The Massachusetts permit test has 25 questions, and you need 18 correct (72%) to pass. Official source. Page updated 2026-10-15.
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Key Massachusetts DMV rules and numbers
These are key rules and numbers from the Massachusetts handbook, a few per topic so they fit on one printed page. We favor rules that state a specific number. Every fact below comes from our free Massachusetts DMV practice test question bank, which has 500 questions across 9 topics, checked against the Massachusetts handbook (last verified 2026-09-07).
Speed limits
- Massachusetts speed law works from a list of unposted defaults, and a thickly settled or business district sits at 30 mph. (Handbook, p. 79)
- The Massachusetts statutory threshold is 50 mph on a divided highway outside a thickly settled or business district, measured over at least one-quarter mile. (Handbook)
- An unposted, undivided highway outside a thickly settled or business district has a 40 mph statutory threshold in Massachusetts, measured over at least one-quarter mile. (Handbook, p. 79)
- The manual works the arithmetic for you: 73 mph on a 55 mph highway comes to a $185 fine. (Handbook, p. 57)
- Speed feels like a highway problem, but the manual points out that eight out of ten crashes happen at 40 mph or less. (Handbook, p. 38)
Right of way
- Big rotaries are designed to handle traffic traveling at up to 40 mph. (Handbook, p. 101)
- In a funeral procession, do not drive faster than 55 MPH on a highway posted at 55 MPH or higher, and do not go more than 5 MPH slower than the limit on any other public way. (Handbook, p. 108)
- When the red lights flash and the stop sign swings out, Massachusetts requires every driver approaching from either direction to stop. (Handbook, p. 105)
- Rotaries are a Massachusetts specialty, and the rule inside them is simple: traffic already circulating has the right of way, and so do pedestrians at the crossings. (Handbook, p. 101)
- Because Massachusetts drives on the right, every rotary is travelled counter-clockwise: you enter with a right turn, keep the island on your left, and leave with another right turn. (Handbook, p. 101)
Alcohol and DUI
- Massachusetts sets the adult per se limit at 0.08 but has a zero tolerance law for anyone under 21: a BAC of 0.02 or higher brings penalties. (Handbook, p. 73)
- The extra 180 days for an under 21 driver who refuses the test is not about the court case at all. (Handbook, p. 70)
- For drivers under 18, refusing the chemical test adds a full year of suspension, and the manual is explicit that the outcome of the court case does not matter: even a driver who wins still must complete the alcohol education course. (Handbook, p. 70)
- Massachusetts has a zero tolerance standard for drivers under 21, who face administrative sanctions for a chemical test with a BAC as low as 0.02. (Handbook, p. 69)
- For drivers over 21 who fail a chemical test, the license is suspended for 30 days or until the court case ends, whichever is shorter. (Handbook, p. 69)
Signals and markings
- The dimming distances are fixed in the manual: 500 feet for an oncoming vehicle and 200 feet when you are following another vehicle. (Handbook, p. 46)
- The signal has to reach other drivers early enough to matter, so the manual sets 100 feet on ordinary roads and 500 feet on a highway, where speeds are higher. (Handbook, p. 97)
- The manual says you can make a U-turn if your path is clear and it is safe, but not at the crest of a hill, near a curve, or anyplace where you or other drivers cannot see 500 feet away. (Handbook, p. 98)
- If railroad crossing lights begin flashing, stop at least 15 feet before the light post or gate. (Handbook, p. 87)
- A flashing yellow circle is a warning: the manual says to proceed with caution, stay alert, and look both ways when crossing the intersection. (Handbook, p. 81)
Parking
- Massachusetts bans parking within 20 feet of an intersection. (Handbook, p. 110)
- Parking in a zone posted for HP-DV parking without the right plates or placard brings a $300 fine for a first offense. (Handbook, p. 110)
- A bus stop is on the Massachusetts list of places where you may not park, and it is one of the few entries on that list where the manual names the penalty itself: $100 for parking in a posted bus stop. (Handbook, p. 110)
- In a business or residential district, your vehicle must be no more than 12 inches from the curb, except where angled parking is allowed. (Handbook, p. 109)
- Parking on the Massachusetts Turnpike carries fines ranging from $15 to $100. (Handbook, p. 111)
Safe driving
- In 2023 distracted driving resulted in 3,275 deaths. (Handbook, p. 39)
- Massachusetts enforces the safety belt law as a secondary offense: the $25 fine is issued only when the vehicle has been stopped for some other traffic violation. (Handbook, p. 35)
- If your brakes and tires are working and the road is dry and level, at 60 mph it takes about 292 feet to react to a hazard, step on the brake and safely stop, almost a whole football field. (Handbook, p. 44)
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 633 people died in 2020 from drowsy driving related crashes. (Handbook, p. 46)
- At a speed of 20 mph, 13 percent of pedestrians hit are seriously injured or killed, and the manual shows how fast that share climbs: 40 percent at 30 mph and 73 percent at 40 mph. (Handbook, p. 78)
Road signs
- The pentagon means children, and near schools Massachusetts sets the limit at 20 mph. (Handbook, p. 80)
- Near schools the speed limit is 20 mph, and it can be posted in various ways: speed limit signs may have flashing yellow lights or be posted for certain hours of the day. (Handbook, p. 80)
- A STOP sign applies to every vehicle that reaches it. (Handbook, p. 86)
- Yellow, including the bright fluorescent yellow green version, is the warning color. (Handbook, p. 86)
- The yield sign asks for judgment rather than an automatic stop. (Handbook, p. 86)
Laws and paperwork
- The Junior Operator Law draws a bright line by age: any car driver or motorcyclist from 16 and a half up to 18 is a Junior Operator, and the passenger, night and phone restrictions attach automatically. (Handbook, p. 9)
- Massachusetts prohibits routine electronic-device use by drivers under 18, including hands-free calls. (Handbook)
- The Massachusetts ladder starts at 16 with the learner's permit for a car or motorcycle. (Handbook, p. 15)
- The Junior Operator night restriction runs from 12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. (Handbook, p. 10)
- Chapter 90, Section 10 allows certain validly licensed drivers from other countries to operate validly registered vehicles in Massachusetts, but driving outside those terms is a criminal violation and a first offense carries a fine of $500. (Handbook, p. 2)
Emergencies
- Massachusetts framed its 2008 move-over law around caution and speed. (Handbook, p. 104)
- Tailgating is illegal in Massachusetts and can cost up to $100, but the manual's real point is that following too closely is the main cause of rear end crashes. (Handbook, p. 43)
- It is illegal to follow closer than 300 feet behind an emergency vehicle responding to an alarm. (Handbook, p. 120)
- Massachusetts makes it illegal to drive by or park within 800 feet of a fire. (Handbook, p. 121)
- The Highway Division’s 511 phone service provides up-to-date traffic and weather conditions and construction information. (Handbook, p. 89)
Want the reasoning behind these rules? Study the handbook, chapter by chapter, in 21 short lessons quoted from the Massachusetts manual.
Signs
Sign shape and color carry meaning before you even read the words. A red octagon always means stop, a red-bordered triangle pointing down means yield, and yellow diamonds warn of a hazard ahead. For every sign image used in our practice test, with the exact meaning and explanation, see the full road sign glossary.
Keep studying
This cheat sheet is a summary, not a substitute for practice. Test yourself with the free Massachusetts DMV practice test, which explains the reasoning behind every answer, or see Massachusetts DMV facts and fees before test day.