Minnesota Permit Practice Test 3
A third full-length Minnesota practice test: 30 more questions with zero repeats from Tests 1 or 2 — including extra Minnesota-specific rules. You need 80% correct to pass the real DVS Class D written 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. A Minnesota traffic officer is signaling you to stop while the light is green. What must you do?
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Correct answer: A. Minnesota says obey the signals an officer gives rather than traffic signals, signs, or pavement markings. Most officers stop traffic with one hand raised, palm toward you, and a long whistle blast. Go only when the officer directs you.
2. You are in a left-turn lane facing oncoming traffic, and the signal shows a steady red arrow. What does the arrow mean?
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Correct answer: A. A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points toward; you must stop and stay put until the signal changes. It shields turning drivers from crossing busy oncoming lanes. Think of a red arrow as a closed gate.
3. How many Class D written tests are free at a Minnesota DVS exam station before a fee applies?
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Correct answer: A. The first two Class D written tests are free at a DVS station. After two fails, $10 is charged for each additional attempt. Third-party proctors may charge up to $10 and limit you to 40 minutes. Road-test retakes cost $20 each after the first two tries.
4. Setting cruise control on a rural Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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.
5. What does the term "no-zone" mean when you drive near a large truck?
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Correct answer: C. No-zones are the huge blind spots in front of, behind, and beside a large truck where the driver simply cannot see you. A quick test: if you cannot see the driver's face in the truck's mirror, you are invisible.
6. On slick or snow-covered roads, what following-distance step does NHTSA list?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA winter-driving guidance says On the road, increase your following distance enough so that you’ll have plenty of time to stop for vehicles ahead of you. The leftover count-the-seconds mnemonic is not on that page; this nearby official following-distance sentence is.
7. A classmate insists everyone must wait until 18 to start driving in Minnesota. The real minimum age for a learner's permit is which of these?
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Correct answer: D. Your classmate is wrong: Minnesota grants learner's permits at 15. Starting earlier gives you months of supervised practice while risk is lowest. When rules feel fuzzy, confirm them in the official state driver handbook.
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. You are passing a slower vehicle on a two-lane road. May you go over the speed limit to finish the pass quickly?
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Correct answer: D. The speed limit applies at all times, including while passing another vehicle. If you cannot complete a pass legally and safely, do not start it. Passing is a choice; speeding is not the tool that makes it legal.
10. On any road sign, what does the color red signal to drivers?
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Correct answer: D. Red is reserved for the strongest commands: stop, yield, do not enter, and wrong way. It marks actions that are forbidden or must halt. When red appears, something about your movement has to change right now.
11. Minnesota enforces 'zero tolerance' for underage drinking and driving. In practice, a driver under 21 violates this law at what BAC?
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Correct answer: A. Zero tolerance in Minnesota means the under-21 line sits at any detectable amount, so even one drink can end in a suspended license. The memory hook is simple: under 21 means zero drinks before you drive.
12. You are comparing Minnesota with a neighboring state that uses 0.08%. For an adult driver in Minnesota, 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 Minnesota the per-se line is 0.08%. Utah famously uses 0.05%; most others use 0.08%. Learn your own state's figure.
13. What does NHTSA say texting does to your eyes on the road?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA distracted-driving guidance says Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that is like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving.
14. Two solid yellow lines run down the center of the road. What do they prohibit?
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Correct answer: D. Double solid yellow lines ban passing for traffic in both directions, because sight distance or traffic makes passing unsafe there. Crossing is generally allowed only to turn into a driveway or side road, not to overtake.
15. A center lane is bordered on each side by a solid yellow line with a broken yellow line inside it, and white left-turn arrows are painted for both directions. How may you use this lane?
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Correct answer: A. A two-way left-turn lane is shared by both directions for left turns only. Enter just before your turn, watch for opposing drivers using the same lane, and never travel or pass in it. Turn, do not cruise.
16. Traffic ahead suddenly stacks up on a freeway. What is the safest speed choice?
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Correct answer: B. The posted limit is a maximum, not a target. In dense or slowing traffic you must drop to a speed that lets you stop in the space you can see. Basic speed law: do not drive faster than conditions allow.
17. Can prescription or over-the-counter medicine make driving illegal, according to NHTSA?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drug-impaired-driving guidance says it’s illegal everywhere in America to drive under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, opioids, methamphetamines, or any potentially impairing drug–prescribed or over the counter.
18. A yellow line runs down the middle of a two-lane road. What does the yellow color of a center line tell you?
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Correct answer: A. Yellow center lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions, so anything across that line is oncoming. This color code works the same on every public road. Yellow in the middle means traffic meets there, not follows.
19. Children are playing near the curb on an unposted neighborhood street in Minnesota. Unless a sign says otherwise, the fastest you may legally drive here is which speed?
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Correct answer: A. The default residential limit in Minnesota is 30 mph unless otherwise posted. With children nearby, you should often go slower still, because stopping distance grows quickly with speed and kids can dart into the street without warning.
20. A 19-year-old driver in Minnesota says a single sip cannot matter. Under the under-21 rule, the limit is which of these?
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Correct answer: B. Minnesota applies a zero-tolerance rule for drivers under 21: any detectable amount. A sip can be enough. If you are under 21, the only safe plan is no alcohol before driving.
21. A friend says every US interstate is 80 mph. In Minnesota, the highest posted highway limit is actually:
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Correct answer: A. Interstate limits vary. Minnesota tops out at 70 mph where posted. Learn the number for your state, then obey the sign in front of you, which is often lower.
22. A Minnesota school bus is stopped with red lights flashing. How far away must you stop, and does the stop arm have to be out?
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Correct answer: A. Minnesota requires you to stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with flashing red lights. You must stop even if the stop arm does not swing out. The only exception is a divided highway when you are traveling in the opposite direction. Failure can mean a license suspension and fines.
23. A Minnesota funeral procession identifies itself with headlights or hazard lights. What must you do?
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Correct answer: A. Minnesota says when a funeral procession identifies itself with headlights or hazard warning lights, you must yield to the entire procession. Driving between those vehicles is how processions get broken up and how intersection crashes start.
24. What should you do when you approach an intersection with a flashing yellow light?
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Correct answer: C. A flashing yellow light does not require a stop; it tells you to slow down, scan the intersection, and proceed carefully. It marks spots with extra risk, so treat flashing yellow as a caution flag, not a green light.
25. 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.
26. How does official NHTSA impaired-driving guidance define zero tolerance for underage drivers?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs list Zero Tolerance for underage drivers, making it illegal “per se” for people under age 21 to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in their system (i.e., .02 BAC or greater). State numbers still vary; this leftover uses that official national guideline sentence.
27. 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.
28. You are passing a bicyclist on a two-lane road. How much space should you leave when you can?
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Correct answer: B. A common safe-passing standard is at least three feet, and more when you are going fast or the bike is wobbling. If you cannot give the space, wait. Squeezing by is how mirrors hit handlebars.
29. What is the first official NHTSA TireWise step if you have a tire blowout while driving?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA TireWise blowout guidance says Hold the steering wheel with both hands. Gradually release the accelerator. Once your vehicle has stabilized, continue to slow down and pull off the road where and when you judge it’s safe to do so. Any overreaction – including slamming on the brakes – can result in a loss of control over the vehicle.
30. You are delivering food to a house on an unposted residential street in Minnesota. Unless a sign changes it, what speed limit applies?
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Correct answer: A. Unposted residential streets in Minnesota carry a default limit of 30 mph. The rule exists so drivers can stop for the unexpected, like a car backing out of a driveway. When a sign is posted, obey the sign instead.
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