Minnesota hands every CDL applicant the first two written test attempts for free - and plenty of testers burn both in a single week, walk out of the exam station, and assume the whole state process is rigged. It is not rigged. It is drawn line for line from the Minnesota Commercial Driver’s Manual, it passes at 80%, and the state posts the manual itself as a free PDF.
The fix is the same as in every state: train on a Minnesota CDL practice test built from the manual DVS actually tests you on, then walk in with a miss budget you have already rehearsed. The exam is computer-based, multiple choice, and covers exactly the sections printed in the book.
This guide gives you the whole picture: the question counts, the exact pass line, the two-free-attempts rule, the road test traps, the official fee stack down to the dollar, and a four week schedule that leaves the winter-driving questions feeling routine instead of exotic.
Minnesota CDL Quick Facts
| Item | Current Minnesota requirement |
|---|---|
| Licensing agency | Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) |
| Minimum age | 18 for intrastate operation; 21 for interstate commerce |
| Existing license | Valid Minnesota driver license |
| Minimum CLP hold | 14 calendar days before the skills test |
| CLP validity | 180 days; renewals cannot extend the total beyond one year from initial issuance |
| Knowledge attempts | One attempt per day; first two attempts are free |
| CLP limits | No passengers and no hazardous-material load while operating on a permit |
| Official handbook | Minnesota Commercial Driver’s License Manual (PDF) |
Choose the knowledge module you need
| CDL module | Start here |
|---|---|
| General Knowledge | Open the General Knowledge diagnostic |
| Air Brakes | Open the Air Brakes diagnostic |
| Combination Vehicles | Open the Combination Vehicles diagnostic |
| Hazardous Materials | Open the HazMat diagnostic |
| Tank Vehicles | Open the Tanker diagnostic |
| Doubles and Triples | Open the Doubles and Triples diagnostic |
| Pre-Trip Inspection | Open the Pre-Trip diagnostic |
How the Minnesota CDL Permit Test Works
Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), the licensing arm of the Department of Public Safety, runs CDL knowledge testing at driver exam stations - and the commercial learner’s permit itself is only issued at exam stations, not at license renewal offices. Before any of it, you need a valid Minnesota Class D driver’s license in hand.
The baseline requirements DVS publishes are short and non-negotiable:
- A valid Minnesota driver’s license.
- Be at least 18 years old - or at least 21 to drive commercially outside Minnesota.
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency.
- Proof of Minnesota residency, plus medical self-certification.
One Minnesota quirk worth knowing early: Class C applicants are issued a Class B CLP, because the same written tests cover both. Nobody loses anything by it, but testers are routinely surprised to see the B on the permit.
Minnesota DVS currently warns that issuance and renewal of non-domiciled CDLs and CLPs is paused. Applicants affected by that category should read the current notice on the official CDL page before paying for training or scheduling an exam.
How Many Questions and What Is the Pass Line
The General Knowledge test is the centerpiece: 50 questions, 40 correct answers to pass. That is an 80% line with a 10 question miss budget - the same shape as most states, but Minnesota does not publish the question counts for the other sections, so anyone quoting you an exact number of Air Brakes questions is guessing.
| Test | Questions | Pass line | Who takes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Knowledge | 50 | 40 correct (80%) | Every CDL class. |
| Air Brakes | Not published | 80% | Anyone testing in an air brake vehicle. |
| Combination Vehicles | Not published | 80% | Class A applicants only. |
| Endorsement exams | Varies | 80% | Only if you carry the endorsement. |
For the national picture on how states structure their question counts, see our breakdown of how many questions are on the CDL permit test.
The test has 50 questions and the pass line is 40 correct, an 80% standard with exactly 10 misses allowed. Answer A would be a 90% line Minnesota does not use, and answer C is a 76% pass - one miss too many.
What the Written Test Covers
DVS says it plainly: the required test covers information in the Minnesota commercial driver’s manual. Nothing on the exam comes from anywhere else, which makes the manual the single highest-value study object in the state. A Minnesota CDL practice test is only as good as its overlap with that book.
The typical Class A applicant faces three written tests - General Knowledge, Air Brakes, and Combination Vehicles - plus one written exam per endorsement at $2.50 each. Two Minnesota-specific rules catch testers years later: the school bus and hazardous materials endorsements must be retaken at every license renewal, not just when first added. Budget for that reality now.
Drill in the same order the license demands: our CDL General Knowledge practice test feeds every class, the air brakes cheat sheet attacks the highest-failure section, and the CDL combination practice test covers the Class A coupling material.
Where to Find Practice Tests That Match the Real Exam
The best Minnesota CDL practice test material is free and official: the manual itself, posted as a PDF on the DVS website. Read it once end to end, then let question banks do the second pass - our free CDL practice test page covers every knowledge section at full length, and the CDL mock test rehearse timing under pressure in the final week.
Search behavior around this exam is messy: people hunt for an MN CDL practice test, a CDL practice test MN exam stations use, an MN CDL permit test simulator, or a CDL permit test MN drivers swear by - and every one of those describes the same 80% exam drawn from the same manual. Pick one bank that maps to the manual’s sections, run it until the scores stabilize, and stop shopping.
The Two Free Attempts Rule
Minnesota’s retest economics are the friendliest in the region: your first two written test attempts are free, and only the third and subsequent attempts cost $10. Road tests mirror the structure - the first two are free, then $20 each. The state is not trying to farm fees out of you; it is trying to make the third attempt hurt enough that you study first.
What does cost real money is wasting appointments. A road test no-show runs $40, and cancelling between 24 and 72 hours out costs $20. Book the road test only when your practice scores say you are ready, and treat the appointment like a freight delivery deadline.
The first two written attempts are free; the third and every attempt after costs $10. The $40 figure is the road test no-show fee - a different penalty for a different mistake.
From CLP to CDL: the 14-Day Hold and ELDT
Once the written tests pass, you apply for the CLP and the clock starts. The permit is valid for 180 days; renewal cannot extend the permit beyond one year from its original issue date. Federal rules require holding it for at least 14 calendar days before the road test, and a CLP holder can never carry passengers or haul hazardous materials. Confirm the current permit/card fee with DVS when booking, because credential fees can change. The full federal picture is in our commercial learner permit rules guide.
Entry-level driver training (ELDT) wraps around the permit: the classroom theory portion can be completed at any time - even before the CLP - but the behind-the-wheel portion cannot start until you hold the CLP, and it must be finished within a year of the theory work. Our online CDL classes and ELDT training overview covers registered providers.
One hard Minnesota edge case: drivers with a K restriction must pass the skills test in Minnesota. Out-of-state test results are not accepted, per federal regulation 49 CFR 391.11 - so do not schedule a skills test across the border in Fargo expecting it to count.
What It Costs in Minnesota
Minnesota’s fee stack is one of the smallest in the country - the entire state-side cost of a Class A license, permit included, lands under $100 before training. The official DVS fee list:
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CLP (Class A, B or C instruction permit) | $26.75 | Exam stations only. |
| Class A CDL | $65 | $45 under age 21. |
| Class B CDL | $57 | Class C runs $50. |
| Endorsement written exam | $2.50 each | School bus adds a $4 processing fee. |
| Written retest (third and after) | $10 | First two attempts free. |
| Road test retest (third and after) | $20 | No-show costs $40. |
| HazMat TSA threat assessment | About $86.50 | Optional, paid to TSA. |
A Class A CDL is valid for four years in Minnesota, and renewals run $60 - with the school bus and HazMat written retests still attached if you carry those endorsements. Compare that with states charging triple digits per application, and the economics of preparing properly become obvious: every avoided retest is money already in your pocket.
Minnesota Questions That Trip Applicants
A generic national question bank will pass the time, but it will not cover the material Minnesota leans on. Three areas where the state’s own roads and rules shape the exam:
- Winter driving. The manual’s winter sections - stopping distance on ice, jackknife recovery, pre-trip checks in subzero cold - carry real weight here, and for an obvious reason: the state runs on CDL holders plowing snow from November to April. Testers who trained in mild-weather states routinely under-prepare this material.
- The 18-to-21 intrastate path. Minnesota issues CLPs and CDLs at 18, but under 21 the commercial driving is Minnesota-only. The boundary shows up in test questions more often than applicants expect.
- School bus and passenger rules. Endorsement exams are $2.50 apiece here and school bus fleets hire heavily, so the passenger and school bus sections get more attention than in states without the same fleet footprint.
Our neighbor-state guide to the South Dakota CDL practice test covers the same northern-climate material with a different fee structure - useful if you test on both sides of the border.
Minnesota allows a CDL at 18, but drivers under 21 are limited to commercial driving inside the state. Fargo is across the border, which makes the run interstate commerce - legal only at 21. The K restriction in answer C is exactly the intrastate limitation that would block the trip.
The Road Test: What Sinks Minnesota Testers
The road test is three parts - pre-trip inspection, basic control skills, and the drive - and the pre-trip is where most testers fail. Naming components is not enough; you have to say what you are checking for and why. Rehearse the full walkaround with our pre-trip inspection checklist until the sequence is automatic, because in January you will perform it in gloves at a cold exam station.
Scheduling is the quiet risk. Road test appointments at exam stations fill weeks out, and the no-show and late-cancellation fees ($40 and $20) apply the moment your plans slip. Book when your practice scores justify it, confirm the vehicle requirements in advance, and treat the date as fixed.
A Four Week Practice Schedule
A Minnesota CDL practice test only pays off when the reps are aimed at the manual’s actual sections. This schedule assumes an hour a day with a Class A goal:
| Week | Focus | Daily work | Goal by Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Knowledge | Manual sections 1-3 plus 25 practice questions | 80% on a full 50-question run. |
| 2 | Air Brakes | Air system diagrams, PSI numbers, leak-down drill | 90% on air brakes questions. |
| 3 | Combination Vehicles | Coupling, landing gear, off-tracking scenarios | 85% on combination questions. |
| 4 | Mixed simulation | Timed mock tests plus winter-driving sections | 85% on two full mock tests, road test booked. |
Keep a written miss log - every missed question goes on paper with the manual section it came from, and the next day starts with those exact topics. In week four, add the winter-driving material to every session, because those sections are the closest thing Minnesota has to a home-field trick question.
Conclusion
The Minnesota CDL permit test is a 50-question General Knowledge exam at an 80% pass line, flanked by Air Brakes and Combination Vehicles sections DVS does not publish counts for, with the first two attempts free and $10 after that. The state-side fee stack - $26.75 for the CLP, $65 for a Class A - is among the smallest anywhere, which makes preparation the only expensive part of the process.
Train on a Minnesota CDL practice test mapped to the manual, respect the 14-day hold, rehearse the pre-trip in gloves, and walk into the exam station with the miss budget already rehearsed. Two free attempts are plenty when the first one is prepared.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many questions are on the Minnesota CDL permit test?
The General Knowledge test has 50 questions and you must answer 40 correctly to pass, an 80% line that leaves a budget of 10 misses. DVS does not publish the question counts for the Air Brakes and Combination Vehicles tests.
How much does it cost to get a CDL in Minnesota?
The commercial learner’s permit is $26.75, and the license itself runs $65 for Class A, $57 for Class B, or $50 for Class C. Each endorsement written exam is $2.50, and under 21 applicants pay reduced license fees.
How many free attempts do you get on the Minnesota CDL written test?
Your first two written test attempts are free. The third and every attempt after that costs $10. Road tests work the same way - the first two are free, then $20 each, and a no-show costs $40.
Can you get a CDL at 18 in Minnesota?
Yes. You can hold a CLP and a CDL at 18, but under 21 you are limited to driving commercially inside Minnesota only. You must be at least 21 to drive commercially outside the state.
Do school bus and HazMat endorsements require retesting in Minnesota?
Yes. Minnesota requires you to retake the written test for the school bus and hazardous materials endorsements every time you renew your license, not just when you first add them.
How long do you have to hold a CLP before the road test in Minnesota?
You must hold the CLP for at least 14 calendar days before the road test. During that time you cannot carry passengers or haul hazardous materials, and behind-the-wheel ELDT must be finished within a year of your theory training.
Official Sources
- Minnesota DVS commercial driver license hub
- Minnesota commercial learner permit requirements
- Minnesota CDL endorsements and restrictions
- Minnesota Commercial Driver’s License Manual (PDF)
State rules and fees can change. Use the verification date above and recheck DVS before paying a fee or relying on a testing deadline.