How many questions are on the California DMV written test?

46. You need 38 correct to pass, so you can miss 8.

Is the California written test available in Spanish?

The California DMV offers the knowledge test in over 30 languages.

Are these the real DMV questions?

No — and nobody who has them is allowed to publish them. Every question here is written from the official driver handbook and the federal MUTCD sign standard, which is what the real test is written from too.

Is this California practice test free?

Yes. Every question on this page is free, with no account and no email.

An emergency vehicle with flashing lights and siren is approaching from behind. What should you do?

Pull over to the right edge of the road and stop until it has passed

Move to the left lane and continue driving

Your signal shows a steady circular green and there is no left-turn arrow. You want to turn left. You may:

Turn left after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk

Turn left only when a green arrow is displayed

Turn left without yielding, because a green light gives you the right-of-way

Turn left because oncoming traffic must wait for a vehicle that is already at the line

Which of these is never a legal place to pass, regardless of the road markings?

Approaching the crest of a hill where you cannot see oncoming traffic

A road with a broken centre line

A straight rural road with clear visibility

When must you turn on your headlights in California?

From 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, and whenever you use your windscreen wipers

Only between midnight and 5 a.m.

Only when you cannot see the car ahead

When is it legal to pass another vehicle on the right in California?

When the road is wide enough for two lanes in your direction and it is safe to do so

Never — passing on the right is always illegal

Whenever the vehicle ahead is driving below the speed limit

Only on the shoulder of the road

You are driving at night in fog and can see a yellow line on your right and a white line on your left. What has most likely happened?

You are on the wrong side of the road

You are in a two-way left turn lane

You have entered a bicycle lane

California's Basic Speed Law says you may never drive faster than:

Is safe for the current conditions, whatever the posted limit is

The speed of surrounding traffic

A police officer at an intersection is directing you to proceed while the signal is red. You should:

Stop, then proceed when the signal turns green

Sound your horn and wait for the signal

In California, at an intersection with no painted crosswalk, a pedestrian crossing the road:

Still has the right-of-way — an unmarked crosswalk exists there

Has right-of-way only at a signal

You are waiting to turn left on a solid green light (no arrow) and traffic is heavy. The light turns yellow while you are stopped in the intersection. You should:

Complete the turn when it is safe, clearing the intersection

Reverse back behind the stop line

Stay in the intersection until the next green

Abandon the turn and drive straight through

A flashing yellow light at an intersection means:

Proceed with caution, but you do not have to stop

Stop completely before entering

The signal is broken and all directions must stop

Yield to traffic on the right only

California DMV Practice Test 2026

Take a free California DMV practice test built on the state's real written exam: 46 questions, 38 correct to pass. Every answer explained. No sign-up.

Verified against the official handbook · 2026-08-01

46
Questions on the test: 38
Correct answers to pass: 8
Wrong answers allowed: 275
question bank

California cheat sheetEvery number you have to memorise, on one page.

The real exam

46 questions. 38 correct to pass — you may miss 8.

Questions on the test	46
Correct answers to pass	38
Wrong answers allowed	8
Time limit	None published
Minimum permit age	15.5 years old

Official handbook — California

Practice questions

20 questions, answered right here. Tap an option to see why.

0 of 20 answeredScore: 0/2017 to pass

1.
You and another driver reach a four-way stop at the same moment, and the other car is directly to your right. Who goes first?
Not quiteCorrect answer: A — The driver on the right
When two vehicles arrive at the same time, the one on the right has right-of-way. It is a tie-breaker, not a general rule about right-hand traffic.
Drivers apply "yield to the right" everywhere. It only settles simultaneous arrivals — otherwise the first to stop goes first.
2.
An emergency vehicle with flashing lights and siren is approaching from behind. What should you do?
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — Pull over to the right edge of the road and stop until it has passed
Pull to the right and stop, clear of any intersection, until the emergency vehicle passes. Stopping in the middle of the lane or inside an intersection blocks the very path the vehicle needs.
Stopping instantly in place is wrong — you must first move to the right edge.
3.
Your signal shows a steady circular green and there is no left-turn arrow. You want to turn left. You may:
Not quiteCorrect answer: A — Turn left after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk
A circular green permits every movement that is not otherwise prohibited, but it is permissive rather than protected: oncoming traffic has the same green, so the gap is yours to judge.
Green is read as "my turn", when for a left turn it only means the turn is allowed. The oncoming driver has exactly the same indication and no duty to let you across.
4.
Which of these is never a legal place to pass, regardless of the road markings?
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — Approaching the crest of a hill where you cannot see oncoming traffic
Passing requires enough sight distance to complete it. A blind crest or curve does not provide it, which is why no-passing zones are marked there.
Drivers look for markings rather than judging sight distance. Faded or snow-covered markings do not make a blind crest safe.
5.
When must you turn on your headlights in California?
Not quiteCorrect answer: C — From 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, and whenever you use your windscreen wipers
Headlights are required from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, in poor visibility, and any time weather requires your wipers. The point is not only to see, but to be seen.
Daytime running lights are not headlights and do not satisfy the wiper rule — they usually leave the tail lights off.
6.
When is it legal to pass another vehicle on the right in California?
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — When the road is wide enough for two lanes in your direction and it is safe to do so
Passing on the right is legal when there are two or more marked lanes in your direction, or the road is wide enough, and the move can be made safely. You may never leave the paved roadway to pass.
A slow driver ahead does not create a right to pass on the shoulder — that is illegal regardless.
7.
You are driving at night in fog and can see a yellow line on your right and a white line on your left. What has most likely happened?
Not quiteCorrect answer: A — You are on the wrong side of the road
The colours are reversed from normal. Yellow belongs on your left, white on your right; the reverse means you are facing oncoming traffic.
In poor visibility drivers follow whichever line they can see. Knowing which colour belongs on which side turns the markings into an orientation instrument.
8.
California's Basic Speed Law says you may never drive faster than:
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — Is safe for the current conditions, whatever the posted limit is
The Basic Speed Law makes an unsafe speed illegal on its own. Rain, fog, traffic or a poor road surface all lower the legal maximum below whatever is posted.
Being under the sign is not a defence. A citation for unsafe speed does not require you to have exceeded the posted number.
9.
A police officer at an intersection is directing you to proceed while the signal is red. You should:
Not quiteCorrect answer: B — Follow the officer's direction
Directions from a police officer or authorised person override signs and signals. They are normally there because the signal does not fit the situation.
Hesitating when waved through a red light is understandable but creates exactly the confusion the officer is trying to resolve.
10.
In California, at an intersection with no painted crosswalk, a pedestrian crossing the road:
Not quiteCorrect answer: B — Still has the right-of-way — an unmarked crosswalk exists there
The handbook states pedestrians always have the right-of-way, and crosswalks exist at intersections whether or not they are painted.
Paint marks a crosswalk; it does not create one.
11.
You are waiting to turn left on a solid green light (no arrow) and traffic is heavy. The light turns yellow while you are stopped in the intersection. You should:
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — Complete the turn when it is safe, clearing the intersection
Once legally in the intersection you must clear it. Yielding traffic will stop for the red, giving you the gap to complete the turn.
Drivers freeze mid-intersection waiting for another green. That leaves them exposed when cross traffic starts moving.
12.
A flashing yellow light at an intersection means:
Not quiteCorrect answer: A — Proceed with caution, but you do not have to stop
Flashing yellow gives you the right-of-way but warns of a hazard or a cross street. The traffic facing the flashing red must stop for you.
Because it is flashing, drivers assume the signal has failed. Flashing operation is intentional, usually at quiet hours.
13.
You are approaching an intersection and can see the back of a sign facing the cross street. It is an octagon. What do you know about the traffic on that street?
Not quiteCorrect answer: A — They have a stop sign and must stop
The octagon is reserved for one sign in the entire system: STOP. No other sign may use that outline, so the shape alone tells you the cross traffic must stop.
Some drivers assume shape only hints at a category. Six shapes — octagon, downward triangle, circle, pennant, pentagon and crossbuck — are locked to a single sign each.
14.
A school bus with flashing RED lights has stopped on the other side of a divided highway with two lanes in each direction. In California you must:
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — Not stop — the divided or multilane highway exception applies
California requires all traffic in both directions to stop for flashing red lights, except where the bus is on the other side of a divided or multilane highway with two or more lanes in each direction.
This exception is state-specific and narrow. On an ordinary two-lane road you must stop from either direction.
15.
In dense fog, the correct headlight setting is:
Not quiteCorrect answer: B — Low beams
High beams reflect off the water droplets and throw the light back at you, reducing what you can see. Low beams throw light under the fog.
More light feels like better visibility. In fog, snow and heavy rain, more light means more glare.
16.
You intended to turn left at this intersection, but this sign faces you as you approach it. What should you do?
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — Carry on past the intersection and find another legal route back to the street you wanted
The slashed left-turn arrow makes that movement illegal at that intersection for every driver, whatever the traffic or the signal is doing. The usual remedy is to continue and use later turns to come back around.
Assuming a turn restriction only applies at busy times or when traffic is coming. Unless a plaque states hours, it applies at all times.
17.
A double solid yellow line down the centre of the road means:
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — Neither direction may cross it to pass
Two solid yellow lines forbid passing in both directions. You may still cross one to turn left into a driveway or road where that is otherwise permitted.
Believing a double yellow can never be crossed leaves drivers unable to make an ordinary left turn into their own driveway.
18.
You reach this sign at a set of tracks with no gate, no lights and no train in sight. What is your obligation?
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — Yield — slow, look and listen, and stop if a train is coming
The crossbuck is a yield sign. It does not require a stop when the way is clear, but it does require you to slow, look both ways and be prepared to stop.
A dark crossing is not a safe crossing. The crossbuck carries the yield obligation on its own, without any lights.
19.
This symbol on a blue background means:
Not quiteCorrect answer: C — Fuel is available at this exit
The fuel pump is one of the general service symbols. Blue service signs are grouped at exits so you can plan a stop without reading text at speed.
Symbol signs are skipped in study because they seem obvious. State sign sections test them precisely because they carry no words to guess from.
20.
In California, unless a different limit is posted, the speed limit in a residential or business district is:
Not quiteCorrect answer: B — 25 mph
Where nothing is posted, California sets 25 mph in residential and business districts. This is a 'prima facie' limit — it applies by default, and driving faster is presumed unsafe.
No posted sign does not mean no limit. The default still applies and is enforceable.

Practice by topic

See all 84 road signs and what they mean

Questions people ask

How many questions are on the California DMV written test?: 46. You need 38 correct to pass, so you can miss 8.
What score do you need to pass in California?: 38 out of 46 — 83%.
How old do you have to be to get a learner's permit in California?: 15.5 years old.
Is the California written test available in Spanish?: The California DMV offers the knowledge test in over 30 languages.
Are these the real DMV questions?: No — and nobody who has them is allowed to publish them. Every question here is written from the official driver handbook and the federal MUTCD sign standard, which is what the real test is written from too.
Is this California practice test free?: Yes. Every question on this page is free, with no account and no email.

Where this comes from

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), 11th Edition — U.S. Federal Highway Administration
MUTCD sign artwork on Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons — files created by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration
California Driver Handbook — California DMV
Texas Driver Handbook — Texas Department of Public Safety
Florida Driver License Handbook — Florida HSMV
New York State Driver's Manual — New York State DMV
Illinois Rules of the Road — Illinois Secretary of State
Pennsylvania Driver's Manual — PennDOT

Independent study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to any Department of Motor Vehicles or government agency. Questions are written from the official handbooks listed above; no exam result is guaranteed.

The real exam

Practice questions

You and another driver reach a four-way stop at the same moment, and the other car is directly to your right. Who goes first?

An emergency vehicle with flashing lights and siren is approaching from behind. What should you do?

Your signal shows a steady circular green and there is no left-turn arrow. You want to turn left. You may:

Which of these is never a legal place to pass, regardless of the road markings?

When must you turn on your headlights in California?

When is it legal to pass another vehicle on the right in California?

You are driving at night in fog and can see a yellow line on your right and a white line on your left. What has most likely happened?

California's Basic Speed Law says you may never drive faster than:

A police officer at an intersection is directing you to proceed while the signal is red. You should:

In California, at an intersection with no painted crosswalk, a pedestrian crossing the road:

You are waiting to turn left on a solid green light (no arrow) and traffic is heavy. The light turns yellow while you are stopped in the intersection. You should:

A flashing yellow light at an intersection means:

You are approaching an intersection and can see the back of a sign facing the cross street. It is an octagon. What do you know about the traffic on that street?

A school bus with flashing RED lights has stopped on the other side of a divided highway with two lanes in each direction. In California you must:

In dense fog, the correct headlight setting is:

You intended to turn left at this intersection, but this sign faces you as you approach it. What should you do?

A double solid yellow line down the centre of the road means:

You reach this sign at a set of tracks with no gate, no lights and no train in sight. What is your obligation?

This symbol on a blue background means:

In California, unless a different limit is posted, the speed limit in a residential or business district is:

Practice by topic

Questions people ask

Choose your state

Where this comes from