California Permit Practice Test
A free California permit practice test: 10 questions written from the California Driver's Handbook, each with the right answer and the reason. The real test needs 80% right to pass.
10 questions. Pick an answer to see if you are right.
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Answer: B. 15 and a half
Applicants under 18 must be at least 15½, finish a driver education program, and have a parent or guardian sign the application.
Source: Section 2: Applying for an Instruction Permit, if you are under 18
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Answer: A. At least 6 months
Minors need a permit for at least six months (or must turn 18) before the drive test.
Source: Section 2: Applying for a Driver's License, if you are under 18
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Answer: C. 50 hours, with 10 at night
Minors must log at least 50 hours of practice with a California-licensed driver aged 25 or older, and 10 of those hours must be at night.
Source: Section 2: Applying for a Driver's License, if you are under 18
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Answer: C. A California-licensed driver aged 25 or older
For minors, the person supervising must hold a California license, be at least 25, and sit close enough to take control if needed.
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Answer: B. 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Provisional drivers may not drive from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. during the first year, except with a signed note for medical, school, work or family needs.
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Answer: C. It is not allowed unless a parent, guardian, or California-licensed driver aged 25 or older rides along
Provisional drivers may not carry passengers under 20 unless a parent, a guardian, or a California-licensed adult of 25 or older comes along.
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Answer: A. Seven days, not counting the day they failed
A minor who fails has to wait a week (the day of the failure does not count). Everyone gets three tries before a new application is needed.
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Answer: B. Stop as if there were STOP signs in every direction, then go when safe
Treat a dark signal as an all-way stop: stop fully, then go carefully when it is safe.
Source: Section 7: Traffic Signals, Traffic Light Not Working
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Answer: A. The vehicle facing uphill
The car facing uphill goes first. The driver facing downhill should reverse until the uphill car can get by, since backing up the hill is easier to control from that side.
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Answer: C. From a one-way street into another one-way street, if no sign bans it
A left on red is allowed only between two one-way streets, after yielding to traffic and pedestrians, unless a sign prohibits it.
Ready for the real California test?
The free test shows 10 of the 71 questions for California. The Pass Pack opens all of them, with full 25-question practice exams marked against the real test’s pass mark (80% to pass).
- Every question for your state. All 71, each with the reason and the source it comes from.
- Full practice exams. 25 questions, no hints until the end, then your score against the pass mark and every mistake explained.
- Your mistakes, saved. Every question you miss, in practice or in an exam, comes back until you get it right, on this device.
- Every state, one price. Moving, or helping a teen in another state? Every state we cover is included, plus the road signs test.
Get every question: US$9.99 once One payment, no subscription.
Your Pass Pack
All 71 questions are open on this device.
Take a full exam
25 questions drawn at random, no answers shown until you finish, then your score against the real pass mark (80% to pass).
Questions you missed before
Every other question
How the California knowledge test works
- Questions
- Not published
- To pass
- 80%
- Learner permit from
- age 15 1/2
The knowledge test is multiple choice, taken from the California Driver's Handbook, and you need a score of 80 percent to pass; you get three attempts. The DMV's current pages do not state how many questions are on the test for either age group. Source.
Teens can apply for an instruction permit at 15½ after completing a driver education program; the permit must be held at least 6 months before the drive test, with 50 hours of supervised practice (10 at night) with a California-licensed driver aged 25 or older. Source.
The questions come from the California Driver's Handbook (online edition (matches the PDF © Department of Motor Vehicles 2025), read 2026-10-12), which is what the real test is written from. Read it alongside these questions: every answer above names the section it comes from.
California rules worth knowing before the test
- A teen may not start using an instruction permit until behind-the-wheel training has begun with an instructor who validates the permit. Source
- A minor who fails the drive test has to wait two weeks before taking it again. Source
- Drivers under 18 may not talk or text on a phone or other wireless device while driving; the one exception is calling for emergency help. Source
- Under California's "Basic Speed Law", your speed must always suit the conditions, even if that means going slower than the posted limit. Source
- You must report a collision to DMV within 10 days if anyone is hurt or killed or property damage is over $1,000, no matter who caused it. Source
- A child under 8 must ride in a child passenger restraint system in a back seat, with narrow exceptions; once a child is 8, or at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, a seat belt that fits properly can be used. Source
Signs, markings and signals
Every state’s test asks about road signs, which follow one national standard. Practise them with pictures on the road signs test.
Questions about the California permit test
How many questions are on the California permit test?
The knowledge test is multiple choice, taken from the California Driver's Handbook, and you need a score of 80 percent to pass; you get three attempts. The DMV's current pages do not state how many questions are on the test for either age group. Source: California Department of Motor Vehicles.
What score do I need to pass?
80% of the questions. California does not publish how many questions the test has; this practice test marks you against the same 80%.
How old do I have to be for a learner’s permit in California?
Teens can apply for an instruction permit at 15½ after completing a driver education program; the permit must be held at least 6 months before the drive test, with 50 hours of supervised practice (10 at night) with a California-licensed driver aged 25 or older. Source: California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Is this the official California test?
No. This is an independent practice test, not part of the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Every question is written in our own words from the California Driver's Handbook or the state’s other official pages, and each answer names the section it comes from. The real test is taken with the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
What does the Pass Pack add?
All 71 questions for California (the 30 written from the handbook and 41 road signs, markings and signals), full 25-question practice exams (California does not publish its test’s length, so the exams use 25) marked against the pass mark, and your missed questions kept on this device. It costs US$9.99 once and covers every state we cover. See the Pass Pack.