IN Permit Practice Test 5

All 20 questions in test 5

Every question below comes from the Indiana 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. On a two-way road, what does the yellow pennant-shaped sign pictured warn drivers not to do?

   
   1. Turn right at the next intersection
   2. Pass another vehicle on the left
   3. Stop for a school bus on the shoulder
   4. Enter a highway from an acceleration lane
   Show answer

   Pass another vehicle on the left. Indiana uses the pennant shape for a No Passing Zone warning. The sign is posted on the left side of a two-way road and tells drivers that passing on the left is unsafe or prohibited in the approaching area. It is not a turn restriction, a school-bus command, or a merge instruction. A useful roadside cue is the unusual flag-like outline on the left side of the roadway. Once seen, remain behind the slower vehicle until passing becomes lawful and the roadway provides enough visibility.

2. 2. What does a red flashing traffic light at an Indiana intersection require a driver to do?

   1. Slow without stopping if the cross street is empty
   2. Treat it as a yellow signal and continue carefully
   3. Wait for a green arrow before moving in any direction
   4. Treat it as a stop sign and stop completely before proceeding with caution
   Show answer

   Treat it as a stop sign and stop completely before proceeding with caution. A red flashing light is equivalent to a stop sign. The driver must come to a complete stop, then proceed with caution only after the applicable right of way is clear. Slowing without stopping treats the signal like a yellow light, and waiting for a green arrow adds a condition the manual does not require. The key visual cue is the flashing red display: stop first, then check vehicles and pedestrians before entering the intersection.

3. 3. Until what age is an Indiana probationary driver's license valid?

   1. 18 years exactly
   2. 21 years exactly
   3. 21 years and 30 days
   4. 25 years
   Show answer

   21 years and 30 days. A license obtained before 21 is probationary until the holder turns 21, and it is valid until the driver is 21 years and 30 days old. The driver may not renew it until 21 years and one day, and renewal then gives an unrestricted license. Eighteen is when the under-18 curfews end, not the license expiration. Exactly 21 ignores the 30-day window, and 25 is the supervising driver age.

4. 4. What suspension follows an Indiana motorist's refusal to submit to a chemical test when there is no prior intoxicated driving conviction?

   1. One year
   2. 180 days
   3. Two years
   4. 30 days
   Show answer

   One year. A motorist who refuses a chemical test faces a one year suspension under the manual. The 180 day choice applies when the motorist fails the chemical test, not when the test is refused. Two years is reserved for a refusal by someone with a previous conviction for operating while intoxicated. A useful test question cue is to separate refusal from failure first, then check whether a prior conviction is mentioned. Without that prior conviction, refusal maps to one year.

5. 5. How often may an Indiana driver use the four-point credit for completing a driver safety program?

   1. Once during a three year period
   2. Every year
   3. Twice a year
   4. Only once in a lifetime
   Show answer

   Once during a three year period. Each driver is allowed one four point credit during a three year period, and the credit is applied only after completing a BMV approved driver safety program. The BMV may require drivers 21 and older convicted of two or more traffic offenses within 12 months, and drivers under 21 convicted of two or more offenses, to complete the program within 90 days of the mailed notice or face suspension.

6. 6. How long does an Indiana driver ordered to take a Driver Safety Program have to complete it?

   1. 10 days
   2. 30 days
   3. 90 days from the notice
   4. One year
   Show answer

   90 days from the notice. Drivers required by the BMV to take a Driver Safety Program must finish it within 90 days of the mailed notice, or their driving privileges are suspended until they complete it. Ten and 30 days are too short, and a year is too long. Any driver can take a BMV-approved course for a four-point credit, but only once every three years.

7. 7. What does a yellow flashing light without an arrow mean at an Indiana intersection?

   1. Slow down and use caution while traveling through
   2. Stop and wait until a steady green light appears
   3. Speed up because cross traffic must stop for you
   4. Turn left immediately without checking pedestrians
   Show answer

   Slow down and use caution while traveling through. A yellow flashing light without an arrow calls for a cautious approach, not a full stop every time and not an invitation to hurry. A driver should reduce speed and watch the intersection carefully. Someone turning left still must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, while cross-street traffic is required to yield to the flashing-light approach. The visual cue is intermittent yellow with no directional arrow. Proceed only after checking for people or vehicles that could enter the path, especially when visibility is limited.

8. 8. If water on the roadway is deeper than the tire treads, what does the manual advise a driver to do?

   1. Use high beams and maintain the posted maximum
   2. Slow down and use headlights to be seen
   3. Brake hard while driving through every puddle
   4. Speed up to prevent the tires from touching water
   Show answer

   Slow down and use headlights to be seen. When water is deeper than the tire treads, Indiana advises slowing down and using headlights so other drivers can see the vehicle. Maintaining maximum speed increases the danger of hydroplaning, and high beams are not the stated response. Hard braking in every puddle can reduce control, while speeding up raises the risk created by standing water. Ease off the accelerator, keep the vehicle steady, and leave extra space. The practical cue is depth at the tires, not the posted limit alone, because deeper water can quickly reduce traction.

9. 9. How many miles per hour over the limit produces six points under Indiana's speeding point examples?

   1. 1 to 15 mph over
   2. 26 or more mph over
   3. 16 to 25 mph over
   4. Any speed at least 5 mph over
   Show answer

   26 or more mph over. Indiana's examples assign six points for driving 26 or more miles per hour above the speed limit. The first range, 1 to 15 over, carries two points, and the middle range, 16 to 25 over, carries four points. The question turns on the upper threshold, so a small excess does not reach six points. A quick study cue is the ascending pattern: two points for the first band, four for the next, and six once the excess reaches 26 miles per hour.

10. 10. How early may a U.S. citizen renew an Indiana driver's license?

    1. Only in the final 30 days
    2. Up to 6 months before
    3. Up to 24 months before it expires
    4. Only after it expires
    Show answer

    Up to 24 months before it expires. A driver's license or identification card may be renewed by U.S. citizens or individuals with permanent lawful status up to 24 months before the credential expiration. Individuals with lawful temporary status can renew only up to 30 days before expiration, and a learner's permit may be renewed up to 30 days before it expires. Renewal includes a standard vision screening unless online renewal applies.

11. 11. What do blue traffic signs display?

    
    1. Warnings about a series of curves
    2. Rules prohibiting turns and parking
    3. Directions to recreational and cultural sites
    4. Road services and information
    Show answer

    Road services and information. Blue signs provide road service information, such as amenities available at an upcoming exit. They help a driver locate support or facilities rather than impose a movement rule. Yellow signs warn about roadway conditions, white signs carry regulations, and brown signs identify recreational or cultural interests. If a blue service sign is visible, read the symbols or words and decide whether the indicated facility meets your needs. Do not interpret the blue background as permission to ignore lane markings, speed limits, or other traffic controls.

12. 12. In a multi-lane roundabout, when should a driver choose the needed lane?

    1. After stopping on the center island
    2. Before entering the circulatory roadway
    3. Only after passing the exit
    4. By changing lanes repeatedly inside the circle
    Show answer

    Before entering the circulatory roadway. In a multi-lane roundabout, drivers should know which lane they need before entering the circulatory roadway. Changing lanes inside the circle is discouraged because it places vehicles alongside one another while they are negotiating exits. The center island is not a stopping area, and choosing after passing an exit is too late for a smooth path. Read the lane signs and pavement arrows on approach, select the proper lane, and maintain it through the movement.

13. 13. How far behind a disabled vehicle should a red emergency reflective triangle normally be placed on the roadside?

    1. Exactly 1,000 feet regardless of the road
    2. 50 feet in every location
    3. 100 feet unless the vehicle is on a divided highway
    4. 200 feet, or 500 feet on a hill or curve
    Show answer

    200 feet, or 500 feet on a hill or curve. Indiana's roadside emergency guidance places a red emergency reflective triangle 200 feet behind the disabled vehicle under ordinary conditions. If the vehicle is on a hill or curve, the distance increases to 500 feet so approaching motorists have more warning before reaching the obstruction. Fifty feet and 100 feet are both shorter than the stated distance, and the manual does not create a universal 1,000 foot placement. The same guidance says to pull onto the shoulder if possible, turn on your flashing hazard lights, and keep a reflective vest and triangle in the vehicle.

14. 14. What does Indiana law say about using a telecommunications device while driving?

    1. It is allowed only for drivers over 21
    2. It is allowed at any speed below 25 mph
    3. It is specifically prohibited while operating a motor vehicle
    4. It is allowed if the call is under one minute
    Show answer

    It is specifically prohibited while operating a motor vehicle. Indiana names the device itself in the statute: using a telecommunications device while operating a motor vehicle is prohibited, with only the narrow hands free and emergency exceptions the law spells out. There is no low speed allowance, no age based permission, and no short call exception. The manual calls driver distraction a major contributing factor in many crashes and notes that sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. In Indiana it is illegal while driving to text, call, or otherwise use a device such as a cell phone unless it is hands free.

15. 15. What information do white traffic signs commonly display?

    1. Temporary work-zone conditions only
    2. Traffic regulations and helpful information such as state highway markers
    3. Nearby recreational and cultural sites
    4. Railroad crossings exclusively
    Show answer

    Traffic regulations and helpful information such as state highway markers. White traffic signs display regulations drivers must obey, including speed limits, and can also provide helpful information such as state highway markers. Temporary traffic conditions are associated with orange signs, while brown signs identify recreational or cultural interests. Railroad crossing warnings are associated with circular signs. The color is a classification clue, so a white sign should prompt attention to a rule or useful roadway information rather than an assumption that it is merely advisory.

16. 16. A driver is following a vehicle that has slowed and may be turning. What should the following driver do?

    1. Pass immediately on the shoulder
    2. Accelerate until the lead vehicle turns
    3. Slow down and be prepared to stop
    4. Follow at the same speed without watching the signal
    Show answer

    Slow down and be prepared to stop. When a lead driver signals an intention to turn, or slows in a way that suggests a turn may be coming, the following driver should slow down and be ready to stop. Passing on the shoulder is not a safe substitute for anticipating the maneuver. Accelerating removes the space needed if the turn begins suddenly, and holding the same speed ignores the warning created by the lead vehicle's change. Watching for a turn signal and easing off early provides a useful safety margin.

17. 17. Why should a driver reduce speed when roadway conditions include bad weather and poor visibility?

    1. The vehicle's speedometer becomes inaccurate
    2. Poor visibility improves tire traction
    3. The law changes every posted limit to 15 mph
    4. Those conditions make posted-speed travel more dangerous
    Show answer

    Those conditions make posted-speed travel more dangerous. The manual identifies bad weather and poor visibility as conditions that make driving at the posted speed, or above it, more dangerous. The speedometer does not become inaccurate, and the manual does not impose a universal 15 mph replacement limit. Poor visibility also does not improve traction. The useful driving cue is to lower speed early, increase attention, and leave more time to recognize hazards instead of treating the posted number as a target in every condition.

18. 18. How far ahead may an Indiana driving skills exam be scheduled?

    1. No more than three weeks and no less than 48 business hours ahead
    2. Up to six months ahead
    3. At least 30 days ahead
    4. Same day only
    Show answer

    No more than three weeks and no less than 48 business hours ahead. A driving skills exam may be scheduled no more than three weeks, and no less than 48 business hours, ahead of time through IN.gov/BMV or the BMV Contact Center, though a license branch visit may get you a sooner slot. You must provide your own legally equipped, insured vehicle in safe and clean condition, and the examiner may reject an unsuitable vehicle. The BMV charges nothing for the exam itself.

19. 19. What does a steady DON'T WALK hand symbol mean at a pedestrian signal?

    1. It is not safe to cross
    2. Walk only with a police escort
    3. Cross after sounding the horn
    4. Cross if traffic appears light
    Show answer

    It is not safe to cross. The steady hand marks a period when pedestrians should not enter the street. A light traffic gap does not override the signal, and a horn or escort is not part of the ordinary crossing rule. The signal exists to coordinate people on foot with traffic movements at the intersection. Use the WALK display when it permits crossing, and treat the hand as a clear barrier to starting. Remember that a flashing hand also signals that the remaining crossing time is running out.

20. 20. When following a tractor-trailer, what should you do if you cannot see its rearview mirrors?

    1. Move closer so the driver notices you
    2. Turn on high beams and stay behind it
    3. Pass immediately on the right
    4. Maintain or increase your following distance
    Show answer

    Maintain or increase your following distance. If the truck’s rearview mirrors are not visible, the truck driver cannot see your vehicle. Increasing space gives you a cushion if the larger vehicle brakes suddenly or if something appears in the roadway. Closing the gap removes reaction time, while passing on the right creates another hazard beside a vehicle with large blind spots. High beams do not solve the visibility problem. Use the mirror check as a practical cue: if you cannot see the truck’s mirrors, back out of its blind area.