North Dakota Permit Practice Test 1
This free North Dakota practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the NDDOT tests. Check the NDDOT 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. A white sign shows a black number 25 inside a red circle. In the US, what does that usually indicate?
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Correct answer: C. A red circle around a number is the international speed-limit format, used in some US areas to show kilometers per hour. Do not treat it as 25 mph unless a miles-per-hour plaque says so. Check the unit before you match the number.
2. In North Dakota, supervised behind-the-wheel practice with a permit can begin once a teen reaches which age?
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Correct answer: C. Supervised practice starts at 14 in North Dakota, once the teen holds a learner's permit. Every practice hour with a licensed adult builds judgment that classroom study alone cannot teach, which is why the permit stage exists.
3. 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.
4. A tire blows out at highway speed. What should you do first?
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Correct answer: B. A blowout pulls the car; your job is to keep it pointed straight while speed drops. Hard braking can spin you. Once you are slow and under control, signal and move off the pavement. Hold, ease, then brake.
5. A 19-year-old is pulled over in North Dakota after a party. Under the zero-tolerance law, what BAC is enough for an underage drinking-and-driving violation?
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Correct answer: D. For drivers under 21 in North Dakota, a violation begins at 0.02%. Zero-tolerance laws exist because young, inexperienced drivers face high crash risk with any alcohol. If you are underage, the only legal amount is none.
6. An officer stops an adult driver in North Dakota 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 North Dakota. The law uses a fixed number because alcohol impairs everyone, and drivers are poor judges of their own impairment behind the wheel.
7. Unless a sign posts another limit, the usual residential or city default in North Dakota is:
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Correct answer: A. North Dakota's typical unposted residential / city default is 25 mph. School zones and work zones drop lower. If houses line the street and no sign argues, start at 25 mph and watch the next plaque.
8. 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.
9. In North Dakota, what is the maximum speed as you pass a school during recess or while children are arriving or leaving, unless a sign says otherwise?
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Correct answer: B. North Dakota sets 20 mph past a school during recess and at opening and closing times unless posted otherwise. Children step off curbs without looking, and 20 mph leaves you the stopping distance to react.
10. 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.
11. A GPS in North Dakota 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 Dakota's default for this kind of street is 25 mph unless a sign posts otherwise. Believe the sign first, then the state's default, then the gadget.
12. A yellow diamond shows a sideways wind-sock or windswept tree. What risk is ahead?
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Correct answer: A. Crosswind warnings mark bridges, cuts, and open plains where gusts shove vans, trucks, and empty trailers. Ease off the gas and keep both hands on the wheel. If you drive something tall, treat the sign as a speed cut.
13. What is double parking, and why is it against the rules?
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Correct answer: D. Double parking means standing or parking in the roadway alongside a vehicle already parked at the curb. It blocks a travel lane, hides pedestrians, and pins in the parked car, so the practice is prohibited on public streets.
14. 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.
15. Which official NHTSA NDR code records a financial-responsibility failure?
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Correct answer: A. Official 23 CFR 1327 Appendix A lists D35 Failure to comply with financial responsibility law and B63 Failed to file future proof of financial responsibility. The leftover insurance-or-keys mnemonic is not on that page; this nearby official national code is.
16. While planning a road trip across North Dakota, you look up the fastest speed any of its highways allow. What is that statewide maximum?
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Correct answer: A. North Dakota's top speed limit is 80 mph, found only on its fastest designated highways. Expect lower posted limits on most stretches, and remember signs control: the maximum applies only where a sign actually posts it.
17. 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.
18. You stop at a red light planning to turn right, and a white sign beside the signal reads NO TURN ON RED. What does the sign change?
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Correct answer: A. Many places allow a right turn on red after a complete stop, but a NO TURN ON RED sign removes that option. It appears where crosswalks or sight lines make red-light turns risky. When posted, red simply means wait.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. A yellow diamond sign ahead shows a plus symbol, like a small cross. What is this sign warning you about?
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Correct answer: A. The crossroad symbol warns that a full intersection is ahead, so vehicles may pull out or turn from the left or right. Slow down and scan both directions. Picture the plus sign as two roads meeting.
22. A teen walks into a North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) office in North Dakota 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 NDDOT accepts learner's permit applications at age 14 in North Dakota. 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.
23. 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.
24. You are on an entrance ramp about to merge onto a freeway. Who is responsible for yielding?
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Correct answer: A. Drivers merging onto a freeway must yield to traffic already on it, using the ramp to match speed and slide into a gap. Through traffic cannot stop safely at highway speeds, so the entering driver adapts.
25. Where is the official North Dakota driver handbook published?
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Correct answer: A. The NDDOT publishes the North Dakota handbook for free. That book is the source the knowledge test is written from. Our questions are original study items grounded in those rules, not a substitute for reading the handbook.
26. While you wait to turn, the green arrow changes to a steady yellow arrow. What is the signal telling you?
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Correct answer: D. A steady yellow arrow warns that the protected turning phase is about to end. Stop if you can do so safely; drivers already at the point of no return may finish the turn cautiously. Yellow arrow means wrap up, not speed up.
27. What speed limit applies by default on a paved, divided multilane North Dakota highway that is not an interstate?
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Correct answer: C. North Dakota law sets 70 mph on paved divided multilane highways unless posted otherwise, while rural two-lane roads posted for speed top out at 65. Divided lanes remove head-on risk, which is why the limit sits higher.
28. 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.
29. You merge onto an interstate in North Dakota posted at the state's maximum speed limit. The fastest you may legally drive there is which speed?
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Correct answer: C. North Dakota caps highway speed at 80 mph, its statewide maximum. Even on wide-open pavement, the posted number is the ceiling, and rain, fog, or traffic can make a much lower speed the only safe and legal choice.
30. A 19-year-old driver in North Dakota says a single sip cannot matter. Under the under-21 rule, the limit is which of these?
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Correct answer: B. North Dakota 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.
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