Pennsylvania permit practice test/Free questions
PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services knowledge test · 20 free questions
Free Pennsylvania DMV Permit practice questions
Every free question with its answer, the reason and where it comes from in the Pennsylvania Driver's Manual. Tap an answer to check yourself, or print the page.
- Pass mark
- 83%
- Questions on the test
- 18
- Correct to pass
- 15
- Free here
- 20
Road signs questions5
- 01Road signs
An octagonal red sign always means what?
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. Other shapes carry different jobs — a triangle yields, a diamond warns — so shape alone is a reliable clue when paint is faded or snow-covered.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Signs, Signals and Pavement Markings — Regulatory signs
- 02Road signs
A sign shaped like an inverted triangle (point down) tells you to:
Answer: B, 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. It is the only standard sign with this shape, so even when the legend is unreadable the outline still communicates yield rather than stop.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Signs, Signals and Pavement Markings — Regulatory signs
- 03Road signs
What does a yellow diamond with a black curving arrow warn about?
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 or icy surfaces. Pennsylvania's ridge-and-valley routes curve constantly — warning signs give advance notice so you adjust speed early rather than braking mid-curve.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Signs, Signals and Pavement Markings — Warning signs
- 04Road signs
A red circle with a white horizontal bar (DO NOT ENTER style) means:
Answer: D, 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 rather than continuing forward.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Signs, Signals and Pavement Markings — Regulatory signs
- 05Road signs
A white X-shaped crossbuck sign at a railroad crossing tells you to:
Answer: C, Treat it as a yield sign — slow down and prepare to stop for a train. The crossbuck is placed where tracks cross the road, and the manual says to treat it as a yield sign: slow down and prepare to stop if you see or hear a train approaching. Flashing red lights, a lowered gate, a flagger or a train's audible warning all mean stop. Never stop your vehicle on the tracks themselves, even when no train appears to be coming.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Signs, Signals and Pavement Markings — Regulatory signs
Pennsylvania DMV Permit alcohol and drug questions2
- 06Alcohol and drugs
For drivers 21 and older in Pennsylvania, the per se DUI blood alcohol limit is:
Answer: A, 0.08%. At 0.08% BAC or higher, a driver 21 or older is per se guilty of driving under the influence — 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 before drinking starts.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Driving Record & Alcohol — Alcohol and the Law
- 07Alcohol and drugs
Under Pennsylvania law, a driver under 21 with any measurable alcohol faces:
Answer: A, License suspension and penalties under zero-tolerance rules. Pennsylvania holds under-21 drivers to zero tolerance: a BAC of .02 or higher means DUI, punished from the High Rate table with jail from two days to six months, a full year of license suspension and a $500 to $5,000 fine. For young drivers any alcohol plus a car means losing the privilege to drive. The strict standard reflects how inexperience and impairment combine lethally.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Driving Record & Alcohol — Alcohol and the Law
Intersections and turns questions2
- 08Intersections and turns
At an all-way stop, if two vehicles arrive at the same time, who goes first?
Answer: A, 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: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive — Intersections and Right-of-Way
- 09Intersections and turns
Before turning left at a green light, you should:
Answer: A, 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 already lawfully in the intersection.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive — Turning
Licensing (GDL) questions2
- 10Licensing (GDL)
To get a Pennsylvania learner's permit you must be at least 16 and:
Answer: C, Complete the DL-180 application, pass vision and knowledge tests. Applicants 16 and older complete the Non-Commercial Learner's Permit Application (DL-180) — plus parental-consent form DL-180TD under 18 — then pass vision and knowledge tests. The permit is valid for one year of supervised practice. Age alone is not enough; paperwork and both tests are equally required.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Chapter 1: Testing — Learner's Permit
- 11Licensing (GDL)
If you fail the Pennsylvania knowledge test, you may:
Answer: C, Retake it the following business day. PennDOT permits a knowledge-test retake the following business day — use the interval to study the sections you missed rather than rushing back. The test must be passed before any learner's permit issues. Repeated failures signal unread manual chapters, not bad luck.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Chapter 1: Testing — Knowledge Test
Parking questions2
- 12Parking
When parking downhill next to a curb, you should turn your front wheels:
Answer: B, 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 — Pittsburgh's grades punish every skipped step.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive — Parking on Hills
- 13Parking
Before opening your door into traffic after parking, you must:
Answer: C, 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: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive — Parking
Passing a school bus questions2
- 14Passing a school bus
Before passing on a two-lane road, you must be sure:
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 you see both headlights of the passed vehicle in your mirror.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive — Passing
- 15Passing a school bus
When being passed by another vehicle, you should:
Answer: D, 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: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive — Passing
Sharing the road questions2
- 16Sharing the road
A school bus with flashing red lights is stopped ahead on an undivided road. You must:
Answer: C, Stop and remain stopped until the lights stop flashing. A school bus stopped with red lights flashing and its stop arm extended requires traffic from both directions to stop at least 10 feet away. The manual says to remain stopped until the red lights stop flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and the children have reached a safe place. Rolling past risks a child's life and brings a 60-day suspension, five points and a fine.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Sharing the Road — School Buses
- 17Sharing the road
When passing a cyclist with no bike lane, you should:
Answer: A, Wait until you can leave safe clearance, then pass wide. Cyclists hold the same lane rights as motor vehicles, and the manual's safe-passing law requires at least four feet of clearance when you pass a bicycle — crossing the double yellow line is allowed when needed to keep that space. Pass only with generous clearance, since wobble, gusts and potholes move riders sideways without warning, then return without cutting back sharply.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Sharing the Road — Bicycles
Special conditions questions1
- 18Special conditions
When you see a flagger paddle showing SLOW/STOP in a work zone, you must:
Answer: D, Obey the flagger's directions exactly. Flaggers replace signal heads with human control: watch the paddle, stop or proceed exactly as directed. Pennsylvania doubles speeding fines in active work zones. Their authority keeps crews alive where lights are not installed — compliance is never optional even when no police car is visible.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Special Conditions — Work Zones
Speed and space questions1
- 19Speed and space
The Pennsylvania maximum speed limit is 70 mph unless otherwise posted, and you must:
Answer: D, Reduce speed for weather, traffic, and road conditions. Seventy is the statewide maximum for ideal conditions, and posted limits override it in both directions: urban districts, school zones and interstates carry their own numbers. Rain, snow, fog, congestion and work zones all demand slower speeds, and you can be ticketed for driving too fast for conditions even below the posted number. The limit caps speed; conditions dictate the safe one.
Source: PA Driver's Manual — Learning to Drive — Speed Limits
Traffic signals and markings questions1
- 20Traffic signals and markings
A steady yellow traffic light means:
Answer: C, 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: PA Driver's Manual — Signs, Signals and Pavement Markings — Traffic Signals