Starting the engine — Tennessee Permit Test

Starting the engine on the Tennessee permit test — 4 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Before starting, put your foot on the brake and make sure an automatic is in PARK (a manual in NEUTRAL).

Start a car that is in gear and it can lurch into whatever is in front of it.

Place foot on brake pedal and ensure gearshift selector is in the PARK position for automatic transmissions or in NEUTRAL for manual/standard transmissions.

Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.28

After turning the key to on, check the dash lights and gauges (ABS, air bags, fuel) for any warnings.

A warning light caught in the driveway is a cheap fix. Ignored, it can be a breakdown on the road.

Check dash lights and instruments (antilock brake systems [ABS], air bags, fuel level, etc.) for any warnings or alerts.

Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.28

In normal daylight, vehicles with headlights on can be seen at twice the distance.

On a bright day a gray car blends into the road. Low beams let other drivers spot you sooner.

In normal daylight, vehicles are visible at twice the distance when headlights are on.

Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.28

In a vehicle with a steering wheel interlock system, never turn the ignition to the lock position while the vehicle is moving.

The wheel locks the moment you try to turn it, and you can no longer steer the moving car.

The basic rule a driver must follow when operating a vehicle with a steering wheel interlock system is: never turn the ignition to the lock position when the vehicle is in motion

Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.28

On the test

Before starting a car with an automatic transmission, what gear should it be in?

PARK (P). Start a car that is in gear and it can lurch into whatever is in front of it. Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.28: “Place foot on brake pedal and ensure gearshift selector is in the PARK position for automatic transmissions or in NEUTRAL for manual/standard transmissions.”

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.

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.

All Tennessee permit topics

Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, published by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-10-03.