Texas Permit Test Languages: English and Spanish Only - No Interpreter Allowed During the Exam

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) offers the driver license knowledge test in English and Spanish. You select the language on-screen at the DPS office computer station before starting the 30-question written test. No other languages are offered for the knowledge test.

Language Options at the Texas DPS Test Station

English and Spanish are the only two test languages at all DPS driver license offices. After document verification, you proceed to a testing station computer and pick from an on-screen menu. The selection locks in; you cannot switch languages mid-test.

• Spanish Permit Test: Fully translated text at all offices in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and statewide.
• English Permit Test: Default option, the only choice for audio support if accommodation is granted.
• No Other Languages: Tests unavailable in Vietnamese, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, or any other language.

Confirm your language selection on the computer screen before clicking 'Start Test' to avoid being locked into the wrong language for all 30 questions. Double-checking that screen is the easiest step in this whole process, so don't skip it.

Learn more about test language options or check how many questions you'll face.

Bringing a Translator - What's Allowed and What Isn't

You may bring a personal translator to assist with communication before and after the knowledge test, but they cannot help during testing. Spanish instructions may be available for the behind-the-wheel driving test if a bilingual examiner is present, though this is not guaranteed.

• Knowledge Test: Translators must stay outside the testing area; paper dictionaries and personal electronic translators are not allowed.
• Driving Test: A translator can explain cues beforehand but not during the test; all official road signs in Texas are English-only.
• ASL Interpreters: Available for hearing-impaired applicants. Request an ASL interpreter online or by contacting DPS at least four business days in advance.

An applicant in El Paso assumed the driving test would be in Spanish due to the city's demographics. They arrived without practicing English road signs and failed for not understanding the examiner's English-only command to 'merge onto the interstate.' The DPS does not guarantee bilingual examiners.

Audio Support and ADA Language Accommodations

Audio support is not available for non-English languages. The standard test provides full text support on computer screens. Applicants needing oral administration due to a reading disability must request this accommodation separately through DPS.

Even if you take the written test in Spanish, road signs in Texas are English-only. This catches people off guard during the driving test.

Test Cost, Process, and What to Have Ready

Arrive at your local DPS office with required documents, proof of Texas residency, and pay the $33 application fee. The DL-14A Driver License Application form handles both minor and adult applications. The knowledge test is included in this fee.

1. Complete document verification and pay fees at check-in.
2. Proceed to the testing station computer.
3. Select English or Spanish from the on-screen menu.
4. Answer 21 out of 30 questions correctly to pass.

At the North Lamar DPS office in Austin, a walk-in applicant spent 3 hours waiting only to be told they needed an original Social Security card, not a copy, for their non-English permit exam. Their appointment was rescheduled for two weeks later.

Use your waiting time at the DPS office to mentally review English road signs. The $33 fee covers 3 test attempts within 90 days, if you fail once, don't waste your second chance by showing up unprepared again.

Check detailed information about passing score requirements.

Spanish Study Materials for the Texas Permit Test

Download the official Texas Driver Handbook in Spanish, Form DL-7S, free from the DPS website. Even applicants testing in Spanish must recognize English road signs since all Texas road infrastructure uses English text. Download the official Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7) in English or Spanish from the DPS website.

• Practice with free online quizzes that offer Spanish translations.
• Focus on mastering English road signs separately from the handbook's rules.
• Take 10-15 full practice tests in your chosen test language before your appointment.

A student in San Antonio studied only the Spanish translation of the handbook but used an outdated community website for practice questions. They failed the permit test because several questions on new state laws had different phrasing on the official DPS test.

Applicants testing in Spanish still need to recognize English road signs during the driving test. Free Texas permit practice test resources include bilingual sign flashcards and Spanish-language mock exams.