How many warning signs are on the test?

This group has 36 signs. Sign questions are typically about a third of the written test.

A yellow diamond-shaped sign like this one tells you that:

There is a hazard or a change in road conditions ahead

A law is being enforced at this point

You are entering a construction zone

There is a service or rest area nearby

Several of these signs appear one after another along the outside of a bend. What are they telling you?

The road changes direction here, so follow the curve and stay in your lane

The lane is closed and you must move over

There is a passing lane on the side the arrowheads point toward

Each sign marks a driveway entrance

What is this sign telling you?

A stop sign is ahead, so begin slowing in order to stop at it

A stop sign was removed from this location

Traffic on the crossing road has to stop for you

You are approaching this sign at highway speed. What does it tell you to prepare for?

A yield sign ahead, where you slow and give way to the traffic that has the right of way

A signal ahead that is about to turn red

A point ahead where other drivers must yield to you

A merge where you hold your speed and take the gap

You see this sign as you approach a bend that hides the road beyond it. What does it tell you?

A signalized intersection is ahead and you should slow down ready to stop

The traffic signal ahead is out of order

You must stop at this sign before going on

The intersection ahead is controlled by a stop sign

This sign is posted just before a crest in the road. Why would an engineer place it there?

A traffic signal ahead cannot be seen in time from this approach

A traffic signal will be installed at this spot in the future

The signal ahead flashes yellow at all hours

The signal ahead controls turning traffic only

This sign warns that:

Traffic from another roadway will join yours and both must adjust

A lane is ending and you must move over

You must yield to all traffic on the right

An added lane begins with no merging needed

You are on the main road and see this sign. What condition is ahead?

Another roadway joins yours ahead and the two streams continue in the same lane

Traffic entering from the side must stop before joining your road

Your lane ends and you must move over

A lane is being added, so entering traffic keeps a lane of its own

How does this sign differ from a merge sign?

Traffic joins into its own new lane, so no merging is required

It warns that your lane is about to end

It requires entering traffic to stop

It marks the start of a passing zone

How does the condition this sign warns of differ from a merge?

The joining road becomes an extra lane, so neither stream has to give up its lane position

Entering traffic must stop before it may join the roadway

The through lane ends and all traffic moves to the right

The extra lane is reserved for buses and carpools

This sign tells you that ahead:

The road divides into two one-way roadways separated by a median

What changes immediately after this sign?

Oncoming traffic returns to the same roadway as you

A median begins separating the directions

Road signs

Warning signs — Meaning and Examples (2026)

All 36 warning signs on the written test, drawn to the federal MUTCD standard, with what each one tells you to do.

A warning sign is a yellow diamond, and it never tells you what to do — it tells you what is coming. A curve, a crossing, a merge, a drop in the road. The test rewards knowing that yellow means anticipate and orange means the same thing inside a work zone, where the fine is usually doubled.

Test yourself on these signs

0 of 12 answeredScore: 0/12

1.
A yellow diamond-shaped sign like this one tells you that:
Not quiteCorrect answer: A — There is a hazard or a change in road conditions ahead
Yellow diamonds are general warning signs: a curve, a merge, a hill or another hazard is ahead. They advise you to slow down and prepare, but they do not by themselves carry a legal speed limit.
Orange diamonds — not yellow — mean a work zone. Same shape, different colour, different meaning.
2.
Several of these signs appear one after another along the outside of a bend. What are they telling you?
Not quiteCorrect answer: A — The road changes direction here, so follow the curve and stay in your lane
Chevrons are placed in a series through a change of alignment so at least one is always in view. Together they show how sharp the bend is and where the road goes at night, when your headlights cannot reach around it.
Reading a chevron as an instruction to change lanes. It describes the alignment of the road, not a movement you are being told to make.
3.
What is this sign telling you?
Not quiteCorrect answer: C — A stop sign is ahead, so begin slowing in order to stop at it
A warning sign describes what is coming, not what happens where it stands. This one is used where the stop sign itself is hidden by a curve, a crest or trees, giving you the distance you need to stop under control.
Stopping at the warning sign itself, which surprises the driver behind. The stop is made at the stop line further on.
4.
You are approaching this sign at highway speed. What does it tell you to prepare for?
Not quiteCorrect answer: A — A yield sign ahead, where you slow and give way to the traffic that has the right of way
It warns of an upcoming yield point. Knowing early lets you shed speed gradually instead of braking hard at the line, which is what makes it possible to actually give way rather than force your way in.
Reading yield as slow down a little. If there is no safe gap, yielding means coming to a stop.
5.
You see this sign as you approach a bend that hides the road beyond it. What does it tell you?
Not quiteCorrect answer: C — A signalized intersection is ahead and you should slow down ready to stop
This warning is posted where a signal cannot be seen far enough ahead — over a crest, round a curve, or on a fast road — so that you are already slowing before the red comes into view.
Because the symbol contains a red lens, drivers read the sign as reporting the signal's current state. It reports only that a signal exists ahead; the light itself may be any colour when you get there.
6.
This sign is posted just before a crest in the road. Why would an engineer place it there?
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — A traffic signal ahead cannot be seen in time from this approach
Signal Ahead is used where a hill, curve or trees hide the signal until a driver is too close to stop comfortably. The sign restores the warning distance the sight line took away, so cross the crest already prepared for red.
Assuming that not seeing a red light yet means there is time. On a blind approach the light may have been red for a while before it comes into view.
7.
This sign warns that:
Not quiteCorrect answer: B — Traffic from another roadway will join yours and both must adjust
A merge means two streams become one. Neither driver has an automatic right-of-way; both are expected to adjust speed and position.
Many drivers believe the merging vehicle must always yield. The sign warns both roadways; cooperating beats insisting.
8.
You are on the main road and see this sign. What condition is ahead?
Not quiteCorrect answer: B — Another roadway joins yours ahead and the two streams continue in the same lane
A merge warning means two streams of traffic come together into one path, so a vehicle you cannot yet see may be arriving beside you. Adjusting speed and opening a gap early is what keeps the blend from becoming a conflict.
Confusing a merge with an added lane. In a merge there is no extra lane waiting, so one driver has to make room and the other has to take it.
9.
How does this sign differ from a merge sign?
Not quiteCorrect answer: C — Traffic joins into its own new lane, so no merging is required
An added lane means the joining roadway gets its own lane. Nobody has to yield or change lanes, which is exactly why an unnecessary merge here causes conflict.
Drivers who treat an added lane as a merge brake or swerve for traffic that was never going to enter their lane.
10.
How does the condition this sign warns of differ from a merge?
Not quiteCorrect answer: C — The joining road becomes an extra lane, so neither stream has to give up its lane position
With an added lane the entering roadway continues as a lane of its own instead of feeding into yours, so vehicles join without anyone having to yield. Keep watching it anyway, because an added lane often ends further along and then a real merge does happen.
Swinging left to make room as if it were a merge, which puts you into a lane you never checked. With an added lane you can simply hold your position.
11.
This sign tells you that ahead:
Not quiteCorrect answer: D — The road divides into two one-way roadways separated by a median
The roadway splits and a median separates the directions. You must keep right of the divider — turning across or entering the wrong side is head-on traffic.
This sign and DIVIDED HIGHWAY ENDS look alike at speed. One means the median begins; the other means oncoming traffic is about to return to your side.
12.
What changes immediately after this sign?
Not quiteCorrect answer: A — Oncoming traffic returns to the same roadway as you
The median ends and the road becomes two-way. Traffic you had been separated from is now coming toward you in the adjacent lane.
Because a divided highway feels like a freeway, drivers keep freeway habits — including drifting left — right into oncoming traffic.

Other kinds of sign

Questions people ask

What are warning signs?: A warning sign is a yellow diamond, and it never tells you what to do — it tells you what is coming. A curve, a crossing, a merge, a drop in the road. The test rewards knowing that yellow means anticipate and orange means the same thing inside a work zone, where the fine is usually doubled.
How many warning signs are on the test?: This group has 36 signs. Sign questions are typically about a third of the written test.

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.