Texas DMV Permit Test Concept Review
Written by AI. Only units that passed a separate AI check (re-reading facts and numbers) are published. Tell us if you find a mistake.
Multiple choice knowledge test on Texas traffic laws and road signs · 1 sections · 30 questions · 30 min
Pass: 70 points average
Source: Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) · as of 2026
Summary notes
Section 1 · Class C Knowledge Test30 questions
1-1. Signs, Signals, and Pavement Markings
★★★★★ 20% (estimate)
Overview
This chapter is about reading the road before you reach it. Signs, traffic lights, and painted lines all talk to you, and each one uses shape and color so you can understand it from far away, even before you can read the words.
Shape tells you a lot. An eight-sided red sign always means stop, and a triangle pointing down means yield. A yellow diamond warns of a hazard ahead, a five-sided sign marks a school zone or crossing, and a round yellow sign with an X and RR means a railroad crossing is coming. Orange signs mean a work zone, and brown signs point to parks and recreation.
Traffic lights can be steady or flashing. A steady yellow means the light is about to turn red, so stop if you safely can. A flashing red works like a stop sign, and a flashing yellow means slow down and go with care. If a signal is completely dark, treat the intersection as an all-way stop. A flashing yellow arrow lets you turn left only after you yield to oncoming cars and people walking.
Painted lines matter too. Yellow center lines separate traffic going in opposite directions. If the solid yellow line is on your side, you may not cross it to pass. A center lane with solid and broken yellow lines on both edges is a shared left-turn lane, used only to start or finish a left turn.
Key notes
- Sign shapes
- — Eight sides means stop. A downward triangle means yield. A diamond warns of a hazard. Five sides (like a house) means a school zone or school crossing. A round sign warns of a railroad crossing. A sideways pennant on the left side marks a no-passing zone.
- Sign colors
- — Red means stop, yield, or do not. Yellow is a general warning. Orange marks a construction or work zone. White signs with black letters state rules, such as speed limits. Brown points to parks and recreation areas.
- Flashing red vs. flashing yellow
- — A flashing red light means stop completely, then go when it is safe, just like a stop sign. A flashing yellow light means slow down and go ahead with caution. You do not have to stop for a flashing yellow.
- Dark traffic signal
- — If a traffic light shows no lights at all, for example after a storm or power loss, treat the intersection as an all-way stop. Every driver stops, then goes in turn.
- Flashing yellow arrow
- — A flashing yellow left-turn arrow means you may turn left, but you must first yield to oncoming cars and to people in the crosswalk. It is not a protected turn.
- Yellow center lines
- — Yellow center lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions. A solid yellow line on your side means you may not cross it to pass. A broken yellow line on your side means you may pass when it is safe.
- Hand signals
- — If your turn signals do not work, use your left arm. Arm straight out means a left turn. Arm bent upward at the elbow means a right turn. Arm bent downward means slow down or stop.
★ Exam points
- Tests often show a sign shape with no words and ask what it means. Know the stop, yield, school, and railroad shapes by heart.
- Do not mix up the two flashing lights: red means stop first, yellow only means slow down.
- A dark signal is treated as an all-way stop, not as a green light for the bigger road.
- The shared center left-turn lane is not a passing lane or a travel lane.
1-2. Right of Way and Turns
★★★★★ 20% (estimate)
Overview
This chapter explains who goes first. Right-of-way rules keep cars and people from trying to use the same space at the same time. The law does not give anyone the right to force their way in, so the safest choice is always to yield when there is any doubt.
At a four-way stop, the first car to stop goes first. If two cars stop at the same time, the driver on the left lets the driver on the right go. At a crossing with no signs or signals, let a car already in the intersection go first. When you turn left, yield to oncoming traffic and to people in the crosswalk. Cars already in a roundabout, and cars already on a freeway, have the right of way over cars coming in.
When an emergency vehicle comes with siren and flashing lights, pull to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes, but do not stop inside an intersection. Always stop for a person walking in a crosswalk on your half of the road, and stop before the sidewalk when you drive out of a driveway.
Turning has its own rules. Keep your turn signal on for at least the last 100 feet before you turn. You may turn right on a steady red after a full stop if no sign forbids it, and left on red only from a one-way street onto another one-way street. A U-turn is not allowed on a curve or hilltop where other drivers cannot see you within 500 feet.
Key notes
- Four-way stop
- — The first vehicle to come to a full stop goes first. If two vehicles stop at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
- Left turns
- — When you turn left on a green light with no arrow, you must wait for oncoming cars that are close enough to be a danger, and for people crossing the street you are turning onto.
- Emergency vehicles
- — When a police car, fire truck, or ambulance comes with siren and flashing lights, pull over near the right edge of the road and stop until it passes. If you are near an intersection, clear the intersection first.
- Turn on red
- — After a full stop, you may turn right on a steady red light unless a sign says no. You may turn left on red only from a one-way street onto another one-way street. In both cases yield to people and traffic first.
- Turn signal distance
- — Texas law requires you to signal a turn continuously for at least the last 100 feet before you turn.
- U-turn limit
- — A U-turn is not allowed on a curve, or on the approach to or near the top of a hill, where drivers coming from either direction cannot see your car within 500 feet.
- Roundabouts and freeways
- — Vehicles already in a roundabout have the right of way over those entering it. When you merge onto a freeway from a ramp, you must yield to traffic already on the freeway.
★ Exam points
- At a four-way stop tie, the answer is the car on the RIGHT goes first.
- Left on red is allowed only from a one-way street onto a one-way street, and only after a full stop.
- For an emergency vehicle, the right answer is pull to the right and stop, not speed up or stop where you are.
- Using your left turn signal to tell the driver behind you it is safe to pass is not allowed.
- Pedestrians in a crosswalk and on a WALK signal go before turning cars.
1-3. Speed, Lanes, Passing, and Parking
★★★★☆ 20% (estimate)
Overview
This chapter covers how fast to drive, how to use lanes and pass, and where you may not park. It has more numbers than any other chapter, so it helps to learn them as one list.
When no sign is posted, Texas sets the limit by the type of road: 30 mph on a city street in an urban district, 15 mph in an alley, 70 mph on a U.S. or state numbered highway outside a city, 60 mph on other roads outside a city, and 15 mph on a beach. A posted limit is the most you may drive. In rain or fog you must drive slower if that is what safety needs.
To keep a safe gap, watch the car ahead pass a fixed object and count the seconds until you reach it. When you pass on a two-lane road, return to your lane only when you are safely clear of the other car. In a city or town, do not pass on the left within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing. A paved shoulder may be used in limited cases, such as going around a car that is stopped to turn left.
Parking rules keep space clear for safety. Do not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, 30 feet of a stop sign, or 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing. When you park along a curb, your wheels must be within 18 inches of it.
Key notes
- Speed limits when no sign is posted
- — Urban district street: 30 mph. Alley in a city or town: 15 mph. U.S. or state numbered highway outside an urban district: 70 mph. Other roads outside an urban district: 60 mph. Beach: 15 mph.
- Safe for conditions
- — Even under the posted limit, you may not drive faster than is safe for traffic, weather, and the road. In heavy rain or fog, the legal speed can be well below the sign.
- Following distance
- — Pick a fixed object such as a sign. When the car ahead passes it, count the seconds until your car reaches the same spot. Give yourself more seconds in bad weather.
- Passing limits in town
- — In a city or town, you may not drive on the left side of the road to pass within 100 feet of an intersection or a railroad crossing. Move back to your lane only when you are safely clear of the car you passed.
- No-parking distances
- — Do not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, 30 feet of a stop sign or traffic signal on the approach, or 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing.
- Parking at a curb
- — When you parallel park on a street with a curb, park facing the same way traffic moves, with the wheels nearest the curb no more than 18 inches from it.
★ Exam points
- The 15 mph alley limit and the 30 mph urban limit are easy to swap. Read the road type in the question carefully.
- Watch for 70 vs. 60 outside town: 70 is only for U.S. or state numbered highways.
- Parking distance questions swap 15, 20, 30, and 50. Tie each number to its object.
- If a question mentions rain or fog, the answer is usually to drive slower than the posted limit.
1-4. Safe Driving and Sharing the Road
★★★★☆ 20% (estimate)
Overview
This chapter is about staying safe when conditions are hard and when you share the road with others. It covers lights at night and in bad weather, what to do in a skid, and the special rules for school buses, trains, stopped emergency vehicles, work zones, and bicycles.
Turn your headlights on from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise, and any time you cannot clearly see people or vehicles 1,000 feet ahead. Dim your high beams within 500 feet of an oncoming car and within 300 feet of a car you are following. In fog, use low beams. If your car skids, ease off the gas and steer where you want to go.
Stop for a school bus that is showing flashing red lights, whether it is ahead of you or coming toward you. The only exception is when the bus is on the other roadway of a divided highway. At a railroad crossing with flashing lights, stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail. If your car stalls on the tracks with a train coming, get everyone out and away first.
Texas has a Move Over or Slow Down law. When you pass a stopped police car, fire truck, ambulance, tow truck, or similar vehicle with flashing lights, change out of its lane if you can. If you cannot, slow to 20 mph below the limit, or to 5 mph when the limit is 25 mph or less. In work zones where signs say so, fines double when workers are present.
Key notes
- When headlights are required
- — Headlights must be on from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. They must also be on whenever rain, fog, or other conditions keep you from clearly seeing people or vehicles 1,000 feet ahead.
- Dimming high beams
- — Switch to low beams within 500 feet of a vehicle coming toward you, and within 300 feet of a vehicle you are following.
- Stopping for a school bus
- — When a school bus shows flashing red lights, stop and wait until it moves on, its lights turn off, or the driver signals you to go. You do not need to stop if the bus is on the other roadway of a divided highway. A first offense for illegally passing carries a fine of $500 to $1,250.
- Railroad crossings
- — When signal lights are flashing at a railroad crossing, stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail. If your car stalls on the tracks and a train is coming, get everyone out and away from the tracks right away.
- Move Over or Slow Down
- — When you approach a stopped police, fire, ambulance, tow, or similar vehicle with flashing lights, leave the lane next to it if you safely can. If not, slow to 20 mph below the posted limit, or to 5 mph if the limit is 25 mph or less.
- Skids
- — If your car starts to skid, take your foot off the gas gently and steer in the direction you want the car to go. Avoid slamming on the brakes.
- Trucks and bicycles
- — Large trucks have big blind spots. If you cannot see the driver in the truck's mirror, the driver cannot see you. A bicyclist may move away from the right edge of the lane, for example to get ready for a left turn.
★ Exam points
- School bus questions usually turn on one detail: is the highway divided by a median or not?
- Do not swap the dimming distances: 500 feet for oncoming cars, 300 feet for cars ahead of you.
- Move Over math: posted 60 mph means 40 mph when you cannot change lanes; posted 25 mph means 5 mph.
- In fog, the answer is low beams. High beams bounce back and make it harder to see.
- At a stalled-on-tracks question, getting people out comes before trying to restart the car.
1-5. Licensing, Alcohol, and Driver Responsibility
★★★★☆ 20% (estimate)
Overview
This chapter covers the laws that follow you as a driver: how teens earn a license step by step, what insurance you must carry, what to do after a crash, and the rules on alcohol, phones, and child seats.
A Texas teen can apply for a learner license at age 15. A learner must drive with a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and has at least one year of driving experience sitting in the front passenger seat. During the first 12 months of a provisional license, a driver under 18 may not drive between midnight and 5 a.m. except for work, a school activity, or a medical emergency, and may carry no more than one passenger under 21 who is not a family member.
An adult is legally intoxicated at a blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher. A driver under 21 may not have any detectable alcohol. By driving in Texas you agree to give a breath or blood sample if arrested for DWI, and refusing for the first time leads to a 180-day license suspension. Texting while driving is illegal for everyone, drivers under 18 may not use any wireless device, and handheld phone use is banned in an active school crossing zone.
You must carry liability insurance of at least $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per crash, and $25,000 for property damage. After a crash where someone is hurt, stop, share your information, and help the injured. If you hit an unattended car, leave a note with your name and address. Children under 8 must ride in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches.
Key notes
- Learner license
- — You can apply at age 15. While driving, a learner must have a licensed driver age 21 or older, with at least one year of driving experience, in the front passenger seat.
- Provisional license limits
- — For a driver under 18 during the first 12 months of a provisional license: no driving from midnight to 5 a.m. except for work, a school activity, or a medical emergency, and no more than one passenger under 21 who is not family.
- Alcohol limits
- — A driver 21 or older is legally intoxicated at a blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher. A driver under 21 may not drive with any detectable amount of alcohol.
- Implied consent
- — By driving in Texas, you agree to give a breath or blood specimen if you are arrested for DWI. If you refuse for the first time, your license is suspended for 180 days.
- Phone laws
- — No driver may read, write, or send a text message while the car is moving. Drivers under 18 may not use any wireless device, even hands-free, except in an emergency. In an active school crossing zone, a handheld phone may be used only when the car is stopped.
- Minimum insurance
- — Texas requires liability insurance of at least $30,000 for each injured person, $60,000 for each crash, and $25,000 for property damage, often written as 30/60/25.
- Child safety seats
- — A child younger than 8 must ride in a child safety seat or booster seat that fits, unless the child is taller than 4 feet 9 inches.
★ Exam points
- Under-21 alcohol questions: the answer is any detectable amount, not 0.08 or 0.02.
- First refusal of a breath or blood test leads to a 180-day suspension.
- Phone rules differ by age: texting is banned for all, but drivers under 18 may not use even hands-free.
- Know 30/60/25 for insurance and the midnight to 5 a.m. limit for teen provisional drivers.
- In a minor freeway crash with no injuries where cars can move, move them out of the main lanes.