Vermont Permit Practice Test 1
This free Vermont practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the DMV tests. The real DMV Learner Permit Knowledge Exam has 20 questions, and you need 16 correct (80%) to pass.
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 are driving at night with high beams on when a vehicle approaches from the other direction. What should you do?
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Correct answer: B. Dim to low beams for oncoming traffic so you do not blind another driver. If glare hits you, look toward the right edge of your lane to stay on course. Courtesy with light keeps everyone able to see.
2. 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.
3. An emergency vehicle is coming up behind you with lights and siren on a two-lane street. What should you do?
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Correct answer: B. Pull to the right and stop, clearing the lane. If you are in an intersection, clear it first, then pull over. Do not slam-stop in the path. Lights and siren mean yield the road, not freeze in the middle.
4. How far before a turn or lane change must you signal in Vermont?
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Correct answer: A. Vermont law requires a turn signal not less than 100 feet before turning or changing lanes. Signaling three to five seconds before the action also covers that requirement, especially at higher speeds.
5. A classmate in Vermont claims the adult DUI line is 0.10%. The official per-se BAC for drivers 21 and older is which value?
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Correct answer: C. Your classmate is using an outdated number. Vermont treats 0.08% as the adult per-se line. Memorize the current figure from the official handbook, not a rumor from an older relative.
6. 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.
7. On its fastest highways, Vermont allows a top posted speed limit of which value?
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Correct answer: A. The highest speed limit in Vermont is 65 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. You approach an intersection with no signs or signals, and another vehicle approaches from a cross street at about the same time. Who should yield?
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Correct answer: A. At an uncontrolled intersection, slow down and yield to any vehicle that reaches it at about the same time from your right. Without signs, this default rule sorts out conflicts. Same tiebreaker as a four-way stop: right goes first.
11. The traffic signal is dark at an intersection because of a power failure. How should you treat it?
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Correct answer: A. A dark signal is treated like a stop sign in every direction so nobody assumes they have a green. Come to a full stop, then apply the usual all-way-stop order. No lights means nobody has a free pass.
12. A Vermont flashing yellow arrow is showing. What may you do?
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Correct answer: A. Vermont says drivers are allowed to turn left on a flashing yellow arrow after yielding to all oncoming traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Oncoming traffic has a green. The flash is permissive, not protected.
13. 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.
14. You plan to leave the freeway at exit 12. How will you know which ramp is yours?
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Correct answer: B. Freeway exits carry green guide signs topped with a numbered exit panel, and the number usually matches the nearest milepost. Match the posted number to your planned exit, then move into the exit lane early.
15. What does the DMV officially call the Vermont permit written exam?
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Correct answer: A. The DMV names the Vermont exam the Learner Permit Knowledge Exam. Informal names like permit test or written test point at the same test. Use the official name when you book or look up retake rules.
16. 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.
17. You are on a through street. A driver on a driveway to your right is waiting to enter. Who must yield?
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Correct answer: B. Drivers leaving a driveway, alley, or parking lot yield to all traffic on the street, including bikes and people walking. The street already has the flow. Think: entering traffic waits; through traffic keeps moving unless a sign says otherwise.
18. While planning a road trip across Vermont, you look up the fastest speed any of its highways allow. What is that statewide maximum?
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Correct answer: A. Vermont's top speed limit is 65 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.
19. Drivers under 21 in Vermont 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 Vermont is 0.02%. Alcohol is already off-limits for minors, so the driving rule matches: for young drivers, the practical limit is zero drinks.
20. A horizontal black sign with a white arrow and the words ONE WAY points to the left at an intersection. What does it tell you?
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Correct answer: C. A ONE WAY sign means every vehicle on that street must travel in the arrow's direction. Driving against it puts you head-on into traffic. Before turning onto any city street, glance for the arrow and follow where it points.
21. A parent in Vermont wants to start permit practice as soon as the law allows. The earliest learner's-permit age is:
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Correct answer: C. Vermont opens the learner's-permit door at 15. Starting then, with a supervising adult, is how GDL is supposed to work. Younger than that, the answer is still wait.
22. An officer in Vermont stops a driver who is 18. A test shows a very small amount of alcohol. The under-21 threshold that can trigger a violation is:
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Correct answer: C. Under-21 drivers in Vermont are not judged by the adult 0.08%-style line. The threshold is 0.02%. That is why testers keep asking the youth number separately from the adult number.
23. You are studying for the Vermont permit knowledge exam and want to schedule it as early as the law allows. You can hold a learner's permit beginning at which age?
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Correct answer: C. In Vermont, 15 is the earliest age for a learner's permit, so plan your knowledge exam around that date. Study the official handbook, since permit questions come from it, and arrive with the required documents ready.
24. A person with a white cane is about to cross the street ahead of you. What must you do?
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Correct answer: A. A white cane or guide dog marks a pedestrian who is blind, and that person has the right-of-way every time. Stop if needed and do not honk, which can confuse them. White cane means your brakes, not your horn.
25. In Vermont, a driver who is 21 or older commits a per-se drunk-driving offense once their blood alcohol concentration reaches which level?
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Correct answer: B. 'Per se' means the number alone proves the offense. In Vermont, that number is 0.08%. No other proof of bad driving is needed at that level, and alcohol can still impair you below it.
26. 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.
27. A Vermont solid red arrow is displayed for a left turn. What must you do?
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Correct answer: A. Vermont says drivers intending to turn left must stop and wait. Do not enter an intersection to turn when a solid red arrow is displayed. The manual also says do not turn right on a red arrow.
28. A truck ahead signals a right turn but first swings out toward the left. What should you do?
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Correct answer: C. Long vehicles swing wide to make right turns, and the tempting gap on their right closes like a trap once the trailer comes around. Hold back and wait. Do not slide into the right side of a turning truck.
29. An orange triangle with a red border is mounted on the back of a vehicle ahead. What is that vehicle doing?
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Correct answer: B. The slow-moving-vehicle emblem marks farm and other equipment that usually travels 25 mph or less. Give it a wide berth and pass only when you can see far enough ahead. Orange triangle equals slow vehicle.
30. You are parking near railroad tracks. What distance do most state manuals require from the nearest rail?
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Correct answer: C. Fifty feet from the nearest rail is the usual keep-clear distance so trains and crossing gates have room and drivers can see. Do not park on or immediately beside the tracks. Fifty for rails, thirty for signs, twenty for walks, fifteen for hydrants.
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