District of Columbia Permit Practice Test 3
A third full-length District of Columbia practice test: 30 more questions with zero repeats from Tests 1 or 2 — including extra District of Columbia-specific rules. Check the DMV 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. 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.
2. BAC measures the percentage of alcohol in a person's blood. For drivers 21 and older in District of Columbia, what BAC puts them at or over the legal limit?
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Correct answer: C. BAC stands for blood alcohol concentration. In District of Columbia, 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.
3. In which situations should you add extra following distance behind the vehicle ahead?
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Correct answer: C. Add following distance whenever stopping gets harder or seeing gets worse: slick roads, tailgaters behind you, big trucks blocking your view, or motorcycles that can stop quickly. More risk calls for more room ahead of you.
4. 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.
5. A 17-year-old in District of Columbia claims, 'I only need to stay under the adult limit.' Under zero tolerance, the BAC that actually applies to under-21 drivers is what?
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Correct answer: C. The adult limit is irrelevant for minors. District of Columbia's zero-tolerance law applies at any detectable amount for drivers under 21, because any alcohol raises a new driver's crash risk. If you are under 21, drinking and driving do not mix.
6. You plan to leave the freeway at exit 12. How will you know which ramp is yours?
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Correct answer: B. Freeway exits carry green guide signs topped with a numbered exit panel, and the number usually matches the nearest milepost. Match the posted number to your planned exit, then move into the exit lane early.
7. A signal shows a flashing yellow arrow for a left turn. What does that allow?
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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.
8. How close to a fire hydrant may you legally park in the District of Columbia?
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Correct answer: A. District of Columbia parking rules in 18 DCMR § 2405.2 forbid parking within ten feet of a fire hydrant. That violation does not need a posted sign. Ten is the hydrant number, not the 15-foot figure used in many states.
9. A GPS in District of Columbia suggests 40 mph on a residential block with no posted limit. The handbook-style default you should prefer is:
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Correct answer: C. Apps guess; District of Columbia's default for this kind of street is 20 mph unless a sign posts otherwise. Believe the sign first, then the state's default, then the gadget.
10. A fluorescent pink diamond is posted after a storm, showing a landslide symbol. What does the unusual color mean?
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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.
11. If headlights fail, what first step does the official AZ driver manual (nationally taught headlight-failure technique) list?
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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.
12. A white regulatory sign reads NO TURN ON RED. You have a circular red light and want to go right. What must you do?
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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.
13. Which official NHTSA NDR code records driving with an expired or missing license?
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Correct answer: A. Official 23 CFR 1327 Appendix A lists B51 Expired or no driver license (includes DL, CDL, and Instruction Permit). The leftover impound-and-delay sentence is state sanction wording; this nearby official national code is.
14. Which pair of official NHTSA NDR codes records driving while a license is revoked versus suspended?
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Correct answer: A. Official 23 CFR 1327 Appendix A (NHTSA NDR) lists B25 Driving while license revoked and B26 Driving while license suspended as separate codes. The leftover temporary-versus-erased definition is state terminology; this nearby official national code pair is.
15. You approach a red circle with a slash over a U-turn arrow. What is prohibited?
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Correct answer: B. The slashed U-turn symbol bans reversing direction at that location, usually because sight distance or oncoming traffic makes the turn dangerous. Find a safer place — a driveway or a later intersection — to turn around.
16. A classmate in District of Columbia claims the adult DUI line is 0.10%. The official per-se BAC for drivers 21 and older is which value?
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Correct answer: C. Your classmate is using an outdated number. District of Columbia treats 0.08% as the adult per-se line. Memorize the current figure from the official handbook, not a rumor from an older relative.
17. You want to park on a street just before a crosswalk. What minimum clearance do most handbooks require?
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Correct answer: B. A common handbook rule is 20 feet from a crosswalk so turning drivers and pedestrians can see each other. Parking closer hides people in the stripes. Twenty before the walk, then the hydrant's fifteen, is the pair testers expect.
18. A District of Columbia traffic signal shows a steady red arrow for your movement. After you stop, when may you go that way?
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Correct answer: A. 18 DCMR § 2103.8 says vehicular traffic facing a steady red arrow and destined to proceed in that direction shall stop before the crosswalk or intersection and remain standing until a green arrow or flashing yellow arrow is shown. It is not a “turn when clear” circular-red exception.
19. 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?
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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.
20. In District of Columbia, 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 any detectable amount can cost a driver under 21 their license in District of Columbia, 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 parent in District of Columbia 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. District of Columbia opens the learner's-permit door at 16. Starting then, with a supervising adult, is how GDL is supposed to work. Younger than that, the answer is still wait.
22. Which agency administers the learner's-permit knowledge test in District of Columbia?
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Correct answer: A. In District of Columbia, driver licensing — including the permit knowledge test — is run by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Federal agencies write guidance and fund programs, but they do not hand you a District of Columbia permit. When in doubt, start at the DMV site.
23. If a state legalizes marijuana possession, may you drive under the influence of the drug?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drug-impaired-driving guidance says Even in states where marijuana laws have changed, it is still illegal to drive under the influence of the drug. Driving impaired by any substance is against the law in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
24. A District of Columbia school bus or multi-purpose school vehicle has a warning light flashing or a stop arm out. How far away must you stop?
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Correct answer: A. 18 DCMR § 2209 requires a driver approaching from any direction to bring the vehicle to a complete stop not less than 15 feet from a District of Columbia school bus or multi-purpose school vehicle with a flashing warning light or actuated stop signal arm. The requirement does not apply when approaching from the opposite direction on a street with a median strip divider. Do not proceed until the lights stop and the arm is retracted.
25. In District of Columbia, what is the youngest age at which you can apply for a learner's permit?
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Correct answer: B. District of Columbia issues learner's permits starting at age 16. 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.
26. A school bus on a two-lane road has stopped with red lights flashing and the stop arm out. You are coming the other way. What do you do?
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Correct answer: B. On an undivided road, both directions stop for a loading school bus. Children can run from either side. The only common exception is the far side of a divided highway with a real median. Red lights plus arm equals freeze.
27. You are driving through a residential district in District of Columbia and see no speed limit signs. What is the default speed limit?
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Correct answer: C. Where no sign is posted, District of Columbia's default residential limit is 20 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.
28. You are turning left at an intersection on a green light while an oncoming car heads straight toward the intersection. What is the rule?
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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.
29. 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.
30. Why does NHTSA tell you to slow down in snow or sleet?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA winter-driving guidance says Slow down. It’s harder to control or stop your vehicle on a slick or snow-covered surface. The leftover bridges-ice-first sentence is not on that page; this nearby official slick-surface rule is.
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