Colorado Permit Practice Test 1
This free Colorado 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 Driving Knowledge Test (commonly called the written or permit test).
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. How much stopping room does FMCSA say large trucks and buses need?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official FMCSA passenger-vehicle guidance says Large trucks and buses need the length of up to two football fields to safely stop. Leave extra space when merging in front of these large vehicles, to give them the stopping space they need.
2. Two cars arrive at a four-way stop at the same time, facing each other, and the car across from you is going straight. You want to turn left. Who should go first?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. At a four-way stop, through traffic goes before a facing left turn when you arrive together. The left-turner would otherwise cut across the straight path. Straight first, then the left — same idea as an unprotected green.
3. A large truck ahead starts to turn right but swings left first. What should you do?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Long vehicles off-track: the rear wheels take a tighter path, so drivers swing wide. The tempting gap on the right is a crush zone. If you cannot see the mirrors, the driver cannot see you. Wait behind the trailer.
4. A traffic light turns steady yellow as you approach the intersection. What does this signal tell you?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. A steady yellow light warns that the signal is about to turn red. Stop if you can do it safely; if you are too close to stop smoothly, continue through with caution. Yellow means prepare, not race.
5. Where does modern guidance tell you to place your hands on the steering wheel?
Show answer & explanation
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.
6. In Colorado, what is the youngest age at which you can apply for a learner's permit?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Colorado issues learner's permits starting at age 15. 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.
7. What first responsible-driver step does NHTSA list if you plan to drink?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drunk-driving guidance says Plan your safe ride home before you start the party, choose a non-drinking friend as a designated driver. If you drink, do not drive for any reason.
8. You are driving on a road with few traffic lights when you see a yellow diamond sign showing a traffic signal symbol. Why is this sign posted, and how should you respond?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Signal-ahead warnings are posted where a traffic light may surprise drivers, such as after a long stretch without one or where a hill blocks the view. Ease off the gas early so a sudden red light cannot catch you.
9. You are driving through a residential district in Colorado and see no speed limit signs. What is the default speed limit?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Where no sign is posted, Colorado's default residential limit is 30 mph. Homes mean driveways, pets, and kids near the road, so the default stays low. A posted sign overrides the default, so watch for one.
10. Besides sunset to sunrise, when does Colorado law require headlights?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Colorado law requires headlights from sunset to sunrise or when visibility is less than 1,000 feet. Daytime running lamps may not light the tail lamps the way a full headlight switch does. If you cannot see a thousand feet, turn them on.
11. An officer stops an adult driver in Colorado and a breath test is given. At what BAC reading can that driver be charged with driving under the influence, even if their driving looked steady?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A BAC of 0.08% or more is enough by itself for a DUI charge in Colorado. The law uses a fixed number because alcohol impairs everyone, and drivers are poor judges of their own impairment behind the wheel.
12. An ambulance with flashing lights and a siren comes up behind you on a two-way street. What should you do?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. When an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and siren, pull to the right edge of the road and stop, avoiding blocking intersections. A predictable move to the right opens a clear lane. Everyone right, everyone stopped, help gets through.
13. What does the DMV publish about languages for the Colorado knowledge test?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Language options in Colorado: English and Spanish in state driver license offices and on the @Home online test, which can also be read aloud in either language; translators are allowed for the written test, and third-party driving schools may offer other languages. Ask at the office or on the DMV site when you schedule, because not every location stocks every language every day. Bring an interpreter only if the DMV says that is allowed.
14. The posted limit is unchanged, but traffic, weather, and light have all gotten worse. What does the basic speed rule require?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. The basic speed rule says you may not drive faster than conditions safely allow, no matter what the sign posts. Rain, darkness, and crowds shrink your margin for error. Conditions set the real limit; the sign sets the ceiling.
15. A teen walks into a Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in Colorado 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 DMV accepts learner's permit applications at age 15 in Colorado. 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.
16. How far from a stopped Colorado school bus with its lights on must other vehicles stop?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Colorado tells vehicles to stop no less than 20 feet from a school bus that is loading or unloading. Opposite-direction traffic on a divided highway with a barrier is treated differently. Twenty feet is the number on an ordinary road.
17. A fluorescent pink diamond is posted after a storm, showing a landslide symbol. What does the unusual color mean?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Fluorescent pink is the MUTCD color for incident and emergency management, used for crashes, floods, or slides. Slow down and expect workers, debris, or a sudden close. Pink means something urgent just happened.
18. If headlights fail, what first step does the official AZ driver manual (nationally taught headlight-failure technique) list?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official Arizona Driver License Manual wording — taught the same way in many state manuals — says Try the high beam/low beam switch. This may restore normal function. Turn the headlight switch on and off several times. If neither of these steps work, put on the parking lights, emergency flashers or turn signals; pull to the side of the road and stop.
19. A white regulatory sign reads NO TURN ON RED. You have a circular red light and want to go right. What must you do?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. NO TURN ON RED cancels the usual after-stop right turn. Wait for green. Cities post this where pedestrians or poor sightlines make a red-light turn dangerous. The sign overrules the general permission.
20. An officer in Colorado stops a driver who is 18. A test shows a very small amount of alcohol. The under-21 threshold that can trigger a violation is:
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Under-21 drivers in Colorado are not judged by the adult 0.08%-style line. The threshold is 0.02%. That is why testers keep asking the youth number separately from the adult number.
21. While planning a road trip across Colorado, you look up the fastest speed any of its highways allow. What is that statewide maximum?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Colorado's top speed limit is 75 mph, found only on its fastest designated highways. Expect lower posted limits on most stretches, and remember signs control: the maximum applies only where a sign actually posts it.
22. Headed downhill at a curb, which way does the official CA handbook (nationally taught hill technique) turn the front wheels?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official California Driver Handbook parking technique — taught the same way nationwide — says Headed downhill: Turn your front wheels into the curb or right toward the side of the road. Remember to set the parking brake and leave the vehicle in park, or in gear for manual transmission.
23. Unless signs show otherwise, what speed limit applies on Colorado's narrow, winding mountain highways and blind curves?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Colorado law sets 20 mph as the lawful speed on narrow, winding mountain highways and on blind curves unless signs say otherwise. The state's tightest roads get its lowest default limit.
24. May you drive unsupervised on a learner’s permit, according to NHTSA?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA GDL guidance says A learner’s permit allows driving only while supervised by a fully licensed driver. GDL reduces the amount of unsupervised driving by 16-year-olds. The leftover empty-road exception is not on that page.
25. Orange signs, cones, and barrels suddenly appear along the highway. What does the color orange tell you?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Orange is reserved for temporary traffic control, meaning construction and maintenance zones. Workers, machines, and lane shifts may appear with little warning, so slow down and stay alert. When you see orange, think people at work.
26. BAC measures the percentage of alcohol in a person's blood. For drivers 21 and older in Colorado, what BAC puts them at or over the legal limit?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. BAC stands for blood alcohol concentration. In Colorado, adult drivers reach the illegal level at 0.08%. Remember the rule as a hard line: at 0.08% you are over, and skills like reaction time fade even sooner.
27. A yellow diamond sign shows a truck tilted nose-down on a black slope. You are about to descend a long, steep grade. What is the proper technique?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. On a steep downgrade, shift to a lower gear before descending so engine braking holds your speed, and use the brakes sparingly. Constant braking overheats the pads until they fade and fail. Gears save brakes; brakes alone can quit.
28. In Colorado, 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?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Colorado law fixes the unposted residential default at 30 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.
29. How does the official NHTSA NDR code book label leaving a crash without aiding?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official 23 CFR 1327 Appendix A lists B01 Hit and run—failure to stop and render aid after accident. Related codes cover fatal, injury, and property-damage hit-and-run. State penalties vary; this leftover uses that official national label.
30. A signal shows a flashing yellow arrow for a left turn. What does that allow?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. A flashing yellow arrow is a yield-and-turn: you may go left after judging gaps, because oncoming traffic still has a green. It is not a protected arrow. Flash yellow means you choose the gap; solid green arrow means the gap is held for you.
Enter or Space also advances.