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.
Tap an answer. The explanation opens so you can learn it, then go on. Keyboard: A–D or 1–4 to answer, then Enter or Space.
Question 1 of 30
1. On an Alabama highway with four or more lanes, an emergency vehicle is stopped ahead with flashing lights. What does Alabama's move-over law require first?
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Correct answer: D. Alabama's move-over law tells drivers on roads with four or more lanes to leave the lane nearest a stopped emergency vehicle or wrecker; if changing lanes is unsafe, slow to 15 mph below the posted limit. Hook: move over or slow way down.
2. Setting cruise control on a rural Alabama interstate posted at the state maximum, you should set it no higher than which speed?
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Correct answer: B. The state maximum in Alabama is 70 mph, so cruise control should not be set above it where that limit is posted. Think of the posted limit as a ceiling for ideal conditions, not a required speed.
3. If you violate a restriction of your Alabama Stage II license, what happens to your restricted period?
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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. Your street ends at a T-intersection with a through road. Who has the right-of-way?
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Correct answer: B. When your road ends at a T-intersection, traffic on the continuing through road has the right-of-way, and you must yield before turning onto it. The road that ends waits; picture the through road as the main current.
5. Unless a different limit is posted, what is the maximum speed on a paved county road in an unincorporated area of Alabama?
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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.
6. You are towing a small trailer on a highway posted 70 mph. What should you assume about a safe speed?
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Correct answer: B. Added weight and sway stretch your stopping distance, and some states post a lower tow limit. Even when the big number is legal, the safe number is often lower. If it sways, you are already too fast.
7. What is the highest posted highway speed limit in Alabama?
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Correct answer: A. Alabama's highest posted highway limit is 70 mph. Most stretches are lower, and work zones or weather can cut it further. Do not assume every freeway in Alabama is signed at the state maximum.
8. A white rectangular sign reads WRONG WAY. You have just entered a ramp. What is the safest first move?
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Correct answer: C. WRONG WAY means you are driving toward oncoming traffic. Stop without blocking others if you can, then leave the roadway the way you came or wait for help. Continuing forward is how head-on crashes start.
9. What does official NHTSA Move Over guidance tell you to do when flashing lights are stopped on the shoulder?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Move Over guidance says All states require drivers to move over and slow down for emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Drivers approaching the vehicle should change into a lane not immediately adjacent to the vehicle, or slow down to a reasonable speed if you’re unable to safely make a lane change.
10. On a two-lane road, the center line nearest your lane is broken yellow, while the line on the far side is solid yellow. When may you cross it to pass?
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Correct answer: C. A broken yellow line on your side means passing is permitted from your direction, but only when oncoming traffic is far enough away to pass safely. Broken means you may cross; solid means stay put.
11. What does NHTSA say is the only true way to protect yourself against drowsy driving?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drowsy-driving guidance says Getting adequate sleep on a daily basis is the only true way to protect yourself against the risks of driving when you’re drowsy. Coffee and energy drinks last only a short time.
12. Your GPS routes you through a Alabama neighborhood of homes and parked cars with no posted speed limit. State law caps your speed there at what value?
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Correct answer: D. State law gives unposted residential areas in Alabama a default cap of 30 mph. Parked cars shrink your view of crossing pedestrians, which is exactly why the cap is low. Posted signs, where present, replace the default.
13. The signal shows a green arrow for your left turn. What does having a 'protected' turn mean?
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Correct answer: B. A green arrow gives you a protected turn: conflicting traffic is held by a red signal. Still glance for people or vehicles already in the intersection, because protected means favored, not guaranteed safe.
14. 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?
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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.
15. A yellow diamond sign ahead displays a bold T symbol. What does this sign mean you will have to do soon?
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Correct answer: D. A T-symbol warning means your road dead-ends at a cross street, so you must slow, yield to crossing traffic, and turn left or right. The letter T shows exactly how the roads meet ahead.
16. You are making a study calendar for the Alabama knowledge test. You can hold a learner's permit beginning at which age?
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Correct answer: B. Put 15 on the calendar for Alabama. That is the first legal day for a learner's permit, after you pass the knowledge and vision screens the ALEA requires.
17. You approach an intersection with no signs or signals, and another vehicle approaches from a cross street at about the same time. Who should yield?
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Correct answer: A. At an uncontrolled intersection, slow down and yield to any vehicle that reaches it at about the same time from your right. Without signs, this default rule sorts out conflicts. Same tiebreaker as a four-way stop: right goes first.
18. You are 25 and had wine at a dinner party in Alabama. Before driving home, you check the law. At what BAC does driving become illegal for you?
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Correct answer: D. For adult drivers in Alabama, driving is illegal at a BAC of 0.08% or above. Because impairment starts before the limit, the safest plan after drinking is a ride share, taxi, or sober designated driver.
19. You must park on a hill where the road has no curb. Which way should you turn your wheels?
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Correct answer: A. With no curb to catch the car, always turn your wheels toward the road's edge, uphill or downhill. A runaway car then rolls off the travel lanes instead of into traffic. No curb: aim for the shoulder.
20. An 18-year-old in Alabama has one beer at a graduation party and then drives. At what BAC could this driver already be violating the zero-tolerance law?
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Correct answer: C. One beer can push a young driver to 0.02%, the level where Alabama's zero-tolerance law kicks in. The rule protects new drivers, whose crash risk rises quickly with alcohol. Skip every drink if you plan to drive.
21. Before turning left across oncoming traffic, why should you look twice for motorcycles?
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Correct answer: A. A motorcycle's narrow profile fools your eyes: it looks farther away and slower than it really is. Many rider deaths happen when cars turn left across their path. Look twice and judge twice before you commit.
22. Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise. When else should you turn them on?
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Correct answer: B. Wipers on, lights on is the rule many states write down and testers repeat. Lights help others see you as much as they help you see. If the sky is gray or the glass is wet, flip them on.
23. 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.
24. What space does NHTSA tell you to give a speeding driver?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA speeding guidance says Give speeding drivers plenty of space. Speeding drivers may lose control of their vehicle more easily. The leftover slow-vehicle-blocks-flow sentence is not on that page; this nearby official space rule is.
25. A white sign shows a black number 25 inside a red circle. In the US, what does that usually indicate?
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Correct answer: C. A red circle around a number is the international speed-limit format, used in some US areas to show kilometers per hour. Do not treat it as 25 mph unless a miles-per-hour plaque says so. Check the unit before you match the number.
26. What penalties does NHTSA list for impaired driving?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drunk-driving guidance says penalties for impaired driving can include driver’s license revocation, fines, and jail time. The leftover implied-consent chemical-test sentence is not on that page; this nearby official penalty list is.
27. A parent in Alabama wants to start permit practice as soon as the law allows. The earliest learner's-permit age is:
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Correct answer: C. Alabama opens the learner's-permit door at 15. Starting then, with a supervising adult, is how GDL is supposed to work. Younger than that, the answer is still wait.
28. While you wait to turn, the green arrow changes to a steady yellow arrow. What is the signal telling you?
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Correct answer: D. A steady yellow arrow warns that the protected turning phase is about to end. Stop if you can do so safely; drivers already at the point of no return may finish the turn cautiously. Yellow arrow means wrap up, not speed up.
29. You have been driving through a no-passing zone. Which sign tells you the zone has ended and passing is allowed again when safe?
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Correct answer: D. A white regulatory sign reading PASS WITH CARE marks the end of a no-passing zone. You may pass again, but only when the road ahead is clear. The word CARE reminds you the choice is still yours to judge.
30. In Alabama, a driver who is 21 or older commits a per-se drunk-driving offense once their blood alcohol concentration reaches which level?
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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.
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