Washington Permit Practice Test 2
A second full-length Washington practice test: 30 fresh multiple-choice questions with zero repeats from Test 1. The real DOL knowledge test has 40 questions, and you need 32 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 making a study calendar for the Washington knowledge test. You can hold a learner's permit beginning at which age?
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Correct answer: B. Put 15 on the calendar for Washington. That is the first legal day for a learner's permit, after you pass the knowledge and vision screens the DOL requires.
2. A white vertical rectangle reads SPEED LIMIT 55. What does that number legally mean?
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Correct answer: C. A white rectangular speed limit sign is a regulatory sign, so the number is the maximum lawful speed in ideal conditions. Rain, fog, or heavy traffic can make even that speed illegal. Treat the posted number as a ceiling, not a target.
3. What does NHTSA say is the only true way to protect yourself against drowsy driving?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drowsy-driving guidance says Getting adequate sleep on a daily basis is the only true way to protect yourself against the risks of driving when you’re drowsy. Coffee and energy drinks last only a short time.
4. A classmate in Washington 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Correct answer: C. Your classmate is using an outdated number. Washington treats 0.08% as the adult per-se line. Memorize the current figure from the official handbook, not a rumor from an older relative.
5. You are approaching an intersection and the traffic light turns steady red. What must you do?
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Correct answer: C. A steady red light requires a full stop before the stop line or crosswalk, or before entering the intersection if there is no line. Stopping at the line protects people crossing. Remember: red means stop, every time.
6. You are turning left at an intersection on a green light while an oncoming car heads straight toward the intersection. What is the rule?
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Correct answer: C. A driver turning left must yield to oncoming vehicles going straight or turning right, crossing only when there is a safe gap. Straight traffic keeps its speed and path, so the turning driver waits. Left turn equals lower priority.
7. 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.
8. Children are playing near the curb on an unposted neighborhood street in Washington. 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 Washington is 25 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.
9. 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.
10. A freeway on-ramp has a recommended speed of 35 mph on a yellow plaque. The freeway is posted 65. What should you do on the ramp curve?
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Correct answer: B. Yellow advisory speeds mark ramps and curves that cannot be taken at the highway limit. Slow for the curve, then speed up in the acceleration lane. Advisory plaques are the voice of physics, not decoration.
11. 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.
12. You meet a stopped Washington school bus from the opposite direction. When may you keep going?
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Correct answer: A. RCW 46.61.370 requires a stop from either direction when a school bus is stopped with its visual signals on. Opposite-direction traffic need not stop on a highway divided into separate roadways, or on a highway with three or more marked traffic lanes. Same-direction traffic still stops. Stay stopped until the bus moves or the signals go off.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. How does NHTSA say a lap and shoulder belt should sit?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA seat-belt guidance says Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck. The lap belt rests across your hips, not your stomach. NEVER put the shoulder belt behind your back or under an arm.
16. A friend says every US interstate is 80 mph. In Washington, the highest posted highway limit is actually:
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Correct answer: A. Interstate limits vary. Washington tops out at 70 mph where posted. Learn the number for your state, then obey the sign in front of you, which is often lower.
17. You are comparing Washington with a neighboring state that uses 0.08%. For an adult driver in Washington, driving is a per-se offense at which BAC?
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Correct answer: A. Do not assume every state still uses the same adult number. In Washington the per-se line is 0.08%. Utah famously uses 0.05%; most others use 0.08%. Learn your own state's figure.
18. You need to confirm a Washington permit rule you saw on a practice site. What is the authoritative place to check?
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Correct answer: A. Practice sites, including this one, can be wrong or out of date. Washington's DOL publishes the handbook and the current rule. If two sources disagree, the official Washington page wins. Date-stamp what you read.
19. On a Washington road with only one lane your way, how close may you pass a bicyclist when there is room in that lane?
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Correct answer: A. On a single-direction-lane Washington roadway, RCW 46.61.110 says to reduce to a safe passing speed relative to the person and to pass at a safe distance — at least three feet where practicable — so you clearly avoid contact. If there is not enough room in the lane, move completely into the opposite lane when that is legal and safe. Three feet is the one-lane Washington number, not a license to clip the rider.
20. An orange sign with a black arrow reads DETOUR. What is this sign telling you?
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Correct answer: A. Detour signs guide you along a temporary route when the normal road is closed, often for construction or an emergency. Keep following the arrows until the detour ends, and the route will return you to your original road.
21. Your 20-year-old cousin is the designated driver tonight in Washington. To obey the zero-tolerance law, they must keep their BAC below what threshold?
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Correct answer: A. In Washington, drivers under 21 violate the zero-tolerance law once their BAC reaches 0.02%. A true designated driver drinks nothing at all; that is the whole job, and it keeps every passenger legally and physically safe.
22. Your younger sibling asks when they can get a learner's permit in Washington. What age do you tell them?
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Correct answer: A. Tell them 15; that is when Washington 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.
23. Before turning left across oncoming traffic, why should you look twice for motorcycles?
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Correct answer: A. A motorcycle's narrow profile fools your eyes: it looks farther away and slower than it really is. Many rider deaths happen when cars turn left across their path. Look twice and judge twice before you commit.
24. 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.
25. Without reading any words, what does a yellow, diamond-shaped sign tell you?
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Correct answer: C. Yellow diamonds are warning signs: they alert you to hazards or changing conditions such as curves, intersections, or merging traffic. They advise rather than order. Shape and color alone should make you lift off the gas.
26. You see a red-and-white triangular sign reading YIELD as you approach a traffic circle. What should you do?
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Correct answer: B. A yield sign tells you to slow down, check for traffic with the right-of-way, and stop only when necessary to let it pass. It keeps merges smooth without forcing pointless stops. Think of yield as give way, not a full stop every time.
27. A vehicle in front of you is stalled on railroad tracks and will not restart. The crossing lights start to flash. What should you do?
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Correct answer: B. People beat cars. Evacuate at once and run toward the train at an angle so debris is less likely to hit you if the car is struck. Do not stand on the tracks. Restart attempts end when the lights start.
28. You're stopped at a red light in Washington. May you pick up your phone to read a text?
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Correct answer: B. Washington's electronics law bans holding a personal device even while temporarily stopped at a light, because driving includes momentary delays in traffic. Eyes drift, lights change, crashes follow. Red light still means hands off.
29. You turn off a busy road into a quiet subdivision in Washington and see no speed limit sign on the new street. Your maximum legal speed is now which value?
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Correct answer: D. Once you enter an unposted residential street in Washington, the limit drops to the default of 25 mph. Slow down as you turn in; the quiet look of a subdivision hides driveways, cyclists, and children near the pavement.
30. At a railroad crossing you see a white X-shaped sign reading RAILROAD CROSSING, with no gates or flashing signals. How should you treat it?
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Correct answer: B. The crossbuck is a regulatory sign that legally works like a yield sign at the tracks. Trains cannot swerve or stop quickly, so you must give way every time. At passive crossings, your eyes and ears are the only warning system.
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