Maryland Permit Practice Test — MVA Written Test, 25 Questions
Free 10-question Maryland permit practice test, then full 25-question tests like the MVA exam (22 to pass), each question cited to the Maryland Driver's Manual.
The exam
The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration knowledge test is 25 questions, and 22 correct is a pass. Everything on it comes out of Maryland Driver's Manual. Officially it is the knowledge test; most people call it the written test, or the permit test.
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
Ask a question about Maryland road law
Easier than searching the manual: ask in your own words — how far from a fire hydrant you may park, when you must stop for a school bus — and the answer comes from Maryland Driver's Manual or Maryland’s code, with the page or the section it is in. When neither says, the answer says so rather than guess. Or tick Nationwide and compare every state on one question.
What it costs
- One payment, once — not a subscription. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel, for an exam you sit one time.
- Free to start: a 10-question test and the first section of cards. No sign-up and no account.
- Paying opens the rest of the cards, unlimited full-length practice tests, and retests built from exactly the questions you got wrong.
- Every level up to Prepared — 3 tests passed in a row.
- Do the work, fail the real exam, and we refund you.
What Maryland tests
42 concepts, 216 separate rules. Each one is a page of its own.
- Regulatory signs — 13 laws
- Warning signs — 14 laws
- School and pedestrian signs — 2 laws
- Railroad signs — 2 laws
- Work zone signs — 1 law
- Guide signs — 3 laws
- Signs by description — 10 laws
- Following distance — 5 laws
- Passing — 5 laws
- Railroad crossings — 5 laws
- Seat belts — 3 laws
- Traffic signals — 16 laws
- Crosswalk signals — 1 law
- Pavement markings — 13 laws
- Understanding speed — 5 laws
- Reduced visibility — 6 laws
- Night driving — 2 laws
- Fog — 2 laws
- Inclement weather — 7 laws
- Work zones — 5 laws
- Traffic circles — 4 laws
- Interstate driving — 6 laws
- Funeral processions — 2 laws
- Slow moving vehicles — 2 laws
- Alcohol and drugs — 3 laws
- Aggressive driving — 2 laws
- Distracted driving — 3 laws
- Drowsy driving — 3 laws
- Pedestrian right of way — 4 laws
- Emergency vehicles — 1 law
- Move over law — 4 laws
- Large trucks and buses — 9 laws
- School buses — 3 laws
- Motorcycles — 6 laws
- Bicycles — 2 laws
- Crashes — 1 law
- Traffic stops — 3 laws
- Restrictions — 5 laws
- Implied consent — 1 law
- Penalties — 6 laws
- Permit and provisional — 14 laws
- Signs by picture — 12 laws
Questions from the Maryland test
Where must you stop at this sign when there is no stop line?
Before the crosswalk. The crosswalk is where somebody is already walking, so the stop has to happen before it. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.21: “You must make a complete stop at the stop line. • If there is no stop line, stop before entering a crosswalk.”
What does this sign tell you the road does ahead?
It curves the way the arrow bends. A bend you meet at speed uses the whole lane, and the sign is your only notice of which way. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.22: “Road Curves”
What does a sign of this shape warn you about?
A school zone or school crossing. Children step into the road without checking, and a parked car hides someone that short completely. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.20: “Pentagon: School Zone and School Crossing The pentagon (five-sided) shape warns you of school zones and marks school crossings.”
What is ahead when you see this sign?
A railroad crossing. The warning comes before the tracks so you are already slowing when you get there. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.20: “Round: Railroad Warning Used to warn that there is a railroad crossing ahead.”
What does this sign warn you is ahead?
Work being done on the road. The people in that zone have nothing between them and your car. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.22: “Roadwork Ahead”
What does this sign give you?
A destination and the way to it. Knowing your exit early saves crossing three lanes at the last second. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.20: “Green - Destinations, distances, and directions.”
What does a red traffic sign tell you?
Stop, yield, do not enter or wrong way. You read the color from far off, long before the words come clear. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.20: “Red - Stop, yield, do not enter, or wrong way.”
What is the least following distance the MVA recommends in good conditions?
3 to 4 seconds. A car length means nothing at speed, but seconds mean the same thing at any speed. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.15: “The MVA recommends a minimum following distance of 3 to 4 seconds under ideal driving conditions.”
What must you do before you start to pass?
Judge the space, and signal first. The whole maneuver has to be decided before it starts, because there is no way to undo half of it. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.16: “Estimate the time and space needed to pass and be sure you can pass without getting in the way of any other vehicle.”
Which vehicles must stop at every railroad crossing?
Buses and hazardous material trucks. You will be the car behind one of them, and it stops whether or not a train is coming. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.30: “Buses, school buses, and trucks carrying hazardous materials must stop before every railroad crossing.”
Who must wear a safety belt in Maryland?
The driver and all passengers. The law names everybody in the car, which is not the same as everybody in the front. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.52: “By law, the driver and all passengers of a motor vehicle must wear a safety belt or be buckled in a child safety seat.”
Where must you stop at a steady red signal with no stop line?
Before the crosswalk and the intersection. The line is set back far enough that people crossing have room in front of you. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.17: “Come to a complete stop at the stop line. If there is no stop line, stop before the crosswalk and before entering the intersection.”
How does somebody on foot use a crosswalk signal?
By pushing a button on a pole. Nothing happens until the button is pressed, so waiting at the curb achieves nothing. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.19: “Pedestrians use the signal by pushing a button on a pole on the side of the road.”
What does a single broken white line mean?
Same direction, and you may change lanes. White means everybody beside you is going your way, so a lane change costs you nothing head-on. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.24: “Single Broken - White Separates lanes where all traffic is going in the same direction, and crossing from one lane to the other is permitted.”
What does the posted speed limit represent?
The maximum legal speed in ideal conditions. A limit is a ceiling set for a good day, and the law still expects you to judge the day you have. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.14: “The posted speed limit is the maximum legal speed you can travel on a road under ideal (perfect) conditions.”
At what distance of poor visibility must you turn on your headlights?
When you cannot see 1,000 feet ahead. The lights are as much about being seen as about seeing. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.27: “you must turn on your headlights anytime there is not enough light to clearly see at least 1,000 feet in front of your vehicle”
Where should you look when facing oncoming headlights at night?
At the right edge of your lane. Looking into oncoming lights causes momentary blindness, and the edge of the road is the one thing still visible. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.28: “Do not stare into the headlights of traffic coming toward you in the opposite lane. This will make it hard for you to see. Instead, look at the road in front of you, or slightly to the right of the lane you are traveling in”
What should you do when you see lights ahead of you in fog?
Reduce your speed even more. In fog you can only stop within what you can see, and that is very little. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.28: “When you see headlights or another vehicle's taillights ahead, reduce your speed even more. You must be prepared to stop quickly.”
What is traction?
The grip between your tires and the road. Grip is what turns the wheel and the brake into anything at all. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.28: “Traction is the grip between your tires and the road that”
What color marks a work zone?
Orange. One color marks every work zone, so you know what it is before you can read a word of it. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.31: “Orange is the color for work zones.”
Who must yield at a traffic circle?
Traffic entering the circle. Cars already in the circle have nowhere to stop without being hit from behind. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.31: “When you come to a traffic circle, you must always yield to traffic already in the circle.”
What is a limited access highway?
A road with no intersections or lights. No intersections means nothing crossing your path, which is why the speeds are what they are. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.31: “"Limited access highways" are large roads with no intersections or traffic lights. They have a limited number of places to enter and exit the road.”
What must a vehicle in a funeral procession turn on?
Headlights and hazard lights. The lights are what tell everybody else the line is one unit and should not be broken. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.32: “When you drive in a funeral procession you must turn on your headlights and flashing hazard lights so other vehicles give you the right-of-way.”
What does a slow-moving vehicle sign tell you?
It is going 25 mph or less. It is the only warning that the shape ahead of you is barely moving. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.32: “Some of them may have the slow-moving sign (shown) on the back of their vehicle to warn you they are only going 25 miles per hour or less.”
At what blood alcohol concentration is a driver under the influence in Maryland?
.08 or higher. It is the line the law draws, and being under it is not the same as being safe. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.33: “Maryland considers drivers to be driving under the influence of alcohol when their blood alcohol concentration is .08 or higher.”
Which of these counts as aggressive driving?
Tailgating another vehicle. The manual's list is about taking road space somebody else was already using. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.34: “Examples of aggressive driving include: speeding, tailgating, ignoring traffic signals and devices, making unsafe lane changes, not yielding the right-of-way, and unsafe or illegal passing.”
Which is the most important thing not to take away from driving?
Your mind. The mind is the one you cannot see going, and it is the one that matters most. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.34: “"Distracted driving" is when you take your eyes, hands or especially your mind, away from driving.”
What do the effects of sleepiness resemble?
Drugs or alcohol. Tiredness is measured against alcohol because it does the same things to you. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.35: “Sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, and impairs judgment, just like drugs or alcohol.”
Where must you stop for somebody crossing when there is no traffic signal?
At any crosswalk, marked or unmarked. Most intersections have a crossing whether or not it is painted on the road. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.37: “When there is no traffic signal, you must stop for pedestrians in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.”
Where must you stop for an approaching emergency vehicle?
At the edge of the road, clear of crossings. The crew needs one clear line through the traffic, and it has to be the same line every time. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.37: “Move as close as possible to the edge of the road. • Stay out of intersections, and • Remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed.”
What must you do if it is not safe to move over for a stopped vehicle with lights flashing?
Slow down to a safe speed. People are working a step away from traffic at full speed. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.45: “If it is not safe or possible to move over, you must slow down to a safe speed.”
How many large blind spots do trucks have?
Four of them. There is one on each side, one straight ahead over the hood and one behind the trailer. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.38: “There are four large "blind spots" around trucks where other vehicles "disappear" from view.”
How far from a stopped school bus with flashing red lights must you stop?
At least 20 feet. Children walk around the front of the bus where the driver behind cannot see them at all. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.38: “Stop at least 20 feet from the back of the school bus, if you are behind it.”
How much more likely is a motorcyclist to be hurt in a crash?
Six times more likely. A motorcycle is narrow enough that a driver looking for a car does not register it. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.39: “a motorcyclist is six times more likely than a car driver to be hurt in a crash”
How does Maryland law treat bicycles?
As vehicles on the road. They are traffic, with the same claim to the road that you have. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.39: “Bicycles are vehicles, according to Maryland law.”
What should you do first to warn others after a crash?
Put on your emergency flashers or flares. A car left in a live lane is the second crash waiting to happen. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.43: “Whenever you are in a crash, put on your emergency flashers or flares to warn other drivers.”
What should you turn off when an officer stops you?
The engine and the radio. An officer approaching a car needs to hear you, and needs the engine quiet to know it will not move. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.45: “Turn off your engine and radio.”
For how long may a provisional license holder under 18 not carry unrelated passengers under 18?
The first 151 days. Passengers are the loudest distraction a new driver has, and the count is capped for that reason. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.47: “you may not drive unsupervised with passengers under the age of 18 for the first 151 days unless they are immediate family members”
What does driving in Maryland mean you have consented to?
A drug or alcohol test on request. You agreed to it when you started driving, so refusing carries its own penalty. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.47: “if you drive or attempt to drive a motor vehicle on a road or private property used by the public, you consent (agree) to take a drug or alcohol test if a law enforcement officer asks you to”
What follows a first moving violation for a provisional driver under 18?
A driver improvement program. The first response is a course, not a suspension. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.49: “The FIRST offense requires you to complete a driver improvement program.”
Who may supervise a learner's permit holder?
A driver of 21, licensed three years. The seat beside you is part of the rule, because a supervisor who cannot reach the wheel is not supervising. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.51: “At least 21 years old. • Currently licensed for at least three years in Maryland or another state to drive the same class of vehicles that you are driving.”
Which of these signs tells a driver they are not allowed to enter?
The DO NOT ENTER sign. The paper shows you the signs and asks you to pick; the words on the card are not on the test. Maryland Driver's Manual, p.21: “Do Not Enter”
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Maryland Driver's Manual, published by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-06.