Massachusetts Permit Practice Test 1
This free Massachusetts practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the RMV tests. The real RMV learner's permit exam has 25 questions, and you need 18 correct (72%) 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. You have signaled and checked your mirrors before a lane change. What is the one step left before you move over?
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Correct answer: C. Mirrors leave blind spots big enough to hide a whole car, so turn your head for a quick over-the-shoulder check before moving over. Signal, mirrors, head check: the lane change is not done until your neck moves.
2. 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.
3. You are 17 and driving in Massachusetts. When is it legal for you to use a cell phone or other mobile electronic device behind the wheel?
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Correct answer: D. Massachusetts bars drivers under 18 from any mobile electronic device use behind the wheel — even hands-free — except to report an emergency. Adults get hands-free only. Hook: under 18, the only call is 911.
4. 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.
5. A pedestrian has stepped into a marked crosswalk on your street, and the light is green for you. What must you do?
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Correct answer: B. Pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right-of-way even when your light is green. Stop or slow until they are clear. A green light does not let you run someone over. People in the stripes go first.
6. How much of a traffic lane is a motorcycle entitled to use?
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Correct answer: D. A motorcycle is entitled to a complete traffic lane, and you may not squeeze past one inside that lane. Riders need the full width to dodge hazards. Treat a motorcycle's lane like a car's lane: whole and off-limits.
7. On a rural road at dusk you pass a yellow diamond sign showing a leaping deer. What is the proper response?
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Correct answer: A. A deer crossing sign marks a stretch where animals often enter the road, so slow down and watch the shoulders, particularly around dawn and dusk. Deer travel in groups, so one crossing usually means more are coming. Where there's one, expect another.
8. Your Massachusetts light is green, but you cannot get through the intersection without stopping in it. What does the law say?
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Correct answer: A. M.G.L. c. 89, § 9 says a driver shall not cross or enter an intersection that the vehicle cannot proceed through without stopping and blocking vehicles that have a free direction. A green light is no defense. Wait for the next cycle if you must.
9. When do reduced school zone speed limits typically apply?
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Correct answer: D. School zone limits usually apply during posted times, when the zone's beacons flash, or whenever children are present. Kids are small, quick, and unpredictable near schools. When you see the zone active, drop your speed and cover the brake.
10. A GPS in Massachusetts 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; Massachusetts's default for this kind of street is 30 mph unless a sign posts otherwise. Believe the sign first, then the state's default, then the gadget.
11. If your car stalls on a railroad track, what does NHTSA say to do first?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA railroad-crossing guidance says If your car stalls on a track, quickly get everyone out — even if you don’t see a train coming. Run away from the tracks and your car to avoid being hit by flying debris. Call the number on the blue emergency notification system sign.
12. You are counting down the days until you can start driving in Massachusetts. The earliest age you can hold a learner's permit is which of these?
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Correct answer: D. The countdown ends at 16, the minimum learner's permit age in Massachusetts. Starting at the minimum is smart: more months of supervised practice before licensure means more experience with traffic, weather, and night driving while coached.
13. In Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts, 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.
14. On its fastest highways, Massachusetts allows a top posted speed limit of which value?
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Correct answer: A. The highest speed limit in Massachusetts is 65 mph, and only certain highways are posted that high. Most roads carry lower limits, so drive by the signs in front of you, and slow down when conditions worsen.
15. A passenger claims some Massachusetts highways have unlimited speed like the German autobahn. In reality, the state's highest legal limit is which of these?
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Correct answer: D. Every road in Massachusetts has a limit, and the statewide ceiling is 65 mph on designated highways. Higher speeds multiply crash energy dramatically, so no US state allows unlimited speed. Follow whatever limit is actually posted.
16. A Massachusetts flashing circular yellow is showing. What may you do?
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Correct answer: A. 700 CMR 9.06 lets traffic approaching a flashing circular yellow proceed through the intersection with caution under M.G.L. c. 89, § 8 and yield the right of way to pedestrians. It is a caution display, not a mandatory stop.
17. The traffic signal is dark at an intersection because of a power failure. How should you treat it?
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Correct answer: A. A dark signal is treated like a stop sign in every direction so nobody assumes they have a green. Come to a full stop, then apply the usual all-way-stop order. No lights means nobody has a free pass.
18. You are in the right lane when you see a yellow diamond sign showing the right lane narrowing into the left lane. What should you do?
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Correct answer: B. A lane-ends sign warns your lane will disappear, so signal, match the other lane's speed, and merge before the pavement runs out. Drivers in the ending lane must yield to through traffic. Early, smooth merges prevent the last-second squeeze.
19. 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.
20. It is late at night and the unposted residential streets in your Massachusetts neighborhood are empty. The legal maximum for these streets remains which speed?
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Correct answer: C. Empty or busy, day or night, the default limit on unposted residential streets in Massachusetts stays 30 mph. Darkness actually cuts how far you can see and react, so conditions may call for less, not more, than the limit.
21. A school bus is stopped with red lights on the opposite side of a divided highway that has a concrete median. Must you stop?
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Correct answer: B. The median exception is the item testers and Reddit threads say people miss. A painted line is not a median. A real barrier or unpaved median means the far side typically may proceed with care. When in doubt, stop.
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. 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 friend in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, 0.08% is the per-se limit for adults, and measurable impairment often shows up well before a driver reaches it.
25. What does a posted speed limit actually tell you?
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Correct answer: A. A posted limit is the top legal speed when conditions are ideal: dry pavement, good visibility, light traffic. In worse conditions, a safe speed is lower. Treat the number as a ceiling to stay under, not a target to hit.
26. What is parallel parking, according to the official CA handbook wording used nationwide?
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Correct answer: A. Official California Driver Handbook wording says Parallel parking is when you park in line with the road and other parked vehicles. State inch-from-curb finish numbers differ, so this leftover uses that nationally applicable definition instead of inventing a national inch rule.
27. During a Massachusetts traffic stop, you refuse the officer's request for a breathalyzer test. What happens to your license?
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Correct answer: B. Refuse a breath or blood test in Massachusetts and the officer must confiscate your license immediately — the suspension notice takes effect on the spot, before any court date. Hook: refuse the test, hand over the license.
28. You see a five-sided sign shaped like a schoolhouse outline, in fluorescent yellow-green, showing two walking figures. What does the pentagon shape identify?
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Correct answer: D. The pentagon shape is reserved for school signs, warning of a school zone or crossing where children may be walking. The fluorescent yellow-green color grabs attention near schools. Think of the five-sided shape as a little schoolhouse to remember it.
29. You are making a study calendar for the Massachusetts knowledge test. You can hold a learner's permit beginning at which age?
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Correct answer: B. Put 16 on the calendar for Massachusetts. That is the first legal day for a learner's permit, after you pass the knowledge and vision screens the RMV requires.
30. 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.
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