. The study’s authors said the information about licensing, driving tests, and associated requirements was collected on the assumption the applicant is 18 years old and doesn’t have any mitigating circumstances, such as a veteran status or disability.

Read more about the methodology here.

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