Printable CA Permit Practice Test

1. From which California roads are neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) and low-speed vehicles restricted?

1. Roads where the speed limit is greater than 35 mph
2. Any road with more than two lanes
3. All roads outside a residential area
4. Roads where the speed limit is greater than 25 mph

2. What does a red painted curb mean?

1. No stopping, standing, or parking
2. Passenger loading for three minutes
3. Disabled parking with a placard
4. Limited-time parking during posted hours

3. At an uncontrolled intersection, you and another vehicle arrive at the same time. Who should yield?

1. Yield to the vehicle on your right
2. The larger vehicle must always yield
3. Yield to the vehicle on your left
4. The vehicle going straight must stop first

4. How may a minor use a cell phone while driving?

1. Only to make an emergency assistance call
2. For hands-free calls during daylight
3. For texting when traffic is stopped
4. Any time the phone is mounted

5. When may you pass another vehicle on a broken yellow line?

1. Only when the broken line is next to your lane and passing is safe
2. Whenever the vehicle ahead is below the posted limit
3. Only within 100 feet of a railroad crossing
4. Across any yellow line if you signal first

6. Who may park at a blue curb?

1. A disabled person or someone driving a disabled person with the proper placard or plate
2. Any driver loading freight for a short time
3. Only buses during posted commute hours
4. Any driver who stays inside the vehicle

7. A pedestrian using a wheelchair is crossing. How should a driver treat that person?

1. As a pedestrian or vulnerable road user
2. As a slow vehicle that must yield
3. As a bicyclist only in a marked lane
4. As traffic only when using a motor

8. During the first 12 months of a provisional license, when may a minor drive without an adult passenger under the standard restriction?

1. Not between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
2. Any time after holding the license for 6 months
3. Between midnight and 4 a.m. only for social trips
4. With passengers under 20 whenever school is in session

9. At a STOP sign, where must you make a full stop?

1. Before the crosswalk or at the limit line
2. Past the crosswalk where cross traffic is visible
3. Only after the front wheels enter the intersection
4. Beside the sign post, regardless of pavement markings

10. What does a diamond-shaped warning sign tell you?

1. Specific road conditions or dangers are ahead
2. Only public transit buses may use the lane
3. You have reached a rest area
4. Traffic may pass a stopped school bus

11. What is the purpose of a center left-turn lane?

1. To pass slow traffic before a driveway
2. To wait before entering a freeway ramp
3. To begin or finish a left turn or permitted U-turn
4. To travel continuously when both through lanes are crowded

12. Where is parking prohibited near a marked or unmarked crosswalk?

1. Within 20 feet, or within 15 feet when a curb extension is present
2. Within 5 feet, unless the vehicle faces traffic
3. Within 30 feet, but only at school crossings
4. Within 100 feet whenever the road has two lanes

13. Which headlights should you use when driving in heavy fog or smoke?

1. Parking lights only
2. High beams so others can see you sooner
3. Low beams
4. No lights unless it is nighttime

14. Your vehicle stalls on train tracks and a train is approaching. Which direction should you run?

1. Straight down the tracks away from the train
2. Diagonally away from the tracks toward the direction the train is coming from
3. Toward the nearest crossing gate
4. Behind your vehicle so it shields you from debris

15. A flashing yellow left-turn arrow appears. What does it mean?

1. Your left turn is protected from oncoming traffic
2. You may turn after yielding to oncoming traffic
3. You must stop and wait for a green arrow
4. Oncoming vehicles must stop before you turn

16. Which medication-related situation can make driving illegal?

1. Only taking medication bought without a prescription
2. Taking any drug that affects your ability to drive safely
3. Taking medicine only after sunset
4. Carrying prescription medicine in the vehicle

17. At this stop sign there is no limit line and no crosswalk. Where must a California driver stop?

1. At the sign post
2. With the front wheels in the intersection for a better view
3. Before entering the intersection
4. Ten feet past the sign

18. What movement does this sign prohibit?

1. A left turn only
2. A U-turn
3. A right turn only
4. A lane change

19. At this railroad crossbuck, what should you do before crossing?

1. Look, listen, slow down, and be ready to stop
2. Stop only when a gate is present
3. Maintain speed because trains must sound a horn
4. Cross immediately after the first train passes

20. A yellow sign showing a small STOP sign ahead tells you to do what?

1. Maintain speed because it only marks a future parking rule
2. Start slowing and prepare to make a full stop soon
3. Turn right at the next intersection without stopping
4. Stop immediately at the warning sign itself

21. What is the safest response to a slippery-when-wet sign?

1. Brake sharply at the sign to test traction
2. Use high beams so pavement glare shows standing water
3. Slow down and make steering and braking inputs gently
4. Move close behind the vehicle ahead to follow its tire tracks

22. At a no-passing pennant near a hazardous area, what must you avoid?

1. Passing another vehicle where the road or sign bars the maneuver
2. Changing lanes after checking mirrors on a multilane freeway
3. Letting a faster driver pass when your lane is clear
4. Driving below the posted limit in heavy weather

23. When passing a large truck, which practice is safest?

1. Pass on the left and avoid staying beside the truck longer than needed
2. Pass on the right so you remain near the shoulder
3. Match the truck's speed while alongside so the driver can see you
4. Move back in front as soon as your rear bumper clears the cab

24. If oncoming headlights are too bright at night, where should you look?

1. Directly into the headlights until your eyes adjust
2. At your rearview mirror to avoid the glare
3. Toward the right edge of your lane
4. At the centerline between the vehicles

25. If your vehicle stops working on the freeway, what should you do after pulling onto the right shoulder?

1. Stand behind the vehicle to warn traffic
2. Walk along the freeway shoulder to find help
3. Return to the vehicle and stay belted inside until help arrives
4. Turn off all lights so traffic will not follow you

26. Which road surfaces tend to freeze before the rest of the road?

1. Bridges and overpasses
2. Freshly painted lane markings only
3. Flat city blocks with heavy traffic
4. Downhill shoulders after sunrise only

27. For normal push-pull steering, where should your hands start?

1. At 10 and 2 o'clock
2. At 12 and 6 o'clock
3. At 9 and 3 o'clock or 8 and 4 o'clock
4. One hand at 12 o'clock for all turns

28. When passing a stopped bus, streetcar, or trolley at a safety zone, what speed limit applies?

1. No more than 10 mph
2. No more than 15 mph
3. No more than 25 mph
4. Normal posted speed if the lane is clear

29. A large truck signals right but first moves left. What is the safest interpretation?

1. The truck is probably preparing a wide right turn.
2. The truck driver is inviting you to pass on the right.
3. The truck must be changing to the left lane.
4. The signal should be ignored until the truck slows.

30. In California, when may a driver turn left against a red light?

1. From any street onto a one-way street after stopping.
2. From a one-way street onto a one-way street when no sign prohibits it.
3. From a two-way street onto a divided highway.
4. From a left turn lane whenever cross traffic has stopped.

31. What lane space should you give a motorcycle when possible?

1. Only the left half of the lane.
2. The full lane.
3. Enough room to share the lane side by side.
4. A shoulder path if traffic is slow.

32. You need to slow or stop suddenly on a California road. How does the handbook say to warn drivers behind you?

1. Turn on the emergency flashers or lightly tap the brake pedal three or four times
2. Sound the horn repeatedly
3. Swerve slightly to draw attention
4. Turn on the high beams

33. Where is a U-turn allowed in a California business district?

1. Anywhere traffic is light enough.
2. Only at an intersection or on a divided highway with an opening.
3. Across two sets of double yellow lines.
4. In front of a fire station driveway.

34. Why should you create more space ahead when another vehicle is tailgating you?

1. So you can brake harder and force the tailgater back.
2. So you have more time to react and can let the tailgater pass when safe.
3. So the tailgater can draft behind your vehicle.
4. So you can speed up without changing lanes.

35. Why should you allow extra time for seniors, people with small children, and people with disabilities at crossings?

1. They may need extra time to cross safely.
2. They may cross only at yellow crosswalk lines.
3. They have right-of-way only when signals are flashing.
4. They must wait until all vehicles have passed.

36. Traffic is moving faster than the posted speed limit. What should you remember?

1. You may be cited for driving faster or slower than the speed limit.
2. You must match the fastest traffic to avoid blocking lanes.
3. The posted limit does not apply during rush hour.
4. You may exceed the limit when staying in the right lane.

37. A California lane is signed for public transit buses only. When may a car cross it?

1. Never, for any reason
2. To make a right turn
3. Whenever no bus is in sight
4. To pass slow traffic

38. What is the maximum fine listed for dumping or abandoning an animal on a California highway?

1. Up to $1,000
2. Up to $250
3. Exactly $100 with no jail exposure
4. Only payment for animal shelter costs

39. Before entering a bike lane to make a right turn, what should a driver check?

1. Blind spots for bicyclists
2. Whether the nearest parked car has expired tags
3. Only the rearview mirror after starting the turn
4. The left shoulder, because bicycles may not be on the right

40. If another vehicle merges too closely in front of you, what should you do?

1. Ease off the accelerator to create space
2. Tap the bumper to warn the other driver
3. Move onto the shoulder and pass immediately
4. Flash high beams until the driver speeds up

41. If animals or livestock are near the roadway, what should you do?

1. Slow down or stop and continue only when safe
2. Honk repeatedly so the animals scatter
3. Drive between the animals before they move
4. Speed up because animals usually avoid vehicles

42. Besides darkness and bad weather, where does the California handbook say headlights must be on even on a sunny day?

1. On all freeways
2. On mountain roads and in tunnels
3. In parking structures
4. Within 500 feet of a school

43. At a four-way stop, who has the right-of-way when vehicles arrive at different times?

1. The vehicle that arrives first
2. The vehicle on the widest road
3. The driver making a right turn
4. The vehicle with the brightest headlights

44. When a school bus flashes red lights on an undivided road, how long must you remain stopped?

1. Until children are safely across and the red lights stop flashing
2. Only until the stop arm first comes out
3. Until the bus driver waves at one vehicle
4. Only while children are visible from your lane

45. You are on a narrow mountain road where you cannot see at least 200 feet ahead. What does the handbook say you may do with your horn?

1. Sound it to alert oncoming traffic you cannot yet see
2. Save it strictly for emergencies once a collision is unavoidable
3. Sound it only after an oncoming vehicle appears
4. Leave it alone, because horns are prohibited on mountain roads

46. During a traffic stop, a state or local officer asks about your immigration status. What does California law allow?

1. You can decline to answer the question
2. You must answer any question an officer asks
3. Only passengers are required to answer
4. You must answer once you have shown your license