CDL Testing, State by State
The CDL knowledge test is not 51 different exams. FMCSA sets the minimum standards for every state in 49 CFR Part 383, and state CDL manuals are based on the same national model manual — which is why the material you practice here prepares you in any state.
What does change at the state line: fees, scheduling, endorsement paperwork, and where you take the test.
Read this first
StudyItAll is a study aid only. We are not affiliated with any DMV, and this is not official test material. Always use your state's official CDL manual as the final authority.
The federal baseline
What's the same everywhere
FMCSA sets the floor in 49 CFR Part 383, and every state builds its testing to meet it.
Same core knowledge topics
General knowledge for every applicant, combination vehicles for Class A, and air brakes — skip the air-brakes test and your CDL carries an air-brake restriction. The required topic areas come from 49 CFR Part 383.
Same 80% pass bar
Federal standards set the passing score for every CDL knowledge test at 80% (49 CFR 383.135). Our practice tests and exam simulation use the same bar.
Same endorsement letters
Endorsement codes are federally standardized (49 CFR 383.153), so the letters mean the same thing in every state.
Hazardous materials. Knowledge test plus a TSA security threat assessment (fingerprint-based background check).
Tank vehicles. Knowledge test covering liquid surge, baffles, and tank safety.
Doubles / triples. Knowledge test for pulling double or triple trailers.
Passenger. Knowledge test plus a skills test in a passenger vehicle.
School bus. Requires the passenger endorsement, plus its own knowledge and skills tests.
States also issue the combined code X for tank vehicles + hazardous materials together.
Same three license classes
The CDL classes are defined federally (49 CFR 383.91), so a Class A means the same thing nationwide.
Combination vehicles. Any combination of vehicles with a GCWR of 26,001 lbs or more, where the towed vehicle(s) are rated over 10,000 lbs.
Heavy straight vehicles. Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 lbs or more, which may tow a vehicle rated at 10,000 lbs or less.
Smaller CMVs. A vehicle that doesn't meet Class A or B but is designed for 16 or more passengers (driver included) or carries placarded hazardous materials.
Check locally
What varies by state
Your state controls the logistics. Confirm these in your state's manual or on its licensing agency's website before test day.
Fees
Application, knowledge test, skills test, endorsement, and license fees are all set by each state — there is no national fee schedule.
Test lengths
Federal rules set minimum standards for each test, but the exact number of questions — especially on endorsement tests — differs from state to state.
Scheduling
Some states take walk-ins for knowledge tests, others require appointments — and skills tests usually must be booked ahead, sometimes weeks out.
CLP holding period
Federal rule requires holding your commercial learner's permit at least 14 days before the skills test. That's the floor — some states make you wait longer.
Where you test
The licensing agency goes by different names (DMV, BMV, DPS, MVD…), locations differ, and many states also authorize third-party skills testers.
State directory · 50 states + DC
Find your state's official manual
We don't host or mirror state manuals, and we don't guess at agency URLs. Each card below opens a Google search for that state's official CDL manual — download it only from your state government's own website.
FMCSA — official federal CDL requirements
fmcsa.dot.gov · the federal agency that sets the minimum CDL testing standards
Links open a Google search rather than a direct agency page — states reorganize their sites often, and a search reliably surfaces the current official manual.
The paperwork is state-specific. The knowledge isn't.
Every practice question here targets the federal knowledge standards that every state's test is required to meet.