The Pennsylvania permit test has 18 questions, and you need 15 correct (83%) to pass. Official source. Page updated 2026-10-16.
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Key Pennsylvania DMV rules and numbers
These are key rules and numbers from the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania DMV practice test question bank, which has 500 questions across 9 topics, checked against the Pennsylvania handbook (last verified 2026-09-06).
Speed limits
- Pennsylvania's manual identifies 70 mph as the maximum speed limit in the state. (Handbook, p. 39)
- Pennsylvania's manual says low beams light only about 250 feet ahead, while a car at 55 mph needs more than 250 feet to stop even on dry pavement. (Handbook, p. 40)
- School zone signals are flashing yellow lights on the school zone speed limit signs, and you must travel no faster than 15 mph while they flash or during the posted time periods. (Handbook, p. 9)
- Away from interstates, maximum speed limit signs repeat at approximately half-mile intervals, reminding drivers of the ceiling for that stretch. (Handbook, p. 39)
- Certain violations committed in an active work zone carry doubled fines, and speeding sits expressly inside that doubled group. (Handbook, p. 54)
Right of way
- To cross an intersection with a two-way stop sign, the manual says you need about a 6-second gap in both directions to cross a 30 mph street, or about a block of clear space to the right and left. (Handbook, p. 49)
- At an uncontrolled intersection, Pennsylvania assigns the yield duty to the vehicle approaching from the left when the two vehicles arrive at roughly the same time. (Handbook, p. 48)
- Pennsylvania requires drivers to yield to pedestrians crossing at any intersection without a traffic light, with or without a marked crosswalk. (Handbook, p. 48)
- Every Pennsylvania roundabout entry has a YIELD sign and a yield line painted on the pavement. (Handbook, p. 48)
- Pennsylvania allows a right turn on red unless a NO TURN ON RED sign prohibits it, but the maneuver begins with a complete stop. (Handbook, p. 7)
Alcohol and DUI
- The manual's DUI table places a legal-age driver's General Impairment tier at BAC .08 through .099. (Handbook, p. 83)
- Pennsylvania treats a driver under 21 as driving under the influence at a BAC of .02 percent or more. (Handbook, p. 33)
- Pennsylvania's Highest Rate table begins at BAC .16 and also covers a driver who refuses chemical testing, regardless of the BAC level. (Handbook, p. 82)
- For a person under 21, Pennsylvania makes buying, consuming, possessing alcohol, or having it in the vehicle unlawful. (Handbook, p. 84)
- Pennsylvania's manual says you should consider one drink to be 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor, 12 ounces of regular beer, or 5 ounces of wine. (Handbook, p. 34)
Signals and markings
- At 35 mph or faster, Pennsylvania requires signaling at least 300 feet before turning. (Handbook, p. 44)
- At speeds below 35 mph, Pennsylvania requires a turn signal at least 100 feet before the turn. (Handbook, p. 44)
- A solid yellow line on your side of a combination centerline means you may not pass. (Handbook, p. 22)
- Pennsylvania gives a flashing red light the same force as a STOP sign. (Handbook, p. 8)
- A flashing yellow light signals caution while allowing traffic to continue. (Handbook, p. 8)
Parking
- Pennsylvania lists the area within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection among places where a driver may not stop, stand, or park, except in an emergency or when directed by a police officer. (Handbook, p. 53)
- Pennsylvania says a vehicle parked on a street with a curb should be as close to the curb as possible, but no more than 12 inches away. (Handbook, p. 53)
- Parking unlawfully in a Pennsylvania disabled parking area is a summary offense with a fine between $50 and $200, and the vehicle may be towed and released only after the towing costs are paid. (Handbook, p. 92)
- Pennsylvania bars parking within 30 feet of a flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or traffic control device at the side of the road. (Handbook, p. 53)
- If a street has a curb, park within 12 inches of it; with no curb, pull as far off the roadway as you can. (Handbook, p. 52)
Safe driving
- In 2017, 80.2 percent of people involved in Pennsylvania crashes were wearing seat belts, and drivers ages 16 to 24 had the highest number of unbuckled injuries and fatalities of any age group and the lowest seat belt use. (Handbook, p. 31)
- A Pennsylvania vehicle needs a safety inspection every 12 months at an authorized inspection station. (Handbook, p. 92)
- An adult dialing a cell phone misses the same driving event 13 percent of the time, but a teenager dialing a cell phone misses it 53 percent of the time. (Handbook, p. 32)
- Being awake for 18 hours impairs your driving about as much as a blood alcohol level of .05 percent. (Handbook, p. 33)
- Every year across the United States, falling asleep while driving causes at least 100,000 crashes, in which 1,500 people die and 40,000 are injured, and almost half of those crashes involve drivers between 15 and 24 years of age. (Handbook, p. 33)
Road signs
- The keystone marker showing 39 identifies Pennsylvania Traffic Route 39. (Handbook, p. 21)
- Pennsylvania places warning information on yellow diamond signs. (Handbook, p. 13)
- The STOP sign is the only octagon-shaped, eight-sided sign used on the highway, so the shape alone tells you to stop. (Handbook, p. 10)
- The octagonal STOP sign requires the vehicle to stop completely before the stop line or crosswalk; the manual says slowing down without coming to a full stop is illegal. (Handbook, p. 10)
- DO NOT ENTER marks the beginning of a one-way street or ramp in the direction the driver is facing. (Handbook, p. 11)
Laws and paperwork
- Pennsylvania's Knowledge Test contains 18 multiple-choice questions, and an applicant needs 15 correct responses to pass. (Handbook, p. 5)
- The Non Commercial Learner's Permit Application, form DL-180, is valid for one year from the date of your physical examination, but the exam date may not be more than six months before your 16th birthday. (Handbook, p. 1)
- A person who moves into Pennsylvania and establishes residency must obtain a Pennsylvania driver's license within 60 days and surrender the out-of-state license. (Handbook, p. 3)
- A Pennsylvania driver under 18 must complete at least 65 hours of behind-the-wheel skill-building before the Road Test. (Handbook, p. 2)
- The ordinary nighttime restriction for a Pennsylvania junior driver's license runs from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. (Handbook, p. 3)
Emergencies
- The driving-record list assigns a 30-day suspension to failure to comply with a railroad crossing gate or barrier. (Handbook, p. 79)
- Pennsylvania escalates the summary-offense fine for failing to move over or slow down: up to $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second, and $2,000 for a third or subsequent offense. (Handbook, p. 59)
- When a Move Over violation leads to the death of an emergency responder or a person in or near a disabled vehicle, Pennsylvania imposes a one-year suspension and permits a fine of up to $10,000. (Handbook, p. 59)
- Pennsylvania tells drivers to wait for the emergency vehicle to pass and then keep at least 500 feet behind it. (Handbook, p. 59)
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since 2006 nearly half of all flooding deaths reported in Pennsylvania were related to vehicles. (Handbook, p. 62)
Want the reasoning behind these rules? Study the handbook, chapter by chapter, in 16 short lessons quoted from the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania DMV practice test, which explains the reasoning behind every answer, or see Pennsylvania DMV facts and fees before test day.