Indiana CDL Knowledge Test Pass Rates: The Average Driver Fails Twice Before Passing (Official BMV Data)

More than two out of every three attempts at Indiana’s CDL General Knowledge test end in a failure. This report breaks down the Indiana BMV’s commercial driver testing data year by year, from 2016 to 2025, and shows which commercial tests have the lowest pass rates. The data records how many tests were taken and how many passed or failed.

Data source: Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) knowledge-testing records, covering commercial driver’s license (CDL) tests, 2016 to 2025.

What 10 Years of Indiana CDL Testing Data Shows

Commercial drivers in Indiana start in the same place: passing the CDL knowledge test on a computer at a BMV office. That makes the knowledge test the first gate for every one of them, and the data show what it actually takes to clear it.

One note on reading the figures: they count test attempts, not people, and the data also records the average number of attempts each person makes. A low pass rate, therefore, does not mean most people never get licensed. It means an attempt often does not pass on the first try.

How many people take the Indiana CDL knowledge test each year?

Across all commercial knowledge tests combined, general knowledge plus every endorsement, Indiana logged 1,236,336 attempts between 2016 and 2025. Annual volume rose from 78,798 attempts in 2016 to 161,540 in 2025, more than double the earlier figure.

The General Knowledge test alone, which every CDL applicant must pass, accounted for 504,923 attempts from about 165,875 unique people. In 2025, 64,041 General Knowledge tests were taken, the most in any year of the data.

What is the Indiana CDL knowledge test pass rate?

Over the full ten-year period, about 32% of General Knowledge attempts passed, which means more than two-thirds of attempts failed. The companion figure is the average number of attempts: candidates made about three attempts each before getting through.

The number of successful General Knowledge attempts across the period (about 162,000) is close to the number of people who took the test (about 165,875). That points to most applicants passing the test at some point. The low pass rate per attempt reflects how many attempts it takes, not large numbers of people failing permanently. And because Indiana does not allow a same-day retake, each unsuccessful attempt means a separate visit to the BMV.

Year-by-year breakdown (CDL General Knowledge test)

Source: Indiana BMV knowledge-testing records, 2016 to 2025.

Three things the data shows:

1. The pass rate declined. The share of attempts that passed fell from 34.8% in 2016 to 30.4% in 2025, reaching its lowest point in 2024 at 29.7%.
2. The average number of attempts per person rose, from 2.4 in 2016 to a high of 3.4 in 2024, settling at 3.3 in 2025.
3. Testing volume rose, from 31,685 General Knowledge attempts in 2016 to 64,041 in 2025, the highest annual figure in the data.

Which Indiana CDL Test Has the Lowest Pass Rate?

By pass rate, the General Knowledge test is passed least often of the eight CDL knowledge tests. In 2025, the School Bus and Tank Vehicles tests passed at roughly twice their rate.

Source: Indiana BMV knowledge-testing records, 2016 and 2025.

The broad General Knowledge test, taken by every applicant, has the lowest pass rate, while the narrow endorsement tests, taken by drivers focused on a specific vehicle or cargo, pass at higher rates. Seven of the eight CDL tests had a lower pass rate in 2025 than in 2016.

Hazardous Materials was the only one that was higher. Its pass rate rose from 44.7% of attempts in 2016 to 59.1% in 2025, and its attempts more than tripled over the same period, from 6,431 to 23,613.

What’s Actually on the Indiana CDL Knowledge Test

The General Knowledge test

Every CDL applicant in Indiana, whether Class A, B, or C, has to pass the General Knowledge test first. Its questions are drawn from the Indiana CDL Manual, and you need to answer at least 80% correctly to pass, which is the federal minimum for every CDL knowledge test. Passing it earns your Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP), the required first step before the skills test and a full license.

Endorsements and the Air Brakes restriction

Beyond the General Knowledge test, drivers take additional knowledge tests for the vehicles and cargo they plan to handle. Five of these go toward endorsements: Hazardous Materials, Tank Vehicles, Doubles/Triples, Passenger, and School Bus. Two more are not endorsements but still require their own knowledge test: Combination Vehicles, which you need for a Class A CDL, and Air Brakes. Each test is scored separately, and each requires at least 80% to pass. If you do not pass the Air Brakes test, your license carries a restriction barring you from driving vehicles equipped with air brakes.

How many times can you retake the Indiana CDL knowledge test?

You can attempt a CDL knowledge test only once per day. If you fail, you can retake it the next business day, which means another visit to the BMV. With the average applicant making about three attempts, that can add up to three separate trips for a single test.

Where ELDT fits in

Since February 7, 2022, anyone getting a CDL for the first time, upgrading a Class B to a Class A, or adding a hazardous materials, passenger, or school bus endorsement for the first time must complete federally mandated entry-level driver training (ELDT) from a provider on the FMCSA’s Training Provider Registry.

The sequence matters: you first earn your commercial learner’s permit by passing the general knowledge test, which does not require ELDT. For a Class A or B CDL, and for the passenger and school bus endorsements, the theory and behind-the-wheel training must then be completed before the skills test. For the hazardous materials endorsement, the theory training must be completed before the endorsement’s knowledge test. Part of modern CDL preparation is therefore a legal prerequisite.

The Best Way to Prepare for the Indiana CDL Knowledge Test

• A dedicated CDL course. Zutobi’s CDL course covers the full CDL handbook, general knowledge, plus every endorsement, through more than 880 exam-style questions across 40-plus practice tests. Each question comes with an explanation, so you learn the reasoning behind the answer rather than memorizing it. The course is built to be worked through in short, game-like sessions, on web or mobile, which suits people studying around a job.
• An FMCSA-approved ELDT theory provider. This is what sets it apart for commercial drivers. Zutobi is an approved entry-level driver training theory provider for all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Complete the relevant CDL module, and Zutobi reports your theory completion directly to the federal Training Provider Registry, handling the legal prerequisite you need cleared before you can sit the test.

The data shows that most applicants take several attempts at the General Knowledge test. How thoroughly you prepare before your first visit to the BMV is within your control.

FAQ

What is the pass rate for the Indiana CDL knowledge test?

About 32% of CDL General Knowledge attempts passed over the 2016 to 2025 period, meaning more than two-thirds of attempts failed. The average applicant made about three attempts, so in plain terms, the typical person failed it roughly twice before passing. The data points to most applicants passing the test at some point; the low rate reflects how many attempts it takes.

Which Indiana CDL test has the lowest pass rate?

By pass rate, the General Knowledge test. It passed at about 30% of attempts in 2025, roughly half the rate of the test with the highest pass rate, the School Bus test, at about 68%. The General Knowledge test is also the one every applicant must take, regardless of which commercial vehicle they plan to drive.

How many questions are on the Indiana CDL General Knowledge test, and what score do I need?

The General Knowledge test has 50 multiple-choice questions taken from the Indiana CDL Manual, and you need at least 40 correct, an 80% score, to pass. If you fail, you cannot retake it the same day, so a failed attempt means another trip to the BMV.

Is the Indiana CDL knowledge test getting harder?

The data cannot speak to the test’s difficulty directly, but it shows two clear trends. The General Knowledge pass rate fell from 34.8% of attempts in 2016 to 30.4% in 2025, with a low of 29.7% in 2024, and the average number of attempts per person rose from 2.4 in 2016 to a peak of 3.4 in 2024, 3.3 in 2025. Seven of the eight CDL knowledge tests had lower pass rates in 2025 than in 2016.

What’s the best app to prepare for the Indiana CDL knowledge test?

Look for a tool built specifically for the CDL manual. Zutobi offers a dedicated CDL course covering general knowledge and all endorsements, with exam-style questions and explanations, and it is an FMCSA-approved ELDT theory provider for all 50 states and D.C., which means it both prepares you for the test and reports the federally required theory training to the Training Provider Registry on your behalf.