Nebraska Driving Test Pass Rates: More Than 1 in 3 Fail, on Both the Written and Road Test (Official DMV Data)

Across six years of state records, only about 6 in 10 people pass, and that holds for both tests you have to clear: the written knowledge test (about 63% pass) and the behind-the-wheel road test (about 64% pass).

Data source: Official Nebraska DMV records, non-commercial Class O passenger and motorcycle tests, written and drive, 2020 to 2025.

What 6 Years of Official Nebraska Data Shows

How many driving tests do Nebraskans take each year?

Between 2020 and 2025, Nebraska administered 297,330 Class O road (drive) tests and 474,079 Class O written (knowledge) tests. That is more than 771,000 attempts at the two tests combined.

Volume has grown across the period. Road tests rose from 34,834 in 2020 to 58,541 in 2025. Written tests climbed from 57,800 to 88,290 over the same years. Note that 2020 was a low year, consistent with pandemic disruption to testing, so part of that growth is a rebound. Even measured from 2021, both test volumes are clearly up.

What is the Nebraska driving test pass rate?

Over the full six years, the Class O road test pass rate is about 64.4%, and the written test pass rate is about 63.1%. Put simply, roughly 1 in 3 people fail each test.

Is a 36% fail rate high?

Yes, especially next to other states. For comparison, California’s road test passes about 68% of takers, Texas around 81%, and Georgia more than 90%. Nebraska sits below all of them, and its road test is even harder to pass than California’s.

The Nebraska Road (Drive) Test, Year by Year

Two things stand out. First, the fail rate climbed steadily through the early 2020s, rising every year from 31.6% in 2020 to 38.3% in 2023, the lowest share of people passing in the data.

Second, it has come down since, to 37.7% in 2024 and 36.1% in 2025. So the fail rate is not rising every year. But even after two years of improvement, a larger share of people are failing than in 2020.

The number of people failing has grown too. In 2021, 14,806 people failed the road test. That climbed to a high of 22,143 in 2024 before settling at 21,157 in 2025. More Nebraskans are testing, and a bigger share of them are leaving without a pass than at the start of the decade.

The Nebraska Written (Knowledge) Test, Year by Year

The written test fail rate climbed for four straight years, from 34.6% in 2020 to a peak of 38.5% in 2024, before easing to 37.9% in 2025. In 2025 alone, 33,437 people failed the Nebraska written test. Across the six years, 174,963 written tests ended in failure.

In 2025, more than 54,000 Nebraska Class O tests ended in a fail, including the written and the road test. That is around 150 failed attempts a day, on average, across the year.

How to Pass Both Nebraska Tests on Your First Try

For the written test:

• Study the actual Nebraska handbook, not a generic one. The rules, signs, and right-of-way situations are state-specific.
• Do practice tests until you are scoring consistently well. Pairing the handbook with repeated practice questions works better than doing either one alone.
• Learn why each answer is right, not just which one is right. That is what holds up under pressure.

For the road test:

• Make your checks visible. If the examiner cannot see you check your mirrors and blind spot, as far as the score sheet goes, it did not happen.
• Practice the scored maneuvers on purpose: complete stops behind the line, lane changes, intersections, and parking or backing.
• Drive unfamiliar routes before test day, not just your own neighborhood.
• Get used to being watched. Have someone sit in silently and observe you drive.
• Structure each session around one skill instead of driving around aimlessly.

The Best App to Prepare for Both Nebraska Tests: Zutobi

Most driver’s-ed apps only prepare you for the written permit test. Zutobi is built for both, and it has a dedicated Nebraska course matched to the state’s rules and test format.

A few things make it a good fit for the exact problem the data shows:

• It covers the road test, not just the permit test. Alongside the knowledge material, Zutobi includes behind-the-wheel video lessons showing how to perform the maneuvers examiners actually score, from parking to lane changes to intersections.
• A video-led handbook. Every Nebraska rule is taught through a short, narrated video demonstration by a certified driving instructor, so you see each scenario play out and hear the explanation at the same time. Zutobi says it is the only US permit-prep app that teaches this way.
• An exam simulator that matches Nebraska. The practice tests mirror the format of the real Nebraska written test, so test day feels familiar rather than foreign.
• A Parent-Teen Training Guide. For most Nebraska teens, a parent is the main practice partner during those 50 supervised hours. Zutobi’s step-by-step guide, built by certified instructor Jacqueline R., gives families a clear curriculum instead of guesswork.

It is also well reviewed: 4.7 out of 5 on the Apple App Store, from over 200,000 ratings, and 4.6 out of 5 on Google Play. Zutobi reports that 95.8% of its users pass their test. Learners can start with free Nebraska practice questions before deciding whether to go further.

FAQ: The Nebraska Driving Test

What is the pass rate for the Nebraska driving test?

From 2020 to 2025, about 64.4% of people passed the Class O road (drive) test, and about 63.1% passed the written (knowledge) test, based on official Nebraska DMV records. In 2025, the road test pass rate was 63.9%, and the written test pass rate was 62.1%.

How many people fail the Nebraska driving test each year?

In 2025, 21,157 people failed the road test and 33,437 failed the written test, more than 54,000 failed attempts combined. Across the six years, 105,867 road tests and 174,963 written tests ended in a fail.

Is Nebraska a hard state to pass your driving test in?

Compared with other states, yes. Nebraska’s road test pass rate (about 64%) is lower than California’s (about 68%), Texas’s (about 81%), and Georgia’s (over 90%). Unusually, its written test is nearly as hard as its road test.

What are the most common reasons for failing the Nebraska road test?

Common problems include rolling through stop signs instead of stopping behind the line, missing or non-visible mirror and blind-spot checks, errors at intersections and with right of way, poor speed control, and mistakes during maneuvers like parking or backing.

How many people take the Nebraska driving test each year?

In 2025, Nebraska administered 58,541 Class O road tests and 88,290 written tests. Volume has risen across the period, partly a rebound from a low 2020.

What is the best app to prepare for the Nebraska driving test?

Zutobi is a strong option because it prepares you for both the written test and the road test, with a Nebraska-specific course, a video-led handbook, an exam simulator matched to the state format, and a parent-teen training guide built by a certified instructor.