Alabama Permit Practice Test 1
This free Alabama practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the ALEA tests. Check the ALEA site for the current question count and passing score.
Question 1 of 30
1. In Alabama, driving 26 mph or more over the speed limit adds how many points to your driving record?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Alabama assigns 5 points for speeding 26 mph or more over the limit, versus 2 points for lesser speeding. Bigger speed gaps mean deadlier crashes. Hook: past 25 over, the points jump to five.
2. Setting cruise control on a rural Alabama interstate posted at the state maximum, you should set it no higher than which speed?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The state maximum in Alabama is 70 mph, so cruise control should never be set above it where that limit is posted. Think of the posted limit as a ceiling for ideal conditions, never a required speed.
3. If you violate a restriction of your Alabama Stage II license, what happens to your restricted period?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Breaking an Alabama graduated license restriction stretches the restricted period by six months or until your 18th birthday. The extension gives risky drivers more supervised seasoning. Memory hook: break a rule, buy six more months.
4. You are entering a roundabout. Which statement describes the correct way to use it?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Entering drivers yield to vehicles already circulating in the roundabout, then merge and travel counterclockwise to the exit. Because everyone flows one way and entries wait, roundabouts avoid head-on conflicts. The circle already moving always wins.
5. To advance under Alabama's graduated driver license program, a teen must present either proof of an approved driver education course or a signed form verifying how many hours of supervised driving practice?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Alabama requires a form signed by a parent, grandparent, guardian, or instructor verifying at least 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice, unless the teen completed approved driver education. Practice builds judgment. Hook: fifty before freedom.
6. You park facing downhill on a street with a curb. Where should your front wheels point?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. When parking downhill with a curb, turn your front wheels toward the curb; if the car rolls, the tire wedges against the curb instead of drifting into traffic. Think downhill, dive toward the curb, and set the brake.
7. Unless a different limit is posted, what is the maximum speed on a paved county road in an unincorporated area of Alabama?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Alabama sets 45 mph as the statutory limit on county-maintained paved roads outside cities unless signs say otherwise. These roads mix driveways, farm equipment, and curves. Hook: county pavement, 45 — ten above unpaved.
8. You are driving in a lane with a large white arrow painted on the pavement curving to the right. What does this marking require?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. A curved lane-use arrow makes that lane turn-only: follow the arrow or change lanes before the intersection. The arrows sort traffic early so no one swerves at the last second. The pavement is telling you your path.
9. Why can driving much slower than the vehicles around you be dangerous?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. A vehicle crawling well below the flow of traffic makes others brake hard, bunch up, and pass, which multiplies conflict points. Crashes often come from speed differences, not speed alone, so avoid blocking the normal flow.
10. A center lane is bordered on each side by a solid yellow line with a broken yellow line inside it, and white left-turn arrows are painted for both directions. How may you use this lane?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. A two-way left-turn lane is shared by both directions for left turns only. Enter just before your turn, watch for opposing drivers using the same lane, and never travel or pass in it. Turn, do not cruise.
11. How much of a traffic lane is a motorcycle entitled to use?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. A motorcycle is entitled to a complete traffic lane, and you may not squeeze past one inside that lane. Riders need the full width to dodge hazards. Treat a motorcycle's lane like a car's lane: whole and off-limits.
12. You are delivering food to a house on an unposted residential street in Alabama. Unless a sign changes it, what speed limit applies?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Unposted residential streets in Alabama carry a default limit of 30 mph. The rule exists so drivers can stop for the unexpected, like a car backing out of a driveway. When a sign is posted, obey the sign instead.
13. Your rear wheels begin sliding sideways on a slippery road. How do you regain control?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. In a skid, ease off both pedals and look and steer where you want the front of the car to go, correcting gently as it straightens. Sudden braking or gas makes sliding worse. Eyes up, feet off, steer.
14. Under Alabama's zero-tolerance law, what BAC level counts as a violation for a driver under 21?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Alabama's zero-tolerance law sets the under-21 threshold at 0.02%, far stricter than the adult standard. Underage drinking is illegal to begin with, so the safest and simplest rule is zero alcohol before driving, always.
15. A sign at an intersection shows a left-curving arrow inside a red circle with a diagonal slash. What must you do there?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. A slashed left arrow forbids left turns at that intersection, often because turning across oncoming traffic there causes crashes or blocks flow. Plan another route, such as continuing straight and circling the block. The slash cancels only the movement shown.
16. You are studying for the Alabama permit knowledge exam and want to schedule it as early as the law allows. You can hold a learner's permit beginning at which age?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. In Alabama, 15 is the earliest age for a learner's permit, so plan your knowledge exam around that date. Study the official handbook, since permit questions come from it, and arrive with the required documents ready.
17. You are turning left at an intersection on a green light while an oncoming car heads straight toward the intersection. What is the rule?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A driver turning left must yield to oncoming vehicles going straight or turning right, crossing only when there is a safe gap. Straight traffic keeps its speed and path, so the turning driver waits. Left turn equals lower priority.
18. In Alabama, a driver who is 21 or older commits a per-se drunk-driving offense once their blood alcohol concentration reaches which level?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. 'Per se' means the number alone proves the offense. In Alabama, that number is 0.08%. No other proof of bad driving is needed at that level, and alcohol can still impair you below it.
19. What does a learner's permit allow you to do?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. A learner's permit is a practice license: you may drive only with a qualified licensed adult beside you in the front seat. That supervisor can coach you and take over. Permit means practice, and practice means supervised.
20. In Alabama, an under-21 driver can face a license suspension for alcohol at a much lower level than an adult DUI. That zero-tolerance level is which of these?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Reaching 0.02% can cost a driver under 21 their license in Alabama, even when they show no obvious impairment. The state treats underage drinking and driving as a license issue first, aiming to stop the habit early.
21. A power outage has left the traffic signals at an intersection completely dark. What should you do?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. When a signal is completely dark, treat the intersection as an all-way stop: stop fully, yield to vehicles that arrived first, and proceed in turn. This shared rule keeps order when the usual electronic referee is offline.
22. Why is texting on a handheld phone one of the most dangerous things a driver can do?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Texting combines all three types of distraction at once: visual, manual, and cognitive, since your eyes, hands, and thoughts all leave the road together. A driver who is not looking, holding, or thinking is barely driving at all.
23. Why do states phase in driving privileges through graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. GDL programs add privileges in stages, from supervised practice to restricted solo driving to a full license, because crash risk peaks in a driver's first months. Skills grow with mileage, so the system lets experience catch up first.
24. Which parking spot is illegal no matter how briefly you plan to stay?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Parking within the cleared space around a fire hydrant is always illegal, because firefighters may need instant access to connect hoses. Blocking a hydrant can cost lives during a fire. If you see a hydrant, leave the whole area open.
25. A wide white bar is painted across your lane just before an intersection with a stop sign. Where must you stop?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. A stop line marks the exact place to stop: bring your vehicle to a halt before the bar, not on or past it. It keeps you clear of crosswalks and cross traffic. The bar is the boundary.
26. Can prescription pills or over-the-counter cold medicine lead to an impaired-driving charge?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Impaired-driving laws care about your condition, not the label on the bottle, so prescription and over-the-counter medicines that cause drowsiness or slow reactions can bring a DUI charge. Read warning labels before you drive, not after.
27. A teen walks into a Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) office in Alabama to apply for a first learner's permit. The office can accept the application once the teen is what age?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The ALEA accepts learner's permit applications at age 15 in Alabama. Bring proof of identity, residency, and usually a parent's signature, then pass the knowledge and vision screenings. Age is simply the first box to check.
28. Your headlights suddenly go dark while you are driving at night. What should you do first?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. First flick the headlight switch and dimmer, since the problem may be a loose connection; then use parking, hazard, or turn lights to stay visible while you leave the road. Never keep driving blind hoping the lights return.
29. A solid white line, instead of a broken one, separates your lane from the next lane going the same way. What is it telling you?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. A solid white line between same-direction lanes discourages lane changes, and it appears where drifting is risky, such as near intersections and ramps. The firmer the line looks, the firmer the message: hold your lane.
30. After two drinks at a barbecue in Alabama, you consider driving home. For a driver 21 or older, that becomes illegal starting at which BAC?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Driving in Alabama becomes a per-se DUI at a BAC of 0.08%. Drinks affect people differently, so you cannot reliably guess your number. When you have been drinking, the smart decision is simply to skip driving.
Your result
0 / 30