West Virginia Permit Practice Test 1
This free West Virginia practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the DMV tests. The real DMV Knowledge Examination has 25 questions, and you need 19 correct (76%) to pass.
Question 1 of 30
1. A power outage has left the traffic signals at an intersection completely dark. What should you do?
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Correct answer: A. When a signal is completely dark, treat the intersection as an all-way stop: stop fully, yield to vehicles that arrived first, and proceed in turn. This shared rule keeps order when the usual electronic referee is offline.
2. How does the alcohol in a regular beer compare with a standard glass of wine or a single shot of liquor?
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Correct answer: B. A standard beer, glass of wine, and shot of liquor each deliver about the same alcohol, so switching drinks does not protect you. Your body counts drinks, not drink types. One is one, whatever the glass looks like.
3. A school bus ahead stops with its red lights flashing on a two-lane road with no median. Which vehicles must stop?
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Correct answer: D. On a road without a dividing median, traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights and remain stopped until the lights turn off. Children may cross from either side, so every lane freezes.
4. What is the right way to pass a bicyclist riding near the edge of your lane?
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Correct answer: B. Pass a bicyclist the patient way: ease off the gas, give plenty of side clearance, and wait until oncoming traffic allows a safe move. A wobble or pothole can push a rider sideways, so space is survival.
5. In West Virginia, a driver who is 21 or older breaks the law by driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above what level?
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Correct answer: A. West Virginia law makes it illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. Alcohol slows judgment and reaction time, and impairment can begin well below that number. Treat 0.08% as a legal line, never a safe target.
6. A 17-year-old in West Virginia claims, 'I only need to stay under the adult limit.' Under zero tolerance, the BAC that actually applies to under-21 drivers is what?
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Correct answer: C. The adult limit is irrelevant for minors. West Virginia's zero-tolerance law applies at 0.02% for drivers under 21, because any alcohol raises a new driver's crash risk. If you are under 21, drinking and driving simply never mix.
7. You are turning left at an intersection on a green light while an oncoming car heads straight toward the intersection. What is the rule?
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Correct answer: C. A driver turning left must yield to oncoming vehicles going straight or turning right, crossing only when there is a safe gap. Straight traffic keeps its speed and path, so the turning driver waits. Left turn equals lower priority.
8. You have signaled and checked your mirrors before a lane change. What is the one step left before you move over?
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Correct answer: C. Mirrors leave blind spots big enough to hide a whole car, so always turn your head for a quick over-the-shoulder check before moving over. Signal, mirrors, head check: the lane change is not done until your neck moves.
9. An orange sign with a black arrow reads DETOUR. What is this sign telling you?
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Correct answer: A. Detour signs guide you along a temporary route when the normal road is closed, often for construction or an emergency. Keep following the arrows until the detour ends, and the route will return you to your original road.
10. An ice-cream truck is stopped ahead and children are gathered around it. How should you drive past?
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Correct answer: C. Slow way down and cover your brake near children or a stopped ice-cream truck, because kids chase treats and forget traffic completely. Expect someone small to dart out. Around children, drive as if one already has.
11. Under West Virginia's Implied Consent Law, what happens if you refuse the designated breath test after a DUI arrest?
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Correct answer: A. By driving in West Virginia you have already consented to chemical testing; refusing the breathalyzer after a DUI arrest revokes your driving privilege for one year and up to life. Refusal punishes harder than many test results. Consent rides with your license.
12. Wide white stripes cross the pavement ahead, marking a crosswalk. What do these markings require of you as a driver?
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Correct answer: C. Crosswalk stripes show where pedestrians are expected to cross, and drivers must yield to people within them. You stop only when someone is crossing or a sign or signal requires it. Painted stripes mean feet ahead.
13. What is the safest way to handle your speed through a sharp curve?
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Correct answer: B. Slow to a safe speed before the curve begins, then hold steady or gently accelerate through it. Braking mid-curve can break tire grip and cause a skid. Do your slowing on the straightaway, your steering in the bend.
14. Why do states phase in driving privileges through graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs?
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Correct answer: B. GDL programs add privileges in stages, from supervised practice to restricted solo driving to a full license, because crash risk peaks in a driver's first months. Skills grow with mileage, so the system lets experience catch up first.
15. Your headlights suddenly go dark while you are driving at night. What should you do first?
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Correct answer: C. First flick the headlight switch and dimmer, since the problem may be a loose connection; then use parking, hazard, or turn lights to stay visible while you leave the road. Never keep driving blind hoping the lights return.
16. Ahead of a raised concrete median you see a white sign reading KEEP RIGHT with an arrow curving to the right. What should you do?
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Correct answer: A. KEEP RIGHT tells you the roadway splits around an island, median, or obstruction, and all traffic must pass on the right side. Passing left would put you into oncoming lanes. Follow the arrow around the obstacle, then continue straight.
17. Your younger sibling asks when they can get a learner's permit in West Virginia. What age do you tell them?
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Correct answer: A. Tell them 15; that is when West Virginia allows a learner's permit application. Until then, driving on public roads is off the table. Graduated licensing phases in privileges so new drivers gain experience under lower-risk conditions.
18. When you finish parallel parking, how should your car be positioned?
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Correct answer: A. End a parallel park close to the curb and parallel with it, so your vehicle does not poke into the traffic lane. A car sticking out invites sideswipes and mirror strikes. Tuck in tight; the lane belongs to traffic.
19. What does a posted speed limit actually tell you?
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Correct answer: A. A posted limit is the top legal speed when conditions are ideal: dry pavement, good visibility, light traffic. In worse conditions, a safe speed is lower. Treat the number as a ceiling to stay under, never a target to hit.
20. In West Virginia, a driver who is 21 or older commits a per-se drunk-driving offense once their blood alcohol concentration reaches which level?
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Correct answer: B. 'Per se' means the number alone proves the offense. In West Virginia, that number is 0.08%. No other proof of bad driving is needed at that level, and alcohol can still impair you below it.
21. While driving, you notice a brown sign with white letters pointing toward a destination. What kind of place does a brown sign identify?
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Correct answer: A. Brown signs guide you to recreational and cultural spots such as parks, campgrounds, monuments, and historic sites. The earthy brown color hints at outdoor places. When you are hunting for scenery or history, follow the brown signs.
22. During a practice drive in West Virginia, your mom asks: 'No sign here, so how fast can you legally go on this residential street?' What is the correct answer?
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Correct answer: B. With no sign posted, the residential default in West Virginia is 25 mph. A good habit for new drivers: entering any neighborhood, assume the default, scan for signs, and let posted limits override it whenever they appear.
23. A West Virginia driver under 21 is caught with any measurable alcohol, first offense. What is the minimum license revocation?
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Correct answer: D. West Virginia's zero-tolerance law revokes an under-21 driver's license for at least 30 days on a first offense, with a $25 to $100 fine. Any measurable amount counts, not just 0.08%. Underage plus any alcohol equals thirty days minimum.
24. You are delivering food to a house on an unposted residential street in West Virginia. Unless a sign changes it, what speed limit applies?
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Correct answer: A. Unposted residential streets in West Virginia carry a default limit of 25 mph. The rule exists so drivers can stop for the unexpected, like a car backing out of a driveway. When a sign is posted, obey the sign instead.
25. An 18-year-old in West Virginia has one beer at a graduation party and then drives. At what BAC could this driver already be violating the zero-tolerance law?
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Correct answer: C. One beer can push a young driver to 0.02%, the level where West Virginia's zero-tolerance law kicks in. The rule protects new drivers, whose crash risk rises quickly with alcohol. Skip every drink if you plan to drive.
26. On its fastest highways, West Virginia allows a top posted speed limit of which value?
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Correct answer: A. The highest speed limit in West Virginia is 70 mph, and only certain highways are posted that high. Most roads carry lower limits, so drive by the signs in front of you, and slow down when conditions worsen.
27. You keep yawning and your eyes feel heavy on a long drive. What actually fixes drowsiness?
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Correct answer: A. Only sleep cures sleepiness, so pull off somewhere safe and rest when drowsiness hits. Loud music, open windows, and caffeine wear off within minutes, and a driver who nods off is as dangerous as a drunk one.
28. You hold a West Virginia Level 2 intermediate license. Between which hours must a licensed adult 21 or older supervise your driving?
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Correct answer: D. Level 2 drivers in West Virginia need a supervising adult 21 or older between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., unless traveling for work, school activities, religious events, or emergencies. Think ten to five: the overnight window stays supervised.
29. You see a five-sided sign shaped like a schoolhouse outline, in fluorescent yellow-green, showing two walking figures. What does the pentagon shape identify?
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Correct answer: D. The pentagon shape is reserved for school signs, warning of a school zone or crossing where children may be walking. The fluorescent yellow-green color grabs attention near schools. Think of the five-sided shape as a little schoolhouse to remember it.
30. In West Virginia, during which hours may a Level 1 GDL instruction permit holder legally drive?
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Correct answer: A. West Virginia limits Level 1 permit holders to driving between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., always with a supervising licensed driver 21 or older. Nighttime crash risk is highest for beginners. Remember: five to ten, daylight-centered hours.
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