Montana Permit Practice Test 2
A second full-length Montana practice test: 30 fresh multiple-choice questions with zero repeats from Test 1. Check the MVD 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. 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 19-year-old driver in Montana says a single sip cannot matter. Under the under-21 rule, the limit is which of these?
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Correct answer: B. Montana applies a zero-tolerance rule for drivers under 21: 0.02%. A sip can be enough. If you are under 21, the only safe plan is no alcohol before driving.
3. BAC measures the percentage of alcohol in a person's blood. For drivers 21 and older in Montana, what BAC puts them at or over the legal limit?
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Correct answer: C. BAC stands for blood alcohol concentration. In Montana, 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.
4. What driving does NHTSA say a learner’s permit allows?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA GDL guidance says A learner’s permit allows driving only while supervised by a fully licensed driver. An intermediate license allows unsupervised driving under certain restrictions. The leftover solo-practice claim is not on that page.
5. 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.
6. Signs on Montana highways vary from road to road, but the law sets one absolute top limit for the fastest routes. That limit is which value?
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Correct answer: D. By statute, 80 mph is the fastest any Montana road can be posted. Below that ceiling, engineers set each road's limit for its design and traffic, which is why the posted sign on your road governs.
7. The vehicle ahead displays an orange triangle with a red border on its rear. What does that tell you?
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Correct answer: D. The orange triangle is the slow-moving vehicle emblem, common on farm equipment and horse-drawn wagons. You close in on these vehicles faster than you expect, so back off early and pass only with a clear, legal gap.
8. 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.
9. The signal shows a green arrow for your left turn. What does having a 'protected' turn mean?
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Correct answer: B. A green arrow gives you a protected turn: conflicting traffic is held by a red signal. Still glance for people or vehicles already in the intersection, because protected means favored, not guaranteed safe.
10. A yellow diamond shows two arrows pointing toward each other. What conflict is ahead?
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Correct answer: A. The two-way traffic warning tells you opposing cars will soon share the road, often after a divided or one-way segment. Keep right and expect headlights in the other lane. Two arrows, two directions.
11. 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.
12. How far from other traffic must you dim high beams in Montana?
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Correct answer: A. Montana’s vehicle-light chart says dim high beams when meeting other cars at 1,000 feet and turn them off when 500 feet behind other vehicles. High beam must be dimmed when meeting at 1,000 feet and when overtaking at 500 feet. Those distances are longer than in most states.
13. Under Montana's zero-tolerance law, what BAC level counts as a violation for a driver under 21?
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Correct answer: B. Montana's zero-tolerance law sets the under-21 threshold at 0.02%, far stricter than the adult standard. Underage drinking is illegal to begin with, so the safest and simplest rule is zero alcohol before driving.
14. You are low on fuel on a long highway drive. Signs of which color point you to services such as gas, food, lodging, and hospitals?
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Correct answer: B. Blue signs mark motorist services, including fuel, food, lodging, rest areas, and hospitals. They let travelers plan a stop before leaving the highway. When your body or your car needs something, look for blue.
15. What is the safest way to handle your speed through a sharp curve?
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Correct answer: B. Slow to a safe speed before the curve begins, then hold steady or gently accelerate through it. Braking mid-curve can break tire grip and cause a skid. Do your slowing on the straightaway, your steering in the bend.
16. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) in Montana moves teens through permit, intermediate, and full-license stages. Entry into the first stage, the learner's permit, begins at what age?
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Correct answer: A. GDL entry in Montana starts with a learner's permit at 14½. Each stage lifts restrictions as skill grows, because crash risk is highest in a driver's first solo months. The ladder starts at 14½; climb it patiently.
17. You are 16 and hold a Montana non-commercial learner permit. What is the shortest time you must hold that permit before you can apply for a first-year restricted license?
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Correct answer: C. Montana makes drivers under 18 hold the learner permit at least six consecutive months before stepping up. Half a year of supervised miles builds judgment that no classroom lesson can rush. Remember: six months on the permit, then apply.
18. What does NHTSA say about over-the-counter and prescription drugs and driving?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drug-impaired-driving guidance says Some prescription and over-the-counter medicines can cause extreme drowsiness, dizziness, and other side effects. Warnings against operating heavy machinery include driving a vehicle.
19. A Montana steady yellow light is showing and you can stop safely. What should you do?
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Correct answer: A. Montana’s yellow means caution: the signal is about to turn red. Do not enter an intersection against a steady yellow unless you are too close to stop safely. Pedestrians facing yellow must not start across.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. What is the highest posted highway speed you should expect to see in Montana?
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Correct answer: C. Montana's top posted highway limit is 80 mph. Most roads are lower. Do not treat the state maximum as the speed for every freeway ramp or work zone.
23. In Montana, a driver who is 21 or older breaks the law by driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above what level?
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Correct answer: A. Montana law makes it illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. Alcohol slows judgment and reaction time, and impairment can begin well below that number. Treat 0.08% as a legal line, not a safe target.
24. It is late at night and the unposted residential streets in your Montana 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 Montana stays 25 mph. Darkness actually cuts how far you can see and react, so conditions may call for less, not more, than the limit.
25. 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.
26. What is the highest posted highway speed limit in Montana?
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Correct answer: A. Montana's highest posted highway limit is 80 mph. Most stretches are lower, and work zones or weather can cut it further. Do not assume every freeway in Montana is signed at the state maximum.
27. 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.
28. What penalties does NHTSA list for impaired driving?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drunk-driving guidance says penalties for impaired driving can include driver’s license revocation, fines, and jail time. The leftover implied-consent chemical-test sentence is not on that page; this nearby official penalty list is.
29. How far from a stop sign or traffic signal should you stay when you park, unless signs say otherwise?
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Correct answer: B. Thirty feet from a stop sign or signal keeps the sign visible and the corner open for turning vehicles. Parking closer creates a blind box. Testers bundle this with 15 / 20 / 50 as the parking-distance set.
30. A yellow diamond sign shows a car with wavy skid marks trailing behind its tires. When does this warning matter most?
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Correct answer: D. The skidding-car sign warns that the road ahead becomes slippery when wet, so slow down and avoid sudden braking or sharp steering in rain, snow, or ice. The first minutes of rain are often the slickest, as water lifts oil off the pavement.
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