The CDL knowledge test format: three choices and 80% to pass

Set by federal rule, not by the state

Every CDL knowledge test in the country follows 49 CFR Part 383. Two parts of it decide what test day feels like: each question has three answer choices, and you need 80% to pass each test. New York gives the tests, but it does not set those two numbers.

Three choices changes the odds

With three options, a blind guess is right one time in three. Rule out one option and you are at even odds. On these tests, ruling out a single wrong answer is worth more than it is on a four-choice exam, so always try to eliminate one before guessing.

80% is a high bar

Most licensing exams pass at 70%. At 80%, you can miss only one question in five. On General Knowledge, the test everyone sits, that leaves little room for a weak area, so a topic you have been putting off matters more here than on most exams.

Each test is passed on its own

General Knowledge and each endorsement test are scored separately. A strong General Knowledge score does not carry a weak Air Brakes score. Practice each test you need to the 80% line, not your total across them.

How many questions?

New York does not publish a question count for each knowledge test. Our forms set their own lengths, and we say so on the CDL page rather than present them as the state's numbers.

How to practice

• Sit each test you need at full length and aim well above 80%, so a hard paper on the day still clears the line.
• When you miss one, read why the other two options were wrong. With only three, knowing the two wrong ones is knowing the answer.
• Re-sit on a different form to check you learned the rule, not the question.