Learner’s Permit Primer: Sample Learner’s Permit Questions

This quiz can help your teen get ready to roll.

For teenagers who are gearing up to earn a learner’s permit to drive, the process inevitably requires an exam to test knowledge of your state’s traffic laws. While some questions on state sites specifically speak to local laws, the following practice questions address universal, safe-driving practices. Test your teen’s awareness, then see how you fare after driving for all of these years. (Answers are at the end.)

1. You may drive off of the paved roadway to pass another vehicle:

1. If the shoulder is wide enough to accommodate your vehicle
2. If the vehicle ahead of you is turning left
3. Under no circumstances

2. You are approaching a railroad crossing with no warning devices and are unable to see 400 feet down the tracks in one direction. The speed limit is:

1. 15 mph
2. 20 mph
3. 25 mph

3. When parking your vehicle parallel to the curb on a level street:

1. Your front wheels must be turned toward the street
2. Your wheels must be 18 inches within the curb
3. One of your rear wheels must touch the curb

4. Prior to entering a curve, you should:

1. Activate your turn signal
2. Reduce speed
3. Brake hard

5. While driving on the roadway with single broken white line markings:

1. You must stay within your lane
2. You may cross it to change lanes
3. You may change lanes only if in the left lane

6. When driving in a fog, it’s best to drive with:

1. High beam headlights
2. Low beam headlights
3. Four-way flashers

7. What is the most important driving technique to avoid crashes when driving in icy or snowy conditions?

1. Get off the highway as soon as possible
2. Engage 4-wheel drive on the vehicle
3. Reduce speed and increase following distance

8. A flashing red traffic signal at an intersection has the same requirements as which of the following?

1. A slow sign
2. A yield sign
3. A stop sign

9. When two vehicles arrive at an intersection at the same time, which one has the right-of-way when no signs or signals indicate rules?

1. The car approaching from the right
2. The car approaching from the left
3. The car that is traveling faster

10. If, while driving, a tire suddenly blows out, you should:

1. Grip the steering wheel firmly, slow down and exit from the traffic lanes
2. Pump the brakes rapidly
3. Brake hard and steer toward the right side of the roadway

Sources: California Department of Motor Vehicles, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Georgia Department of Driver Services.

Answers: 1. C; 2. A; 3. B; 4. B; 5. B; 6. B; 7. C; 8. C; 9. A; 10. A