The West Virginia permit test has at least 25 questions, and on the 25 question test you need 19 correct (76%) to pass. Official source. Page updated 2026-10-27.
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Key West Virginia DMV rules and numbers
These are key rules and numbers from the West Virginia 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 West Virginia DMV practice test question bank, which has 500 questions across 9 topics, checked against the West Virginia handbook (last verified 2026-09-07).
Speed limits
- The handbook defines the school zone as school property plus an abutting street or highway extending 125 feet from the school grounds. (Handbook, PDF page 52)
- The West Virginia handbook says the maximum speed limit in a school zone is 15 mph when children are present or when specified. (Handbook, PDF page 44)
- West Virginia expects drivers to adjust speed when weather, traffic, or the roadway makes seeing or stopping harder. (Handbook, PDF page 52)
- A slower driver should make room for traffic rather than create a moving obstruction. (Handbook, PDF page 53)
- The handbook names approaching and crossing an intersection as a situation requiring extra caution and reduced speed. (Handbook, PDF page 52)
Right of way
- A driver leaving a driveway is joining traffic that already has a place on the public roadway. (Handbook, PDF page 59)
- At an uncontrolled intersection or four-way stop, equal arrival creates a tie that the handbook resolves by giving priority to the driver on the right. (Handbook, PDF page 59)
- When entering an interstate, the West Virginia handbook reminds drivers that traffic on the interstate has the right-of-way. (Handbook, PDF page 68)
- The handbook gives a blind pedestrian using a white cane or walking stick the right-of-way on a highway, street, or road whether or not the person is in a crosswalk. (Handbook, PDF page 50)
- West Virginia presents right-of-way as a safety responsibility, not a prize to seize. (Handbook, PDF page 59)
Alcohol and DUI
- For the handbook's general BAC presumption, a reading of 0.08 percent or more means the driver is presumed to be under the influence. (Handbook, PDF page 31)
- West Virginia's under-21 rule is stricter than the adult presumption discussed elsewhere in the handbook. (Handbook, PDF page 31)
- The intermediate BAC range is not described as harmless and is not identical to the 0.08 percent presumption. (Handbook, PDF page 31)
- The West Virginia handbook lists this as a point to remember: the amount of alcohol in a one-ounce shot of 100-proof whiskey, a six-ounce glass of wine, and a 12-ounce can of beer is the same. (Handbook, PDF page 31)
- For a driver under 18, a DUI revokes the license until age 18 or for the statutory revocation period, whichever is longer, and until all other requirements are met. (Handbook, PDF page 32)
Signals and markings
- High beams blind the driver coming toward you, so the handbook sets the dimming distance at 500 feet. (Handbook, PDF page 72)
- The West Virginia handbook opens its pedestrian section with the figure that vehicle-pedestrian collisions account for nearly 20 percent of traffic fatalities. (Handbook, PDF page 60)
- West Virginia advises signaling at least 100 feet before turning. (Handbook, PDF page 53)
- Passing is prohibited within 100 feet of an intersection. (Handbook, PDF page 58)
- Passing is prohibited within 100 feet of a bridge, viaduct, tunnel, or underpass. (Handbook, PDF page 59)
Parking
- For parallel parking on a two-way street, the West Virginia handbook says to park so the right-hand wheels are parallel to and within 18 inches of the right curb. (Handbook, PDF page 57)
- When parallel parking on the left side of the road, the wheels should be within 18 inches of the left curb. (Handbook, PDF page 57)
- West Virginia prohibits parking within 20 feet of a mailbox served by a carrier using a motor vehicle for daily deliveries. (Handbook, PDF page 56)
- West Virginia says that if you park or stop on a grade, you should turn the front wheels to the curb side of the highway so the vehicle will not roll. (Handbook, PDF page 56)
- West Virginia does not permit parking on the shoulders of interstates, and vehicles parked there may be towed. (Handbook, PDF page 69)
Safe driving
- The West Virginia handbook warns that it takes as much as 12 times the normal distance to stop on snow or ice as it takes to stop on dry pavement. (Handbook, PDF page 73)
- When following another vehicle at night, West Virginia's handbook says to dim the headlights within 200 feet. (Handbook, PDF page 72)
- West Virginia lists 70 mph as the maximum interstate speed unless a different limit is posted. (Handbook, PDF page 52)
- West Virginia's handbook points out that heavy trucks often weigh about 80,000 pounds and handle very differently from cars. (Handbook, PDF page 62)
- The handbook places partial hydroplaning in a standard passenger vehicle at about 35 mph. (Handbook, PDF page 73)
Road signs
- West Virginia's handbook describes a right side up triangular sign with a reflective red border and a fluorescent orange center. (Handbook, PDF page 44)
- Designated speeds apply only when they are not otherwise posted and when they remain reasonable and prudent for conditions. (Handbook, PDF page 52)
- An eight-sided stop sign means you must stop completely and give the right-of-way to pedestrians and to all cross traffic before moving again. (Handbook, PDF page 44)
- The handbook says the upside down triangle requires you to yield the right-of-way to cross traffic or to merging traffic, and its right-of-way section tells drivers at a yield sign to slow down before reaching the intersection. (Handbook, PDF page 44)
- A Wrong Way or Do Not Enter sign warns that traffic is prohibited in the marked direction. (Handbook, PDF page 45)
Laws and paperwork
- A new resident who wants to drive in West Virginia must apply within 30 days after establishing residency. (Handbook, PDF page 16)
- Applicants who are at least 21 receive a horizontal license with a landscape background. (Handbook, PDF page 17)
- Level 2 permits unsupervised driving from 5:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., but nighttime driving from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. generally requires a licensed adult supervisor age 21 or older. (Handbook, PDF page 20)
- The point scale lists six points for speeding 20 mph or more over the speed limit. (Handbook, PDF page 30)
- Passing requires 19 correct answers out of 25. (Handbook, PDF page 34)
Emergencies
- The handbook compares driving skills after 18 hours awake with those of someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol. (Handbook, PDF page 33)
- An uncontrolled vehicle fire can become an explosion hazard, so the handbook directs people to move at least 100 feet away. (Handbook, PDF page 82)
- For a disabled vehicle on an interstate, the handbook says to put one flare about one vehicle length behind the vehicle and another about 300 feet back, each on the shoulder near the edge of the through lane. (Handbook, PDF page 70)
- An authorized emergency vehicle may exceed the posted limit while on emergency duty, with its emergency signal equipment operating, and only when other road users are not endangered. (Handbook, PDF page 52)
- West Virginia's Electronically Distracted Driving Act exempts law-enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, ambulance drivers, and similar public safety first responders while they perform official duties. (Handbook)
Want the reasoning behind these rules? Study the handbook, chapter by chapter, in 23 short lessons quoted from the West Virginia 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 West Virginia DMV practice test, which explains the reasoning behind every answer, or see West Virginia DMV facts and fees before test day.