Virginia DMV Permit Practice Test 1
Test 1 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 34 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Virginia test.
- Questions40
- Correct to pass34
- Passing score85%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
-
1. Which type of video display is a recognized exception to Virginia's ban on a driver-visible television or video screen?
Show answer
Answer A: A navigation or mapping display
Virginia's ban on driver-visible video displays exempts navigation and mapping systems, along with rear-view monitors, vehicle information displays and certain other safety-related equipment.
-
2. A flagger in a work zone turns a paddle so that the red octagonal face reading STOP is toward you. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop completely and wait for the flagger to signal you forward
The STOP face of a flagger paddle requires a complete stop, and you may move again only when the flagger directs you to.
-
3. What is the fine in Virginia for a conviction of using a handheld communications device in a highway work zone?
Show answer
Answer B: 250 dollars
Virginia sets a 250 dollar fine for using a handheld communications device in a highway work zone.
-
4. A traffic signal is displaying a flashing red light. How must you treat it?
Show answer
Answer D: Stop completely, then proceed when the way is clear
A flashing red carries the same meaning as a stop sign: come to a full stop, then go only when it is safe.
-
5. What is the minimum age to apply for a Virginia learner's permit?
Show answer
Answer C: 15 years and six months old
A Virginia applicant must be at least 15 years and six months old to apply for a learner's permit.
-
6. You have signaled and pulled up level with the car in front of an empty curb space. What comes next?
Show answer
Answer A: Reverse slowly while turning the wheel toward the curb
From alongside the forward car you back in on a turn toward the curb, then straighten and swing the front in as the rear reaches the space.
-
7. A vehicle coming toward you has drifted into your lane. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Slow down, sound the horn, flash your lights and steer to the right if possible
Moving right gives the other driver space to recover and keeps you out of the lane they are most likely to return to. Braking reduces the force of any impact.
-
8. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway
Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.
-
9. You have finished parallel parking at the curb. How should the vehicle sit?
Show answer
Answer A: Close to the curb, so that it does not stick out into the traffic lane
A parked vehicle must sit close enough to the curb that it does not intrude into the path of passing traffic; the exact maximum distance is set by each state.
-
10. Traffic ahead of you has stopped in your lane while the next lane is still moving. What is the first thing to do?
Show answer
Answer C: Slow down first and check the next lane before moving over
Braking is the action that keeps you from hitting the stopped traffic, and the lane change is only safe once you have looked.
-
11. Under Virginia law, can an applicant who is younger than 18 designate consent to be an organ donor on a driver's license application without a parent or guardian's approval?
Show answer
Answer D: Yes, a minor may make the donor designation without a parent or legal guardian's consent
Virginia law allows a minor to make an anatomical gift donor designation without the consent of a parent or legal guardian, under the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.
-
12. You are approaching a yield sign and no other vehicle is anywhere in sight. What does the sign require?
Show answer
Answer A: Slow down and be ready to stop, but stop only if needed
A yield sign requires you to slow and give way, and to stop only when traffic or pedestrians make stopping necessary.
-
13. A car is coming straight at you in your lane and there is no time for it to move back. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Brake, sound the horn and steer to the right, toward the shoulder or ditch
Steering right takes you away from the other vehicle even if its driver corrects course, and the shoulder or ditch is survivable.
-
14. You want to reverse direction but the street is too narrow for a U-turn. What is the alternative?
Show answer
Answer D: Make a three-point turn, or go around the block in heavy traffic
Where there is not enough width for a U-turn, the three-point turn does the job in stages, and on a busy street going around the block is safer still.
-
15. What happens in Virginia after a second conviction for a demerit point traffic violation committed while the driver was under age 18?
Show answer
Answer A: The driving privilege is suspended for 90 days
In Virginia a first such conviction requires a driver improvement clinic, a second brings a 90 day suspension, and a third brings revocation for one year or until the driver turns 18, whichever is longer.
-
16. How should your speed behave while you move from one lane into the next?
Show answer
Answer C: Keep it steady or adjust it smoothly to match the traffic in the new lane
A lane change works best as a smooth movement at the speed of the lane you are joining, since sudden braking or acceleration surprises the drivers around you.
-
17. How many demerit points does Virginia assign to a conviction for speeding between ten and nineteen miles per hour above the posted limit?
Show answer
Answer A: Four points
Virginia assigns four demerit points to a conviction for speeding between ten and nineteen miles per hour above the posted limit, one tier above the lowest speeding band.
-
18. Cones and drums mark a shifted lane through a work zone. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Follow the path that they mark and stay inside it
Channelizing devices define the temporary travel path, and the space on the other side of them belongs to the workers.
-
19. You have a small extinguisher and a fire has started under the hood. What is the safe way to use it?
Show answer
Answer B: Release the latch and spray through the gap without raising the hood at all
Opening the hood feeds the fire a rush of air, so spraying through the gap at the base of the flames is both safer and more effective.
-
20. Besides drivers of motor vehicles, who else does Virginia's both-ears earphone ban apply to on the highway?
Show answer
Answer C: Riders of bicycles, mopeds and electric power-assisted bicycles
Virginia's earphone restriction is not limited to motor vehicle drivers; it also applies to a person operating a bicycle, an electric personal assistive mobility device, an electric power-assisted bicycle or a moped on the highway.
-
21. Why must you never leave the engine running in a closed garage?
Show answer
Answer B: Because carbon monoxide builds up and can kill within minutes
Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, which has no smell or color and can reach fatal levels in an enclosed space very quickly.
-
22. To restore driving and registration privileges after an uninsured vehicle violation in Virginia, what non-compliance fee must the owner pay?
Show answer
Answer C: 600 dollars
Virginia charges a 600 dollar non-compliance fee to restore driving and registration privileges after an uninsured vehicle violation, on top of any SR-22 filing requirement.
-
23. Why is parking against the flow of traffic dangerous even when nobody complains?
Show answer
Answer D: Because you had to cross traffic to get there and must cross again to leave
Parking on the wrong side means driving against traffic at both ends of the stop, and your reflectors and lights face the wrong way while you are there.
-
24. After turning right you see a sign showing that your lane ends a short way ahead. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Signal and merge into the next lane while there is still room
Merge early and smoothly while a gap is still available, rather than running out of pavement or forcing your way in at the last moment.
-
25. Rain is heavy enough that you have your windshield wipers running. What else should you switch on?
Show answer
Answer A: Your headlights, so you can see and others can see you
Rain heavy enough to need wipers also cuts how far away you can be seen, so the headlights belong on. Many states write this into law as a wipers on, lights on rule.
-
26. Which of the following is an exception written into Virginia's handheld communications device law?
Show answer
Answer D: A driver using an amateur or citizens band radio, or reporting an emergency to authorities
Virginia's handheld device law exempts, among others, users of amateur or citizens band radios and drivers reporting an emergency to law enforcement or other authorities, as well as drivers who are lawfully parked or stopped.
-
27. On an overhead guide sign, the small exit number panel sits above the left-hand end rather than the right. What does that placement tell you?
Show answer
Answer A: The exit leaves from the left side of the roadway
The exit number plaque is placed on the side from which the ramp leaves, which gives advance notice of the unusual left-hand exit.
-
28. After restoring privileges following an uninsured vehicle violation in Virginia, for how long must the owner typically file an SR-22 Financial Responsibility Certificate?
Show answer
Answer D: Three years
Virginia requires an owner who restores privileges after an uninsured vehicle violation to file an SR-22 Financial Responsibility Certificate for three years.
-
29. You feel fine twenty minutes after your last drink. Why is that a poor guide to driving?
Show answer
Answer B: Your blood alcohol level can still be rising
Alcohol keeps being absorbed for some time after the last drink, so a driver who feels able at the door can be more impaired a few miles down the road.
-
30. Besides interstates, what other type of Virginia highway can be posted for a 60 mile per hour maximum speed limit?
Show answer
Answer D: Certain nonlimited-access, multilane, divided U.S. or state routes with proper engineering-based signage
Virginia permits a 60 mile per hour maximum on certain nonlimited-access, multilane, divided U.S. or state routes when supported by an engineering study and proper signage.
-
31. You turn from asphalt onto a loose gravel road. What should you do about your speed?
Show answer
Answer D: Lower it, since grip is reduced and stopping takes longer
Loose gravel gives far less grip than pavement, so speed must come down for both steering and stopping.
-
32. Your green left-turn arrow goes out and a steady green ball stays lit. What may you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Continue turning left, but only after yielding to oncoming traffic
When the arrow ends and a green ball remains, the turn changes from protected to permissive, so it is still allowed but oncoming traffic goes first.
-
33. The divided highway ends warning sign means that
Show answer
Answer D: the median separating the directions ends and the road returns to two-way operation
Beyond this sign opposing traffic is no longer separated by a median, so the driver must keep right and expect vehicles approaching in the adjacent lane.
-
34. A driver is following you far too closely. What is the best response?
Show answer
Answer D: Increase your own following distance and let the driver pass when it is safe
More room ahead of you means you can slow gradually instead of braking hard, which reduces the chance of being struck from behind, and letting the driver by removes the problem entirely.
-
35. You hold steady pressure on the brake pedal for the whole of a long descent. What is likely to happen?
Show answer
Answer B: The brakes overheat and fade, so they slow you less and less
Continuous braking heats the brakes until they fade and lose effectiveness; use a lower gear and short, firm applications instead.
-
36. Enhanced reference location markers differ from ordinary mileposts in that they
Show answer
Answer B: carry the route number and a mileage figure to the tenth of a mile
An enhanced reference location marker adds the route designation and carries the mileage to a tenth, so the point named is far more precise than a plain milepost.
-
37. What happens to a Virginia vehicle owner's driving and registration privileges if the vehicle is found to lack the required liability insurance?
Show answer
Answer B: Both the driving and vehicle registration privileges are suspended
Virginia suspends both the driving privilege and the vehicle registration of an owner whose vehicle lacks the required liability insurance.
-
38. A deer has just crossed in front of you on a stretch signed for animal crossings. What is the best assumption?
Show answer
Answer B: More animals are likely to follow the first one
Deer travel in groups, so one animal crossing usually means others are about to follow, and a driver should slow and keep scanning both shoulders.
-
39. You have entered a work zone where crews are working close to the open lane. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Slow down and be ready for workers and machines
Workers and equipment cross the open lane without warning in a work zone, so reduced speed and attention on the road ahead are what keep them safe.
-
40. You are about to pass another vehicle at night with your high beams on. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Switch to low beams as you come up behind it and while you are alongside
High beams shining into the mirrors of the vehicle ahead blind the very driver whose reaction you depend on during the pass.