Free North Carolina DMV Permit practice questions

Answer: C, Stop. An octagon is reserved for one meaning: stop. Bring the vehicle to a complete halt at the limit line or before entering the intersection, then proceed only when safe. North Carolina's sign test asks you to identify signs by color and shape — the octagon's outline alone answers before the legend resolves.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Traffic Signs — Regulatory signs

Answer: A, Yield the right-of-way. The upside-down triangle is the yield sign. Slow down, give the right-of-way to vehicles and pedestrians in or approaching the intersection, and stop only if needed. NCDMV's sign test keys on exactly this shape-color-meaning link, so learn the triangle as yield without hesitation.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Traffic Signs — Regulatory signs

Answer: D, Curve ahead. A curving arrow on a yellow diamond warns the road bends ahead, showing the curve's direction. Slow before the bend, avoid passing, and keep control on wet surfaces. Blue Ridge parkway and mountain routes curve constantly — explain the sign's color, shape, and meaning together as the sign test requires.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Traffic Signs — Warning signs

Answer: B, No vehicles may enter this way. DO NOT ENTER and the red no-entry symbol prohibit vehicles from entering one-way streets or exit ramps in that direction — the classic wrong-way trap. Entering against the sign risks a head-on collision. If you see both after turning, stop safely and leave the way you came.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Traffic Signs — Regulatory signs

Answer: B, Yield to any approaching trains. The crossbuck marks every highway-railroad crossing and means yield to approaching trains: slow, look both ways, listen, and stop if anything comes. Round yellow X/RR advance signs give earlier notice. Never stop on the tracks themselves, and stop no closer than 15 feet when a train approaches with signals active.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Railroad Crossings — Crossbucks

Answer: A, 0.08%. At 0.08% BAC or higher, a driver 21 or older is per se guilty of driving while impaired — no other proof of impairment needed. Lower levels still support charges when ability is impaired. Because impairment begins with the first drink, the only safe choice is a sober ride planned ahead.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Alcohol and Drugs — DWI law

Answer: C, License revocation and penalties — zero tolerance. North Carolina holds under-21 drivers to any measurable alcohol or drugs — conviction revokes the license for one full year. At 0.08% young drivers face regular DWI charges on top. For young drivers any substance plus a car means losing the privilege to drive; inexperience and impairment combine lethally at any dose.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Alcohol and Drugs — Under-21 rules

Answer: B, The driver on the right. When arrival is simultaneous at an all-way stop, the driver on the right has the right-of-way. Size, impatience, and signaling do not change that rule. If you arrived clearly first, you proceed first. Take turns visibly and never assume the other driver will yield correctly.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Intersections — All-way stops

Answer: B, Yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, then turn when safe. A left turn is allowed only when you can complete it without conflicting with oncoming vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians. Signal early, position safely, wait for a clear gap, and never assume oncoming traffic will slow. A green light permits the turn but gives no priority over those lawfully in the intersection.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Turning — Left turns

Answer: D, 15. At fifteen, teens enter Level 1 of graduated licensing — knowledge, sign, and vision tests plus driver education open supervised practice. Adults eighteen and older apply for the regular learner permit in person. Age opens the door; passing all three tests walks through it.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Licensing — Learner permits

Answer: C, 60 hours of operation with 10 at night, signed by the supervisor. Sixty supervised hours with ten after dark — logged trip by trip and signed by the supervising driver — gate the Level 2 provisional license. Daylight means sunrise to sunset; night means after sunset without daylight. Fabricated logs endanger the logger first: the hours build the judgment solo driving demands.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Licensing — Driving logs

Answer: A, Toward the curb. Park downhill with the front wheels turned toward the curb so a rolling vehicle is caught by the curb rather than rolling into traffic. Uphill with a curb, angle them away so a rollback wedges the tire. Always set the parking brake — Asheville's grades punish every skipped step.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Parking — Hills

Answer: B, Check mirrors and blind spot for cyclists and vehicles. Dooring injures cyclists and motorcyclists who cannot anticipate a sudden steel wall. Shoulder-check before every traffic-side exit, open slowly, and step out only when clear. Your door's swing is your responsibility — a moment's check prevents injuries no apology can undo.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Parking — Entering and exiting

Answer: B, The way is clear, the zone allows it, and you can return safely. Legal passing needs all three: a permitted zone, full sight distance past hills and curves, and room to complete the pass and return before oncoming conflict. Signal, pass decisively without exceeding the limit, and return only when safely clear with room to spare. Blind hills, curves, shoulders and stopped school buses forbid passing outright.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Passing — How to pass

Answer: A, Hold steady or slow slightly and stay right. Help the passer complete safely: maintain or ease speed, hold your lane right, and never accelerate to block. Competing with a passing car creates a three-wide disaster with oncoming traffic. Courtesy here is survival — the pass ends quickest when you cooperate.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Passing — Being passed

Answer: D, Stop and remain stopped until the signal is withdrawn, the lights turn off and the bus moves. When reds flash and the mechanical stop signal extends for boarding, every approaching driver must stop and wait until the signal withdraws, the lights turn off and the bus starts moving. On two-lane roads both directions halt; wider roads follow the handbook's lane scenarios. Children dart around stopped buses — early rolling gambles with small lives.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Sharing the Road — School buses

Answer: B, Wait until you can pass with at least two feet of clearance, then pass wide. Cyclists hold the same lane rights as motor vehicles, and North Carolina requires passing with at least two feet to the left — more at higher speeds. Pass only with generous clearance, signal, and return without cutting back sharply. Mountain and coastal routes demand extra patience where shoulders vanish entirely.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Sharing the Road — Bicycles

Answer: C, Obey the flagger's directions exactly. Flaggers replace signal heads with human control: watch the paddle, stop or proceed exactly as directed. Fines for speeding in North Carolina work zones are increased. Their authority keeps crews alive where lights are not installed — compliance is never optional.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Special Conditions — Work zones

Answer: A, Reduce speed for weather, traffic, and road conditions. Fifty-five is the rural default for ideal conditions — rain, fog, congestion, and work zones all demand slower speeds, and cities post lower limits. The limit caps speed; conditions dictate the safe one. Municipal 35 mph zones and school zones override the default wherever they appear.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Speed Limits — Maximums and conditions

Answer: B, The signal is about to turn red — stop if you can do so safely. Yellow warns the green phase is ending: stop if you can do so safely, and proceed only when stopping would be unsafe or you already entered. It is not an extension of green. Racing yellows trains you into red-light running, and the seconds saved never justify the angle-crash risk.

Source: NC Driver Handbook — Traffic Signals — Signal meanings