CA Permit Practice Test 25

All 20 questions in test 25

Every question below comes from the California question bank on this page. Open a question to see the correct answer and the explanation. Nothing here is hidden behind a signup.

1. 1. At night, red road reflectors shining in your headlights usually warn that you are:

   1. Approaching a carpool lane entrance
   2. Driving the wrong way
   3. Near a railroad crossing
   4. Entering a construction detour
   Show answer

   Driving the wrong way. Red reflectors shining back at night are California's warning that you have entered a roadway against traffic. The railroad crossing choice confuses reflector color with sign shape, since crossings are warned by circular or X-shaped signs and active lights. The cue is seeing red reflected from pavement markers in your headlights where you expected lane guidance, which should make you stop safely and correct direction without continuing forward.

   Study this in the handbook: Road sign shapes, colors and meanings

2. 2. A California provisional driver needs to drive to a job during the restricted late night hours. What must they carry?

   1. A note signed by their employer confirming the employment
   2. Nothing, because work trips are automatically exempt
   3. A copy of their most recent paycheck
   4. A letter from a police department
   Show answer

   A note signed by their employer confirming the employment. Driving for work is one of the recognized exceptions to the provisional restrictions, but the minor must carry a note signed by the employer that confirms the employment. Work trips are not exempt without that note. A paycheck is not the document the handbook names, and law enforcement does not issue these permissions. The other exceptions follow the same pattern: a physician's note for a medical need, a note from the principal, dean, or designee for school activities, and a parent's note for driving an immediate family member.

   Study this in the handbook: Instruction permit and provisional license rules

3. 3. At a pedestrian signal, what does a steady raised hand mean?

   1. You may cross after checking for turning vehicles
   2. You may not cross the street
   3. You should hurry because the light will change soon
   4. You may cross only in a marked crosswalk
   Show answer

   You may not cross the street. A steady raised hand is the pedestrian signal telling you not to cross the street. The hurry choice belongs more closely to a flashing hand for pedestrians already in the roadway, but a steady hand means do not begin. A practical cue is the solid hand icon at the far side of the intersection; wait at the curb until the walk or walking person signal appears.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and pedestrian signals

4. 4. A 17-year-old in California fails the knowledge test on a Monday. How long must they wait before retaking it?

   1. They may retest the same day
   2. 24 hours
   3. 30 days
   4. Seven days, not counting the day of the failure
   Show answer

   Seven days, not counting the day of the failure. California makes a minor who fails the knowledge test wait seven days before trying again, and the day of the failure does not count toward that week. A same day retest and a 24 hour wait are both too short for an applicant under 18. Thirty days is not a knowledge test waiting period the handbook gives. Keep this separate from the drive test: a minor who fails the behind the wheel test waits 14 days instead. Applicants get three attempts at the knowledge test before they must reapply.

   Study this in the handbook: Knowledge test, drive test and vehicle check

5. 5. You buy a used car in California. How long do you have to transfer ownership into your name?

   1. 5 days
   2. 20 days
   3. 10 days
   4. 30 days
   Show answer

   10 days. A buyer in California has 10 days to transfer ownership of a vehicle into their own name. Five days is the seller's deadline to notify DMV through the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, so it belongs to the other side of the sale. Twenty days is the window to register an out of state vehicle after becoming a resident or getting a California job. Thirty days is not a deadline in this part of the handbook.

   Study this in the handbook: Insurance, collisions and paperwork deadlines

6. 6. Which driving habit helps improve fuel efficiency?

   1. Leaving tires underinflated
   2. Repeatedly speeding up and braking hard
   3. Carrying unnecessary heavy items
   4. Accelerating and slowing smoothly at a steady pace
   Show answer

   Accelerating and slowing smoothly at a steady pace. Smooth changes in speed and a steady pace help improve fuel efficiency. Repeated hard acceleration followed by hard braking wastes that advantage. Think ahead to traffic changes so you can ease your speed instead of reacting late. Carrying extra weight and neglecting tire pressure also work against efficient operation. The practical habit is a controlled rhythm that fits the road, not a cycle of rushing and stopping.

   Study this in the handbook: Parallel parking, hills and colored curbs

7. 7. Why do some crosswalks beep, chirp, or speak messages?

   1. They warn drivers to speed up
   2. They are decorative crossing music
   3. They help blind or visually impaired pedestrians cross
   4. They signal trains to stop
   Show answer

   They help blind or visually impaired pedestrians cross. Audible signals speak the crossing state aloud: beeps and chirps mark the WALK phase while verbal messages may name the street. Blind and low-vision pedestrians time their crossing to these sounds instead of lights they cannot see. Drivers who hear them should expect a pedestrian in the crosswalk and yield accordingly. Drivers who hear crossing audio should expect a pedestrian entering the crosswalk.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and pedestrian signals

8. 8. Rain has made a California road wet. How much should you reduce your speed?

   1. By 5 to 10 mph
   2. By half
   3. To no more than 5 mph
   4. No change is needed below the limit
   Show answer

   By 5 to 10 mph. For a wet road, the California handbook says to reduce your speed by 5 to 10 mph and to allow more space behind the vehicle ahead. Cutting speed by half is the guidance for packed snow, and slowing to no more than 5 mph is the guidance for ice, so those choices match harsher surfaces. Staying at the posted limit ignores the longer stopping distance on wet pavement; the limit is set for good conditions, not rain.

   Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and the Basic Speed Law

9. 9. 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
   Show answer

   On mountain roads and in tunnels. The headlight rules go beyond nighttime. You must turn on your headlights when conditions such as clouds, dust, smoke or fog prevent you from seeing other vehicles, on mountain roads and tunnels even on sunny days, when a road sign states that headlights must be on, and to help other drivers see your vehicle when the sun is low. Freeways, parking structures and school zones carry no such blanket rule.

   Study this in the handbook: Turn signals, horn and headlights

10. 10. How close behind another vehicle must you dim high-beam headlights?

    1. Within 50 feet
    2. Within 300 feet
    3. Only after the other driver signals
    4. Only when passing begins
    Show answer

    Within 300 feet. Dim high beams when you are within 300 feet of a vehicle you are following. Light can reach the driver through mirrors, so being behind rather than in front does not remove the glare problem. Do not wait for a complaint or for a passing maneuver to begin. Watch the gap ahead at night and switch to low beams as you approach the following-distance threshold.

    Study this in the handbook: Lane markings and special lanes

11. 11. When a crossing device warns that a train is coming, how far from the nearest track must you stop?

    
    1. Only behind the vehicle ahead
    2. At least 5 feet away
    3. Exactly 100 feet away
    4. At least 15 feet away
    Show answer

    At least 15 feet away. When warning devices or a person indicate a train is coming, stop at least 15 feet from the nearest track. Stopping five feet away places the vehicle too close to the rail area, and 100 feet is a speed-limit visibility condition, not the stopping distance. The cue is an active warning: flashing red railroad lights, gates, bells, or a flagger mean stop well before the track and wait.

    Study this in the handbook: School buses and railroad crossings

12. 12. This sign faces you at a red light and you want to turn right. What must you do?

    
    1. Turn right without stopping
    2. Turn right after yielding only
    3. Do not turn right; wait for green
    4. Turn left instead
    Show answer

    Do not turn right; wait for green. The NO TURN ON RED sign removes the usual right-on-red privilege at intersections where sight lines are blind or pedestrian flows run heavy. Come to a full stop, hold behind the limit line, and wait for the green before turning. Disobeying the sign draws the same red-light citation as running it straight through. Running the signed ban draws the same citation as running the red light straight.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and pedestrian signals

13. 13. A disabled car is on a very narrow freeway shoulder beside a safe area behind a guardrail. What should the driver consider?

    1. Leaving the car for the safe area away from freeway lanes
    2. Remaining inside regardless of the shoulder width
    3. Standing in a travel lane to wave for help
    4. Waiting immediately behind the car in traffic
    Show answer

    Leaving the car for the safe area away from freeway lanes. Remaining inside is not the safest choice in every freeway breakdown. The handbook identifies limited shoulder space, a guardrail, and a safe area away from lanes as circumstances where getting out and staying away may be safer. Assess the actual surroundings rather than applying an inside-the-car rule blindly. A protected place separated from moving traffic is the relevant alternative, not standing beside the car in an exposed travel lane.

    Study this in the handbook: Blowouts, breakdowns and brake failure

14. 14. 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.
    Show answer

    So you have more time to react and can let the tailgater pass when safe.. A tailgater behind you reduces your margin if traffic changes suddenly, so California advises creating more space in front while maintaining course and speed, then moving right when safe to let the driver pass. The brake-harder choice increases rear-end risk and contradicts the handbook's calm response. The cue is a vehicle riding too close behind you: avoid sudden moves, open space ahead, and give that driver a chance to go around.

    Study this in the handbook: Scanning, following distance and skids

15. 15. Who can be ticketed if a passenger under 16 is not wearing a seat belt?

    1. Only the unbelted passenger
    2. Only the passenger's parent or guardian
    3. The driver
    4. The vehicle owner, even if not present
    Show answer

    The driver. The driver can receive a ticket when a passenger under 16 is not buckled. The passenger-only choice is wrong for this age group because the handbook puts responsibility on the driver as well. The cue is the passenger's age: if the rider is younger than 16, confirm the seat belt is fastened before moving, just as you would check mirrors or doors.

    Study this in the handbook: Seat belts, child seats and cell phones

16. 16. After certain DUI offenses, what device may California require on your vehicle?

    1. A GPS tracker reporting to the court
    2. A breathalyzer built into the radio
    3. An ignition interlock device (IID)
    4. A dashboard camera
    Show answer

    An ignition interlock device (IID). An ignition interlock wires a breath test into the starter: the engine will not start until the driver provides a passing sample, and rolling retests keep monitoring during the trip. Courts and the DMV order it after repeat or serious DUI offenses to physically prevent impaired driving rather than merely punishing it afterward. GPS trackers, radio gadgets, and cameras record behavior but cannot stop an impaired start. Installation must use a certified provider, and tampering with the device brings its own penalties on top of the underlying offense.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

17. 17. What does blood alcohol concentration measure?

    1. How much alcohol remains in a drink container
    2. How alert you believe you feel
    3. How many hours you have been awake
    4. How much alcohol is present in your bloodstream
    Show answer

    How much alcohol is present in your bloodstream. Blood alcohol concentration measures alcohol in the bloodstream. It is not a personal rating of alertness or a count of how long you have been awake. Feeling capable of driving does not tell you the concentration in your blood. When reading a BAC value, remember that it describes alcohol in the body, rather than the amount left in a glass or your confidence behind the wheel.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

18. 18. You miss your exit in a roundabout. What should you do?

    1. Continue around until you reach the exit again
    2. Stop and reverse to the exit
    3. Cut across the central island
    4. Make a sharp turn across the exit lane
    Show answer

    Continue around until you reach the exit again. Continue circulating when you pass the exit you wanted. A roundabout provides another chance to reach it without reversing or cutting across traffic. Stopping to back up would put you against the expected movement of vehicles behind you. Keep following the marked path, watch for the exit on the next circuit, and signal as you leave so nearby drivers can understand your planned movement.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way: who goes first

19. 19. What free help does the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) provide?

    1. Gas, jump starts, radiator water, flat-tire changes, and collision reports
    2. Free engine rebuilds and body work
    3. Rides home for stranded drivers
    4. Payment of your towing bill anywhere
    Show answer

    Gas, jump starts, radiator water, flat-tire changes, and collision reports. The Freeway Service Patrol is a free roaming motorist-aid program that fixes small problems on the spot so disabled cars clear the freeway quickly. A gallon of gas, a jump start, radiator water with taped hoses, a flat-tire swap, or a collision report to CHP covers most strandings. Major repairs, passenger transport, and private tow bills fall outside the program's roadside mission.

    Study this in the handbook: Blowouts, breakdowns and brake failure

20. 20. Are convictions reported by another state added to the California record used for point-based license suspension?

    1. No, not unless you later move to that state
    2. No, only California convictions count
    3. No, not unless you ask for them to be added
    4. Yes, those convictions are also added
    Show answer

    Yes, those convictions are also added. A traffic conviction does not disappear from California’s record simply because it occurred in another state. The handbook says reported out-of-state convictions are added, along with juvenile-court convictions. Avoid assuming that travel creates a separate record with no consequences at home. If you receive a citation away from California, address it through the proper process rather than relying on the location to keep it off your record.

    Study this in the handbook: Tickets, points and suspensions