California Practice Test

California Practice Test (25 questions). Correct answers and explanations are noted under each question.

1. 1. For an ordinary trip with a friend, during the first 12 months of a California provisional license, when may a driver under 18 carry a passenger under 20?

   1. Never during the first 12 months
   2. Only when a parent, guardian, or California-licensed driver at least 25 years old rides along (correct)
   3. Only during daylight hours, never after dark

   Why: For an ordinary trip with a friend during the first 12 months, a provisional driver under 18 may carry a passenger under 20 only when a parent, guardian, or other California-licensed driver at least 25 years old rides along. The medical, school, work, and immediate-family carve-outs sit in a separate list after the three main restrictions, and each one requires its own signed note, so none of them applies on a social ride. Answer A comes from the driver-ed shorthand "no young passengers for a year," which stops reading before the "unless your parent or guardian" clause printed in the same bullet.

   Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Minor's Restrictions and Exceptions," p.4.

2. 2. You are 17 with restrictions on your provisional driver's license from earlier violations. You turn 18 next week. What does the manual say happens to those restrictions?

   1. They shorten by half but continue.
   2. They automatically lift on your 18th birthday.
   3. They remain in force. (correct)

   Why: The manual is explicit: turning 18 does not erase or end existing restrictions, suspensions, or probation sentences carried over from provisional-license discipline. Choice B extends the pattern that most provisional-license rules end at 18 to disciplinary consequences; drivers apply the wrong end-date and assume the birthday clears the slate.

   Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Maintaining Your Minor's (Provisional) Driver's License," p.55.

3. 3. You are taking the DMV knowledge test at a California field office. What testing aids does the manual let you use during the test?

   1. Only a cell phone for timekeeping.
   2. No testing aids at all. (correct)
   3. Only the California Driver's Handbook.

   Why: The manual explicitly bans testing aids during the knowledge test and names the California Driver's Handbook and a cell phone as examples of what you cannot bring in. Choice C misreads the sentence's two examples as items the rule carves out; the sentence is a ban, and those are the two aids drivers most often try to sneak in.

   Source: California Driver's Handbook, "The Testing Process, Knowledge Test," p.5.

4. 4. You finish a parallel park in California. What is the greatest distance the manual allows between your vehicle and the curb?

   1. Six inches, the width of a standard curb face.
   2. Two feet, the same space you left beside the car next to you.
   3. Eighteen inches, roughly a foot and a half. (correct)

   Why: California sets the finished parallel-park position within eighteen inches of the curb. Option B reuses the two-foot side gap the same section tells you to leave while pulling up alongside the parked car, treating that pre-park spacing as the final distance from the curb.

   Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Parallel Parking," p.26.

5. 5. When you approach a yellow railroad crossing warning sign, what actions does the manual list?

   1. Look, listen, slow down, and prepare to stop (correct)
   2. Stop only if you see a train coming
   3. Continue at your current speed if no gates lower

   Why: The manual lists four actions at a yellow railroad crossing warning sign: look, listen, slow down, and prepare to stop. The trap is choice B; the word listen gets read as the whole rule, and a driver who has passed dozens of quiet crossings falls into the habit of only responding to sound rather than treating the sign itself as the trigger for preparation.

   Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Yellow and Black Circular Sign or X-shaped Sign," p.38.

6. 6. What does this Gas sign tell a driver about the road ahead?

   

   1. A gas station is nearby. (correct)
   2. Lodging is available at the next exit.
   3. An electric vehicle charger is at this interchange.

   Why: The fuel pump on a blue service square marks a gas station near the interchange, usually shown grouped with other service symbols so drivers can spot fuel at a glance. The trap to watch is the electric vehicle charger; the entry notes that related signs add a letter or word to the pump to show electric charging instead of gasoline, so a plain pump points to gasoline for a fueled car, not a plug for an EV.

   Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign D9-7 (Gas).

7. 7. About how far in advance of your California driver's license expiration date does DMV send a renewal notice to your address of record?

   1. Only on the day the license expires.
   2. About 90 days before expiration. (correct)
   3. 30 days ahead of the expiration date.

   Why: The manual says DMV mails a renewal notice to the address of record about 90 days before the driver's license expires. Choice C is the 30-day figure drivers pull from utility bills and other short-cycle reminders; DMV starts the renewal window well before that.

   Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Driver's License Renewal (Seniors and Driving)," p.82.

8. 8. California requires a child to ride in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system when the child is under which set of limits?

   1. Under 8 years old or under 4 feet 9 inches tall.
   2. Under 2 years old, under 40 pounds, and under 3 feet 4 inches tall. (correct)
   3. Under 8 years old and under 40 pounds.

   Why: The rear-facing rule is a triple test. A child stays rear-facing only while all three conditions apply at once: under 2 years old, under 40 pounds, and under 3 feet 4 inches tall. Drivers who remember only the age-8 or 4-foot-9 numbers for graduating out of a child restraint carry them back to the rear-facing question and pick A, missing that the earlier stage uses its own, tighter set of numbers.

   Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Child Restraint System and Safety Seats," p.66.

9. 9. The white word legend SCHOOL XING is painted in your travel lane. What does it warn you to do as you approach?

   

   1. Slow down, scan both sides for children, and be ready to stop for a pedestrian or crossing guard. (correct)
   2. Stop at the legend and wait for a crossing guard to wave you through.
   3. Reduce speed only after a child steps into the roadway ahead.

   Why: The SCHOOL XING legend warns that a school crossing is just ahead. Slow down, scan both sides of the road for children, and be ready to stop for a pedestrian or crossing guard using the crosswalk. Drivers who wait until a child steps into the roadway are treating the marking as a reactive brake cue, when a legend printed ahead of the crossing exists to prepare you before anyone appears.

   Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, marking 3B.21 (SCHOOL XING Pavement Legend).

10. 10. At night, while using your high beams, you catch up to a slower vehicle and follow it. What headlight adjustment does California require?

    1. Dim your high beams only when the driver ahead flashes their brake lights.
    2. Dim your high-beam headlights to low beams within 300 feet of the vehicle you are following. (correct)
    3. Dim your high beams only when driving on lit city streets.

    Why: California requires you to dim your high-beam headlights to low beams within 300 feet of a vehicle you are following. If you wait for a courtesy flash from the driver ahead, as choice A suggests, you are following a driver-to-driver custom rather than California's printed distance rule.

    Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Using Your Headlights," p.11.

11. 11. A lane is marked with this straight-or-right combination arrow. What does it permit a driver in that lane to do?

    

    1. Continue straight through the intersection or turn right. (correct)
    2. The lane is a right-turn-only lane; you must turn right.
    3. You must go straight; turning right from this lane is not allowed.

    Why: The combination arrow marks an optional-movement lane: a driver may either continue straight through the intersection or turn right from the same lane. The tempting wrong pick is the right-turn-only reading, which comes from treating the second arrowhead as if it were a standalone right-turn arrow and ignoring the straight shaft paired with it.

    Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, marking 3B.23 (Straight-or-Right Combination Arrow).

12. 12. Two sets of solid double yellow lines spaced two or more feet apart are treated as:

    1. A barrier you may not drive on, turn across, or U-turn across except at designated openings (correct)
    2. A carpool-lane divider that may be crossed at any point to enter or exit the HOV lane
    3. The same as a single set of double yellows, which drivers may cross to enter a driveway

    Why: Two sets of solid double yellow lines spaced two or more feet apart form a barrier that drivers must not drive on, turn left across, or U-turn across, except at designated openings. Choice C tempts drivers who lean on the rule of thumb that double yellow only forbids passing (so a driveway crossing must be fine) and miss the separate case the manual carves out when the two sets sit two or more feet apart.

    Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Double Solid Yellow Lines," p.13.

13. 13. A white right-turn arrow is painted in the lane you're driving in. What does it require?

    

    1. You must turn right at the next intersection. (correct)
    2. You may turn right or continue straight from the lane.
    3. You must yield to traffic before turning right.

    Why: A right-turn arrow painted in the lane makes that lane right-turn only, so any driver who enters it must turn right at the next intersection. The answer that also lets you continue straight is the trap for drivers who read the painted arrow as guidance to weigh against other movements, the way a shared-lane 'sharrow' marking works, rather than as a lane restriction that rules out every movement the arrow does not show.

    Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, marking 3B.24 (Right-Turn Arrow).

14. 14. When may you legally pass another vehicle on the right?

    1. When the road ahead is straight for at least one mile
    2. Only when the vehicle ahead is driving under the speed limit
    3. When an open highway has two or more lanes going in your direction (correct)

    Why: The manual permits passing on the right in three cases: an open highway with two or more lanes in your direction, a driver ahead turning left, or a one-way street. Drivers who reach for 'the vehicle ahead is going too slow' pick option B. Speed is not on the manual's list of three conditions.

    Source: California Driver's Handbook, "How to Pass," p.25.

15. 15. A pedestrian using a white cane is at the corner preparing to cross. When must you give them the right-of-way?

    1. Only when the pedestrian is inside a marked crosswalk.
    2. Only when the pedestrian signal shows WALK for them.
    3. At all times, whether or not a signal or crosswalk is present. (correct)

    Why: Pedestrians with a white cane or guide dog carry right-of-way at every point on the road, not only inside painted lines. Choice A is the trap: drivers who apply the general 'crosswalk gives priority' rule miss that visually impaired pedestrians are protected outside marked crossings as well.

    Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Pedestrians Who Are Blind," p.42.

16. 16. What is the consequence of failing to file a required collision report with DMV?

    1. Your driving privilege will be suspended (correct)
    2. You will receive one point on your driver's record
    3. Law enforcement will file the report for you

    Why: Failing to file the required SR 1 leads to a suspended driving privilege. Choice C is the assumption that officers handle all crash paperwork, an image reinforced by TV depictions of accident scenes; the manual is blunt that law enforcement will not file for you.

    Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Reporting a Collision," p.78.

17. 17. You enter a ramp and see a large white arrow painted on the pavement pointing straight back toward your vehicle. What does this marking tell you?

    

    1. You are going the wrong way; stop and turn around when safe. (correct)
    2. The lane ahead ends and you must merge into the next lane.
    3. Continue in the direction the arrow points at the next intersection.

    Why: A white arrow aimed back at the driver marks the correct direction of traffic on a one-way road or exit ramp, so seeing the arrowhead means the vehicle has entered against the flow and must stop and turn around as soon as it is safe. The tempting wrong pick is the lane-ending reading, chosen by a driver used to reading every pavement arrow as a movement instruction; the lane-reduction arrow angles diagonally into an open lane rather than aiming straight back at the vehicle.

    Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, marking 3B.24 (Wrong-Way Arrow).

18. 18. What does this sign tell you about the facility ahead?

    

    1. A full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency room.
    2. Emergency medical care at a facility short of a full hospital. (correct)
    3. A 24-hour pharmacy for prescription refills.

    Why: This blue sign carries a white Star of Life and marks emergency medical services ahead. It is used where medical help is available but the facility is not a full hospital, such as an ambulance station, an urgent care facility, or a trauma center. Supplemental plaques below the sign name the specific type of care offered. Drivers who reach for the hospital answer read the Star of Life as if it were the H that marks a full hospital, mixing two symbols because both belong to the same blue services family.

    Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign D9-13 (Emergency Medical Services).

19. 19. You are driving in high winds. What does the manual say about cruise control?

    1. Use cruise control to maintain a steady speed.
    2. Do not use cruise control. (correct)
    3. Use cruise control only on straight sections.

    Why: In high winds the manual says not to use cruise control, so a gust cannot fight the system. The 'use it to hold speed' choice reads across from everyday freeway habit, where cruise control is the default.

    Source: California Driver's Handbook, "High Winds," p.63.

20. 20. When your brake pedal is fully depressed during the pre-drive check, how much clearance must remain above the floorboard?

    1. At least one inch above the floorboard. (correct)
    2. Any amount as long as the pedal does not touch the floorboard.
    3. The pedal must rest flush with the floorboard.

    Why: The manual requires at least one inch of clearance between the depressed brake pedal and the floorboard. Choice B compresses that measured requirement into a simple do-not-touch-the-floor check, which drops the specific inch the DMV actually verifies.

    Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Behind-the-Wheel Drive Test," p.6.

21. 21. What does this Telephone sign tell a driver about the road ahead?

    

    1. A public telephone is available ahead. (correct)
    2. A rest area with restrooms is ahead.
    3. An emergency call box requires you to stop.

    Why: The white handset on a blue square is a motorist service symbol, and blue services signs point drivers to something helpful ahead: here, a public telephone. The sign marks the phone itself, not any larger facility around it. The rest-area answer is the trap. Because the phone symbol often appears at rest stops, a reader can expect the sign to advertise the whole facility rather than the single service actually pictured on it.

    Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign D9-1 (Telephone).

22. 22. You are in the left lane and see this sign in a work zone. What does it require of you?

    

    1. Signal, match traffic speed in the right lane, and merge right before the taper. (correct)
    2. Race to the taper and cut in ahead of continuing traffic.
    3. Stay in the left lane; traffic in the right lane must yield to you.

    Why: In a work-zone lane closure, the driver in the ending lane signals, matches the speed of the through lane, and merges right well before the taper. Racing to the taper and cutting in ahead of continuing traffic tempts drivers who treat the closure as a chance to gain position, the aggressive habit this advance warning is placed to prevent.

    Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign CW4-2L (Lane Ends Merge Right (Work Zone)).

23. 23. Fines for traffic violations in a work zone can be:

    1. $1,000 or more (correct)
    2. waived when no workers are present in the zone
    3. $250 for a first-time offense

    Why: Fines for traffic violations in a work zone can be $1,000 or more, and the manual attaches no worker-presence condition on whether the fine applies at all. Choice B reads the paragraph's next sentence, which doubles fines when workers are present, as the trigger for any fine to land, rather than as a doubling condition on a fine that's already in place.

    Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Fines and Double Fine Zones," p.49.

24. 24. What does the number on this milepost tell a driver?

    

    1. Miles along the route from where it entered the state. (correct)
    2. How many miles are left until the state line.
    3. The distance to the next numbered exit.

    Why: Green milepost panels count up from the point where the route enters the state, giving a running mile count along the route rather than a distance to anywhere ahead. Depending on direction of travel the numbers may rise or fall, but they are not a countdown to the next border or exit. The "miles left until the state line" answer is the trap for drivers used to watching a GPS clock down to a destination. They expect the milepost to work the same way and read the panel as miles remaining rather than miles counted since entering.

    Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign D10-1 (Reference Location Sign (Milepost)).

25. 25. You are 19 years old and driving in California. At what blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or higher can you be charged with DUI?

    1. 0.00%
    2. 0.08%
    3. 0.01% (correct)

    Why: For drivers under 21, California sets the DUI threshold at 0.01% BAC. Choice A comes from reading 'zero tolerance' literally, but the manual prints 0.01% because trace readings from mouthwash or medicine can register on a breath test.

    Source: California Driver's Handbook, "Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Limits," p.73.