North Carolina Permit Practice Test 1
This free North Carolina practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the NCDMV tests. You need 80% correct to pass the real NCDMV Knowledge test (written test covering traffic laws and safe driving practices; oral versions available on request).
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 pentagon-shaped fluorescent yellow-green sign shows two walking children. What is it warning you about?
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Correct answer: B. The five-sided shape is reserved for school and school-crossing signs. Slow down and watch for children who may step off the curb without looking. Pentagon plus kids means school.
2. On its fastest highways, North Carolina allows a top posted speed limit of which value?
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Correct answer: A. The highest speed limit in North Carolina is 70 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Who may legally park in a space reserved for people with disabilities?
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Correct answer: C. Reserved accessible spaces are only for vehicles showing a valid disability placard or plate, used when the person it was issued to is aboard. These wide, close-in spots are essential access, which is why enforcement is strict everywhere.
6. 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.
7. An ice-cream truck is stopped ahead and children are gathered around it. How should you drive past?
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Correct answer: C. Slow way down and cover your brake near children or a stopped ice-cream truck, because kids chase treats and forget traffic completely. Expect someone small to dart out. Around children, drive as if one already has.
8. BAC measures the percentage of alcohol in a person's blood. For drivers 21 and older in North Carolina, what BAC puts them at or over the legal limit?
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Correct answer: C. BAC stands for blood alcohol concentration. In North Carolina, 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.
9. 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.
10. If you fail the North Carolina Knowledge test (written test covering traffic laws and safe driving practices; oral versions available on request), which statement matches the NCDMV's published retake rule?
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Correct answer: A. North Carolina's published retake rule is: Applicants who do not pass the knowledge test or the driving test for a regular Class C license may retake the failed test after seven calendar days. Use the wait to restudy the handbook chapters you missed. Showing up unprepared a second time just spends another attempt.
11. If your tire drops off the edge of the pavement onto the shoulder, what does official ND driver-manual wording (nationally taught drop-off technique) tell you?
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Correct answer: A. Official North Dakota Noncommercial Driver’s Manual wording — taught the same way in many state manuals — says If your tire drops off the edge of the pavement onto the shoulder, do not try to swerve back onto the pavement because you may lose control of your vehicle. Grip the steering wheel and ease up on the accelerator. After you have slowed down and are in complete control, look for traffic behind you, signal, and turn gently back onto the pavement.
12. When a North Carolina railroad warning is active, how far from the nearest rail must you stop?
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Correct answer: A. North Carolina says when any of the listed railroad warnings apply, the driver shall stop within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail and shall not proceed until it is safe. Those warnings include a lowered gate, a flagger, or a train approaching within about 1,500 feet and sounding a signal.
13. You are 25 and had wine at a dinner party in North Carolina. Before driving home, you check the law. At what BAC does driving become illegal for you?
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Correct answer: D. For adult drivers in North Carolina, driving is illegal at a BAC of 0.08% or above. Because impairment starts before the limit, the safest plan after drinking is a ride share, taxi, or sober designated driver.
14. A GPS in North Carolina 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; North Carolina's default for this kind of street is 35 mph (inside municipal corporate limits unless otherwise posted) unless a sign posts otherwise. Believe the sign first, then the state's default, then the gadget.
15. Drivers under 21 in North Carolina are held to a stricter alcohol standard than adults. What is the BAC threshold for these younger drivers?
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Correct answer: B. Adults have a higher per-se number, but the under-21 standard in North Carolina is any detectable amount. Alcohol is already off-limits for minors, so the driving rule matches: for young drivers, the practical limit is zero drinks.
16. 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.
17. Wide white stripes cross the pavement ahead, marking a crosswalk. What do these markings require of you as a driver?
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Correct answer: C. Crosswalk stripes show where pedestrians are expected to cross, and drivers must yield to people within them. You stop only when someone is crossing or a sign or signal requires it. Painted stripes mean feet ahead.
18. Inside a North Carolina city, what speed applies if no sign is posted?
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Correct answer: A. Municipal streets default to 35 mph unless posted otherwise. Assuming every city block is 25 mph is a common miss; school zones and business districts can be lower when signed.
19. Setting cruise control on a rural North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) in North Carolina 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 North Carolina starts with a learner's permit at 15. Each stage lifts restrictions as skill grows, because crash risk is highest in a driver's first solo months. The ladder starts at 15; climb it patiently.
21. A North Carolina signal shows a red arrow. What must turning traffic do?
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Correct answer: A. North Carolina says a red arrow means turning traffic must stop. A yellow arrow warns that a protected green arrow is about to end. Do not treat a red arrow as a circular red that allows a right turn after stopping.
22. Besides nighttime, when should you turn on your headlights?
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Correct answer: D. Turn on your headlights whenever conditions cut visibility, including rain, fog, snow, dusk, or dawn, because lights help other drivers spot you as much as they help you see. Handy habit: wipers on or gray sky means lights on.
23. The light is steady green as you reach an intersection. Which statement is true?
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Correct answer: B. A green light means you may proceed, but only after yielding to pedestrians and vehicles still clearing the intersection. Green grants permission, not protection, so look left, right, and left again before you enter.
24. How does the official NHTSA NDR code book label leaving a crash without aiding?
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Correct answer: A. Official 23 CFR 1327 Appendix A lists B01 Hit and run—failure to stop and render aid after accident. Related codes cover fatal, injury, and property-damage hit-and-run. State penalties vary; this leftover uses that official national label.
25. 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.
26. While driving, you notice a brown sign with white letters pointing toward a destination. What kind of place does a brown sign identify?
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Correct answer: A. Brown signs guide you to recreational and cultural spots such as parks, campgrounds, monuments, and historic sites. The earthy brown color hints at outdoor places. When you are hunting for scenery or history, follow the brown signs.
27. Which official NHTSA NDR code records hit-and-run failure to stop and render aid?
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Correct answer: A. Official 23 CFR 1327 Appendix A lists B01 Hit and run—failure to stop and render aid after accident and B05 Leaving accident scene before police arrive. Crash-scene duties are still state law; this leftover uses the official national NDR label instead of inventing a uniform duty list.
28. Your younger sibling asks when they can get a learner's permit in North Carolina. What age do you tell them?
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Correct answer: A. Tell them 15; that is when North Carolina 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.
29. The posted limit is unchanged, but traffic, weather, and light have all gotten worse. What does the basic speed rule require?
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Correct answer: C. The basic speed rule says you may not drive faster than conditions safely allow, no matter what the sign posts. Rain, darkness, and crowds shrink your margin for error. Conditions set the real limit; the sign sets the ceiling.
30. Until what age does NHTSA say to keep a child in the back seat?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA car-seat guidance says Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12. All children under 13 ride in the back seat for maximum safety. Rear-facing is required under age 1.
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