Maryland Permit Practice Test 1
This free Maryland practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the MVA tests. The real MVA Knowledge Test (25-question noncommercial Class C test for the Learner's Instructional Permit) has 25 questions, and you need 22 correct (88%) to pass.
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. Unless signs show a different limit, what is the maximum legal speed on a Maryland highway in a business district?
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Correct answer: B. Maryland law sets 30 mph as the default maximum in business districts. Storefronts mean parked cars, turning traffic, and crossing pedestrians, so the limit stays low. No sign in a shopping area? Think 30.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. What first winter-driving step does NHTSA list on a slick surface?
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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 hard-brake-on-bridge sentence is not on that page; this nearby official slick-surface rule is.
5. What penalty does official NHTSA impaired-driving guidance say the laws should establish for failing or refusing a BAC test?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs say The laws should establish effective penalties that include Administrative license suspension or revocation for failing or refusing to submit to a BAC or other drug test. The leftover implied-consent mnemonic is not on that page; this nearby official national refusal-penalty sentence is.
6. You are pulling out of a driveway onto a public street. What must you do?
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Correct answer: D. A driver entering a road from a driveway, alley, or private road must yield to sidewalk pedestrians and to all traffic already on the roadway. Public-road users cannot predict your exit, so the burden is on the driver emerging.
7. A sign at an intersection shows a left-curving arrow inside a red circle with a diagonal slash. What must you do there?
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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.
8. Headed downhill at a curb, which way does the official CA handbook (nationally taught hill technique) turn the front wheels?
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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.
9. A yellow diamond-shaped sign ahead shows a black walking figure. As you approach the marked crossing, what is the required response?
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Correct answer: B. A pedestrian crossing warning sign means people may be entering the roadway ahead, so reduce speed and prepare to stop. Pedestrians lose in a collision with a car. Treat the walking figure as a person already stepping off the curb.
10. Your younger sibling asks when they can get a learner's permit in Maryland. What age do you tell them?
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Correct answer: A. Tell them 15 years, 9 months; that is when Maryland allows a learner's permit application. Until then, driving on public roads is off the table. Graduated licensing phases in privileges so new drivers gain experience under lower-risk conditions.
11. Why do most GDL programs limit teen passengers in the first months of licensure?
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Correct answer: A. Crash data show that extra teen passengers raise risk more than almost any other GDL factor. The limit is a safety rule, not a punishment. Fewer friends in the car means more attention on the road.
12. An officer stops an adult driver in Maryland 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?
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Correct answer: C. A BAC of 0.08% or more is enough by itself for a DUI charge in Maryland. The law uses a fixed number because alcohol impairs everyone, and drivers are poor judges of their own impairment behind the wheel.
13. Maryland law requires headlights when you use windshield wipers in which conditions?
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Correct answer: A. Maryland law requires headlights when you use windshield wipers in inclement weather. The manual defines that as bad weather that might cause unsafe conditions. Wipers on, lights on is the memory hook.
14. A yellow diamond shows a bicycle and the words SHARE THE ROAD. What is it asking you to do?
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Correct answer: B. Share-the-road warnings remind you that bicyclists are legal traffic. Slow, wait for a clear gap, and pass with generous space. The sign exists because drivers otherwise squeeze bikes toward the gutter.
15. How does NHTSA say a lap and shoulder belt should sit?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA seat-belt guidance says Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck. The lap belt rests across your hips, not your stomach. NEVER put the shoulder belt behind your back or under an arm.
16. A teen walks into a Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) office in Maryland to apply for a first learner's permit. The office can accept the application once the teen is what age?
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Correct answer: B. The MVA accepts learner's permit applications at age 15 years, 9 months in Maryland. 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.
17. You are comparing Maryland with a neighboring state that uses 0.08%. For an adult driver in Maryland, driving is a per-se offense at which BAC?
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Correct answer: A. Do not assume every state still uses the same adult number. In Maryland the per-se line is 0.08%. Utah famously uses 0.05%; most others use 0.08%. Learn your own state's figure.
18. A truck ahead signals a right turn but first swings out toward the left. What should you do?
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Correct answer: C. Long vehicles swing wide to make right turns, and the tempting gap on their right closes like a trap once the trailer comes around. Hold back and wait. Do not slide into the right side of a turning truck.
19. Setting cruise control on a rural Maryland 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 Maryland 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.
20. Traffic around you on a Maryland highway posted at the state maximum starts flowing faster than the signs allow. Your personal legal limit remains which speed?
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Correct answer: C. Other drivers speeding does not raise your limit; on Maryland's fastest highways it stays 70 mph. Move right and let them pass instead of matching them. Speed limits bind each driver individually, whatever the surrounding traffic does.
21. What is the highest posted highway speed limit in Maryland?
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Correct answer: A. Maryland'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 Maryland is signed at the state maximum.
22. A yellow diamond sign shows a small red stop sign symbol with an upward arrow. What should you do when you see it?
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Correct answer: C. A stop-ahead warning is used where the actual stop sign is hidden by a curve, hill, or trees. Start braking as soon as you see it, since the real stop will appear with little warning.
23. How does the alcohol in a regular beer compare with a standard glass of wine or a single shot of liquor?
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Correct answer: B. A standard beer, glass of wine, and shot of liquor each deliver about the same alcohol, so switching drinks does not protect you. Your body counts drinks, not drink types. One is one, whatever the glass looks like.
24. Your GPS routes you through a Maryland 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 Maryland 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.
25. Besides 60 supervised hours, what driver-education mix must a Maryland Rookie Driver under 18 complete?
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Correct answer: A. Rookie Driver pairs a nine-month violation-free learner hold and 60 hours (10 at night) with a 30-hour classroom course plus 6 behind-the-wheel hours. The parent log does not replace the certified school course.
26. A yellow diamond sign shows two arrows curving apart around an oval island. What is this sign telling you about the road ahead?
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Correct answer: D. The divided highway begins sign means opposing traffic will soon be separated by a median or barrier. Stay right of the divider and do not cross it. Picture the two arrows as lanes splitting around an island you must not enter.
27. A 17-year-old in Maryland 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. Maryland's zero-tolerance law applies at 0.02% 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.
28. You are driving at night with high beams on when a vehicle approaches from the other direction. What should you do?
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Correct answer: B. Dim to low beams for oncoming traffic so you do not blind another driver. If glare hits you, look toward the right edge of your lane to stay on course. Courtesy with light keeps everyone able to see.
29. 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.
30. 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.
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