California Permit Practice Test 1
This free California practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the DMV tests. You need 80% correct to pass the real DMV knowledge test.
Question 1 of 30
1. Your 20-year-old cousin is the designated driver tonight in California. To obey the zero-tolerance law, they must keep their BAC below what threshold?
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Correct answer: A. In California, drivers under 21 violate the zero-tolerance law once their BAC reaches 0.01%. A true designated driver drinks nothing at all; that is the whole job, and it keeps every passenger legally and physically safe.
2. Where does modern guidance tell you to place your hands on the steering wheel?
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Correct answer: D. Hold the wheel near the 9 and 3 o'clock positions, level on each side. This grip gives balanced control and keeps your arms out of the path of a deploying airbag. Think low and wide, clear of the bag.
3. Under zero-tolerance laws, what happens to a driver under 21 caught with any measurable alcohol in their system?
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Correct answer: A. Every state enforces zero tolerance: drivers under 21 face penalties, typically license loss, for any measurable amount of alcohol. Because underage drinking is illegal, no level is acceptable. For young drivers, the only safe number is zero.
4. Smoke and flames start coming from under your hood while you drive. What should you do?
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Correct answer: C. Stop away from buildings and fuel, shut off the engine, and move everyone well back. Opening the hood feeds the flames air, and burning vehicles can explode, so fight nothing bigger than a tiny fire. Distance saves lives.
5. In California, 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?
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Correct answer: D. Reaching 0.01% can cost a driver under 21 their license in California, 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.
6. What does a learner's permit allow you to do?
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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.
7. In California, what is the youngest age at which you can apply for a learner's permit?
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Correct answer: B. California issues learner's permits starting at age 15½. The permit opens the first stage of graduated licensing, where you build skills with a supervising adult before earning fuller privileges. Know your state's number; it varies nationwide.
8. In California, you must slow to 15 mph within 100 feet of a railroad crossing when:
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Correct answer: A. California requires 15 mph within 100 feet of a rail crossing when you can't see 400 feet of track both ways. Poor visibility means a train could be seconds away. Crossings with gates, signals, or a flagman allow normal speeds.
9. At a railroad crossing you see a white X-shaped sign reading RAILROAD CROSSING, with no gates or flashing signals. How should you treat it?
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Correct answer: B. The crossbuck is a regulatory sign that legally works like a yield sign at the tracks. Trains cannot swerve or stop quickly, so you must give way every time. At passive crossings, your eyes and ears are the only warning system.
10. Your rear wheels begin sliding sideways on a slippery road. How do you regain control?
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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.
11. Unless signs say otherwise, what is the speed limit on a two-lane undivided highway in California?
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Correct answer: D. California caps two-lane undivided highways at 55 mph unless posted otherwise — the same limit that applies when towing a trailer. Oncoming traffic with no divider leaves little room for error, so the limit drops from the usual 65.
12. You are passing a slow truck on a California highway posted at the state's maximum limit. Even while passing, your legal ceiling stays at which speed?
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Correct answer: B. Passing grants zero extra speed allowance; in California the ceiling on those top-posted highways stays 70 mph. If you cannot complete the pass within the limit, wait for a better gap. The limit binds every maneuver, always.
13. Under implied-consent laws, what have you already agreed to simply by driving on public roads?
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Correct answer: D. Every state has an implied-consent law: by driving, you have already agreed to a breath, blood, or urine test after a lawful impaired-driving arrest. Driving is a privilege, and testing is part of the deal you accepted.
14. You come to an intersection where the signal is flashing red. How should you treat it?
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Correct answer: D. A flashing red light works exactly like a stop sign: stop fully, yield to traffic and pedestrians, then proceed when the way is clear. Flashing red still means red, so a complete stop is always required.
15. What should you do when you approach an intersection with a flashing yellow light?
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Correct answer: C. A flashing yellow light does not require a stop; it tells you to slow down, scan the intersection, and proceed carefully. It marks spots with extra risk, so treat flashing yellow as a caution flag, not a green light.
16. On a highway you pass a white regulatory sign reading MINIMUM SPEED 40. Why is that sign posted?
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Correct answer: D. A minimum speed sign requires you to travel at least the posted speed when conditions allow. Highways post it because vehicles moving far below the flow cause rear-end and lane-change crashes. Too slow can be as dangerous as too fast.
17. A school bus ahead stops with its red lights flashing on a two-lane road with no median. Which vehicles must stop?
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Correct answer: D. On a road without a dividing median, traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights and remain stopped until the lights turn off. Children may cross from either side, so every lane freezes.
18. Children are playing near the curb on an unposted neighborhood street in California. Unless a sign says otherwise, the fastest you may legally drive here is which speed?
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Correct answer: A. The default residential limit in California is 25 mph unless otherwise posted. With children nearby, you should often go slower still, because stopping distance grows quickly with speed and kids can dart into the street without warning.
19. A 30-year-old driver in California takes a chemical test after a crash. Prosecutors can prove DUI from the test result alone once the BAC is at least which value?
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Correct answer: D. A test showing 0.08% or higher proves per-se DUI in California without any other evidence of impairment. Lawmakers chose that threshold because crash risk climbs sharply near it, though alcohol degrades driving skills at lower levels too.
20. On a multilane highway, white lines separate the lanes. What does the white color tell you about the traffic around you?
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Correct answer: B. White lines divide lanes of traffic that flow the same way, while yellow divides opposing flows. Reading line color at a glance tells you instantly where oncoming cars can be. White means with you, yellow means toward you.
21. You hit a stretch of heavy rain and patchy fog on the highway. How should you adjust your speed?
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Correct answer: B. In rain or fog, reduce speed until you could stop within the distance you can actually see, since wet pavement stretches stopping distance and fog hides hazards. Drive by sight distance: if you cannot see it, slow for it.
22. A California driver on probation for DUI may not drive with a BAC of:
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Correct answer: A. While on DUI probation in California, the limit drops to 0.01% — effectively zero. One prior DUI removes the benefit of the doubt, so any measurable alcohol behind the wheel violates probation. Think: probation means zero tolerance.
23. An orange sign with a black arrow reads DETOUR. What is this sign telling you?
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Correct answer: A. Detour signs guide you along a temporary route when the normal road is closed, often for construction or an emergency. Keep following the arrows until the detour ends, and the route will return you to your original road.
24. 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?
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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.
25. A friend in California says, 'I feel fine, so I can drive.' Feelings aside, the law sets the illegal BAC for drivers 21 and older at which number?
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Correct answer: B. Feeling fine proves nothing; alcohol dulls the very judgment you use to check yourself. In California, 0.08% is the per-se limit for adults, and measurable impairment often shows up well before a driver reaches it.
26. How should a lap and shoulder belt be worn so it protects you in a crash?
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Correct answer: D. Wear the lap belt low and snug over your hips and the shoulder belt across your chest, because those strong bones absorb crash forces safely. Belts on your belly or behind your back can cause serious internal injuries.
27. In California, state law sets a default limit for residential districts that applies wherever no speed limit sign is posted. That default is which of the following?
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Correct answer: B. California law fixes the unposted residential default at 25 mph. Lawmakers keep it low because residential streets are full of crossings, parked cars, and pedestrians. Remember: no sign means the default applies, and posted signs override it.
28. You park facing downhill on a street with a curb. Where should your front wheels point?
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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.
29. After passing a large truck, why is it dangerous to merge back quickly and then brake?
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Correct answer: B. A heavy truck needs far more stopping distance than a car, so cutting in close and braking leaves the trucker no room and no options. Merge back only when the whole truck appears in your rearview mirror.
30. In California, when children are outside or crossing the street, the speed limit within 500 feet of a school is:
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Correct answer: B. Within 500 feet of a school while children are outside or crossing, California's limit is 25 mph — and some posted school zones drop to 15 mph. Kids dart; slower speeds buy stopping distance. See children, think 25.
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