Written Test
New York Permit Practice Test
119 free questions from the official handbook, each with an explanation and the page it comes from.
About the real test
New York's written permit test has 20 questions, and 4 of them are about road signs. To pass you need 14 right overall and at least 2 of the 4 sign questions, so the signs matter more than their share suggests. The DMV offers the test in 20 languages, and applicants under 18 can take it online.
Every question here is written from the official New York Driver's Manual and links to the page it comes from. The full practice exam follows the real rule, including the road-sign minimum.
- Questions
- 20
- To pass
- 14 of 20 correct (70%), including at least 2 of the 4 road-sign questions
- Road signs
- No separate test; 4 of 20 questions are road signs and 2 of those must be correct (source)
- Languages
- 20 languages: English, Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Bosnian, Chinese, French, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu, Yiddish (source)
- Minimum permit age
- 16 (source)
Checked against official sources on November 2, 2026. Rules change: confirm with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) before your test.
Practice by topic
Start with a topic you're unsure of. Mixed sets work better once you've seen each topic.
- Learner permit, junior license rules and pointsSupervised driving rules, junior permit and license restrictions, suspension, revocation and the point system.10 questions
- Alcohol, drugs and impaired drivingHow alcohol and drugs affect driving, BAC limits, chemical tests, zero tolerance and the penalties for impaired driving.10 questions
- Safe driver habitsDefensive driving, distractions and phones, aggressive driving, drowsiness, seat belts, child seats and air bags.7 questions
- Vehicle condition, insurance and safety featuresInsurance and inspection, keeping brakes, tires, lights and horn in working order, and driver assistance systems.5 questions
- Pavement markingsWhat white and yellow lines, stop lines, crosswalks, arrows and diamond lanes mean.6 questions
- Road signsSign shapes and colors: regulation, warning, work-area, destination, route, service, railroad and slow-moving vehicle signs.29 questions
- Traffic signals and officersSteady and flashing lights, arrows, lane-use lights, railroad signals, traffic officers and emergency-vehicle lights.7 questions
- Speed and following distanceSpeed limits, safe speeds, the two-second rule, work-zone speed and driving within your headlight range.6 questions
- Right-of-way, intersections and turnsWho goes first, emergency vehicles, turn signals and positions, U-turns, three-point turns and roundabouts.11 questions
- Expressways, passing and school busesPassing on the left and right, being passed, school buses, the Move Over law and expressway driving.7 questions
- ParkingParallel parking, parking on hills, pulling out, where you may not park and reserved disability parking.6 questions
- Conditions, emergencies and crashesRailroad crossings, night, rain, fog, snow and winter driving, deer, vehicle emergencies and what to do after a crash.8 questions
- Sharing the roadPedestrians, bicyclists, skaters, motorcycles, mopeds, large vehicles, slow-moving vehicles, ATVs and horse riders.7 questions
learned (right 3 times on different days) seen
Full practice exam
20 questions in the real format, scored with the real pass rule. Answers are shown at the end, and every retake draws different questions.
Take a practice examA few questions to try
Tap a question to see the answer and why.
1. Your father's car has a disability parking permit. You are driving it alone, without him. May you park in a space reserved for people with disabilities?
- A. Yes, but only for 15 minutes or less
- B. Yes, if you are a licensed driver age 21 or older
- C. Yes, because the car displays a valid permit
- D. No, because the permit holder is not in the vehicle
Show the answer
D. No, because the permit holder is not in the vehicle
You may park in a reserved space only with a disability permit or plates, and only when the person who received the permit or plates is in the vehicle.
Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21) (No revision date in extractable text), page 44
2. You come to this sign at a corner with no stop line and no crosswalk. Where must you stop?
- A. After pulling partly into the cross street
- B. Beside the sign, even if you cannot see cross traffic
- C. 50 feet before the intersection
- D. Before entering the intersection, at the closest point where you can see cross traffic
Show the answer
D. Before entering the intersection, at the closest point where you can see cross traffic
Stop before the stop line if there is one, otherwise before the crosswalk. If there is neither, stop before entering the intersection at the closest point that lets you see traffic on the other road.
Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21) (No revision date in extractable text), page 29
3. You are speeding through a highway work zone on a Sunday. No workers or work vehicles are present. What happens if you get a speeding ticket?
- A. The fine is doubled even though no workers are there
- B. The usual fine applies because no workers are there
- C. The fine is doubled only if workers are present
- D. You get only a warning since the zone is inactive
Show the answer
A. The fine is doubled even though no workers are there
In New York, speeding fines double in work zones, even when workers or work vehicles are not there. Slow down in every work zone.
Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21) (No revision date in extractable text), page 49
4. To lower the risk of injury from an air bag, how far should the center of your chest be from the air bag cover?
- A. At least 10 inches
- B. At least 24 inches
- C. At least 4 inches
- D. At least 6 inches
Show the answer
A. At least 10 inches
Sit with at least 10 inches between the center of your chest and the air bag cover. An air bag opens with great force and can injure someone sitting too close.
Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21) (No revision date in extractable text), page 49
5. You hear a siren close by but cannot tell where the emergency vehicle is. What should you do?
- A. Speed up to clear the area quickly
- B. Keep driving until you can see the vehicle
- C. Stop right where you are in your lane
- D. Pull over to the right edge and stop until sure it is not coming toward you
Show the answer
D. Pull over to the right edge and stop until sure it is not coming toward you
When you hear a nearby siren or air-horn but cannot locate the vehicle, safely pull to the right side of the road and stay stopped. Move on only once you know it is not coming your way.
Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21) (No revision date in extractable text), page 35
6. You have stopped behind a school bus with flashing red lights. When may you drive on?
- A. When the red lights stop flashing for a moment
- B. When the bus starts moving or the driver or an officer signals you
- C. When you no longer see children near the bus
- D. After waiting at least 1 minute
Show the answer
B. When the bus starts moving or the driver or an officer signals you
After stopping for a school bus, you may not go again until the bus starts moving, or until the bus driver or a traffic officer signals that you may proceed.
Source: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21) (No revision date in extractable text), page 40
The official handbook
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21) (No revision date in extractable text), published by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The real test is based on it, and so is every question here.
How these questions are made
- Written from the official handbook, with the page number on every answer.
- Checked by code (quote on the cited page, numbers match, nothing copied) and by an independent reviewer who answers without the key.
- Last updated November 2, 2026. Spot a mistake? Every question has a report link, and fixes go in our corrections log.
Questions people ask
- How many questions are on the New York permit test?
- 20 questions.
- What score do I need to pass?
- 14 of 20 correct (70%), including at least 2 of the 4 road-sign questions.
- What languages is the test offered in?
- 20 languages: English, Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Bosnian, Chinese, French, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu, Yiddish. (Source: official New York page, checked November 2, 2026.)
- How old do I have to be to get a permit?
- 16. (Source: official New York page, checked November 2, 2026.)
- Are these the real test questions?
- No. Nobody can legally offer the real questions. We write our own questions from the official New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), and each one shows the handbook page it's based on, so you learn the rules the real test is built from.