Texas Permit Practice Test 3
A third full-length Texas practice test: 30 more questions with zero repeats from Tests 1 or 2 — including extra Texas-specific rules. You need 70% correct to pass the real DPS Class C knowledge exam (also called the written exam).
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. How does NHTSA describe the graduated driver licensing system?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA GDL guidance says GDL is a three-phase system for beginning drivers, consisting of a learner’s permit, an intermediate license, and a full license. GDL allows beginning drivers to acquire driving experience in less-risky situations and under direct supervision during the learner’s permit phase.
2. You merge onto an interstate in Texas 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. Texas caps highway speed at 85 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.
3. Why does NHTSA tell you to slow down in snow or sleet?
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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 bridges-ice-first sentence is not on that page; this nearby official slick-surface rule is.
4. What is the maximum fine for a first DWI conviction for an adult driver in Texas?
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Correct answer: D. A first DWI conviction in Texas brings a fine of up to $2,000, 72 hours to 180 days in jail, and a 90-to-365-day license suspension. Penalties climb steeply on repeat offenses. Hook: first DWI, two grand cap.
5. 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.
6. A white sign with a black arrow bending left and the word ONLY is over your lane. What does it require?
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Correct answer: B. A black arrow plus ONLY assigns that lane to one movement. If you need to go straight, change lanes before the marking. Lane-control signs win over habit; follow the arrow you are sitting under.
7. Your street ends at a T-intersection with a through road. Who has the right-of-way?
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Correct answer: B. When your road ends at a T-intersection, traffic on the continuing through road has the right-of-way, and you must yield before turning onto it. The road that ends waits; picture the through road as the main current.
8. Texas 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 Texas 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.
9. Orange signs, cones, and barrels suddenly appear along the highway. What does the color orange tell you?
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Correct answer: B. Orange is reserved for temporary traffic control, meaning construction and maintenance zones. Workers, machines, and lane shifts may appear with little warning, so slow down and stay alert. When you see orange, think people at work.
10. 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.
11. Leaving a one-way street, you see a yellow diamond sign with two vertical arrows pointing in opposite directions. What is it warning you about?
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Correct answer: A. The two-way traffic sign warns that the one-way section is ending and vehicles will now come toward you. Keep to the right and use extra care when passing. Two opposite arrows mean the road now flows both ways.
12. When a Texas railroad signal, gate, or flagger warns of a train, how far from the nearest rail must you stop?
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Correct answer: A. Texas says when approaching a railroad grade crossing, stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail if a railroad signal warns of a train, a crossing gate is lowered, or a flagger is signaling. Do not drive around a lowered gate.
13. In Texas, what fine do you face for a first conviction of passing a school bus that has its red lights flashing?
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Correct answer: B. Passing a Texas school bus with flashing red lights costs $500 to $1,250 for a first conviction; repeat offenses within five years can reach $2,000 plus possible suspension. Hook: red flash means stop, or pay four figures.
14. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) in Texas 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 Texas 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.
15. 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.
16. You are counting down the days until you can start driving in Texas. 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 15, the minimum learner's permit age in Texas. Starting at the minimum is smart: more months of supervised practice before licensure means more experience with traffic, weather, and night driving while coached.
17. You are 25 and had wine at a dinner party in Texas. 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 Texas, 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.
18. What does official NHTSA Move Over guidance tell you to do when flashing lights are stopped on the shoulder?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Move Over guidance says All states require drivers to move over and slow down for emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Drivers approaching the vehicle should change into a lane not immediately adjacent to the vehicle, or slow down to a reasonable speed if you’re unable to safely make a lane change.
19. If coffee is not enough, what short-term drowsy-driving step does NHTSA list?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drowsy-driving guidance says Drinking coffee or energy drinks alone is not always enough. They might help you feel more alert, but the effects last only a short time. Pull over for a short 20-minute nap in a safe place.
20. A signal shows a flashing yellow arrow for a left turn. What does that allow?
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Correct answer: A. A flashing yellow arrow is a yield-and-turn: you may go left after judging gaps, because oncoming traffic still has a green. It is not a protected arrow. Flash yellow means you choose the gap; solid green arrow means the gap is held for you.
21. Why do speed limits drop in highway work zones?
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Correct answer: A. Work zones squeeze traffic past workers, machinery, narrowed lanes, and sudden stops, so limits drop to give everyone more reaction time. Many places also raise fines there. Slow down where people are standing next to moving traffic.
22. How much stopping room does FMCSA say large trucks and buses need?
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Correct answer: A. Official FMCSA passenger-vehicle guidance says Large trucks and buses need the length of up to two football fields to safely stop. Leave extra space when merging in front of these large vehicles, to give them the stopping space they need.
23. A yellow diamond sign ahead displays a bold T symbol. What does this sign mean you will have to do soon?
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Correct answer: D. A T-symbol warning means your road dead-ends at a cross street, so you must slow, yield to crossing traffic, and turn left or right. The letter T shows exactly how the roads meet ahead.
24. A 30-year-old driver in Texas takes a chemical test after a crash. Prosecutors can prove DUI from the test result alone once the BAC is at least which value?
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Correct answer: D. A test showing 0.08% or higher proves per-se DUI in Texas without any other evidence of impairment. Lawmakers chose that threshold because crash risk climbs sharply near it, though alcohol degrades driving skills at lower levels too.
25. You see a white square sign showing a curved U-shaped arrow inside a red circle with a slash through it. What is prohibited?
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Correct answer: B. The slashed U-arrow bans U-turns at that location, usually because oncoming drivers cannot see you turn around in time. Continue to a spot where reversing direction is legal and safe. Red circle plus slash means the pictured move is forbidden.
26. A school-zone sign is posted 25 mph, and children are on the sidewalk. The next block is posted 35. When may you return to 35?
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Correct answer: B. School-zone speeds apply through the marked zone while children are present or the lights flash, depending on the sign. Do not jump back to the higher limit at the building line. Wait for the zone to end.
27. Children are playing near the curb on an unposted neighborhood street in Texas. 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 Texas 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.
28. Unless a different limit is posted, what is the maximum speed you may drive in an alley in Texas?
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Correct answer: B. Unless a different limit is posted, Texas sets alley speed at 15 mph. Alleys are narrow, with hidden driveways and pedestrians stepping out between buildings. Hook: alleys are tight, fifteen is right.
29. You are parking facing uphill on a street with a curb. Which way should you turn your front wheels?
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Correct answer: B. When parking uphill with a curb, turn the wheels away from the curb and let the car roll back until a tire rests against it. The curb then works as a block. Up and away is the memory cue.
30. A GPS in Texas 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; Texas'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.
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