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North Carolina Permit Practice Test

A free North Carolina permit practice test: 10 questions written from the North Carolina Driver 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.

  1. 1. What is the youngest age at which you can get a Level 1 Limited Learner Permit in North Carolina?

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    Answer: C. 15

    You must be at least 15 (and under 18) and have passed an approved driver education course before you can apply for the Level 1 permit.

    Source: Chapter 1, Graduated Licensing: Limited Learner Permit, p. 12

  2. 2. To get a learner permit before age 18, what driver education course must you have finished?

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    Answer: A. 30 hours of classroom and 6 hours behind the wheel

    Teens must show a certificate from an approved course with at least 30 hours in the classroom and 6 hours of driving with an instructor before they can test for a permit.

    Source: Chapter 1, Graduated Licensing: Limited Learner Permit, p. 12; The Provisional Licensee, p. 14

  3. 3. During the first six months of a Level 1 Limited Learner Permit, when may you drive with your supervising driver?

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    Answer: D. 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

    For the first six months the permit allows driving only between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., always with your supervisor. After six months you may drive at any hour, still supervised.

    Source: Chapter 1, Graduated Licensing: Limited Learner Permit, p. 12

  4. 4. How long must you hold a Level 1 Limited Learner Permit before you can apply for a Level 2 Limited Provisional License?

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    Answer: B. 9 months

    You must keep the Level 1 permit for nine months before you can move up to a Level 2 license.

    Source: Chapter 1, Graduated Licensing: Limited Learner Permit, p. 12

  5. 5. How much supervised driving must the Level 1 driving log show before you apply for a Level 2 license?

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    Answer: B. 60 hours, with 10 at night

    The log must show at least 60 hours of driving, and at least 10 of those hours must be after dark. Your supervising driver signs it and you hand it in when you apply.

    Source: Chapter 1, Graduated Licensing: Limited Learner Permit, p. 12

  6. 6. Who can be the supervising driver for a teen with a Level 1 permit?

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    Answer: D. A parent, grandparent, guardian, or an adult the parent approves, who has been licensed for at least five years

    The supervisor must be a parent, grandparent, guardian, or a responsible person the parent or guardian approves. They must hold a valid license and have been licensed for at least five years.

    Source: Chapter 1, Graduated Licensing: Supervising Driver, p. 12

  7. 7. With a Level 2 Limited Provisional License, during which hours may you drive with no supervisor (apart from driving straight to or from work or volunteer emergency duty)?

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    Answer: A. 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

    A Level 2 driver may drive alone from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Outside those hours you need a supervisor, unless you are going directly to or from work or volunteer fire, rescue or EMS duty.

    Source: Chapter 1, Level Two Limited Provisional License, p. 13

  8. 8. A driver under 18 is convicted of driving after drinking any amount of alcohol. What happens to their license?

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    Answer: C. A one-year revocation

    Provisional licensees may not drive after using any alcohol or drugs at all. A conviction takes away the license for one year.

    Source: Chapter 1, The Provisional Licensee, p. 14

  9. 9. A 17-year-old with a Level 3 Full Provisional License wants to chat with a friend on a hands-free phone while driving. Is that allowed?

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    Answer: D. No; drivers under 18 may not use a phone, even hands-free, apart from certain emergency calls

    The phone ban for drivers under 18 covers the phone and any add-on technology that goes with it, at every level. The only calls allowed are a short list of emergency contacts.

    Source: Chapter 1, Level Three Full Provisional License, p. 13; Chapter 4, Distracted Driving: Cell Phones, p. 41

  10. 10. An adult driving a personal car can be charged with DWI based on a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of what level or higher?

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    Answer: B. 0.08 percent

    DWI can be proven by a BAC of 0.08 or more, or by showing that alcohol or drugs clearly impaired your driving at any level. The 0.04 limit is for commercial vehicles.

    Source: Chapter 2, Alcohol and the Law: Driving While Impaired, p. 31

Ready for the real North Carolina test?

The free test shows 10 of the 71 questions for North Carolina. 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.

How the North Carolina knowledge test works

Questions
Not published
To pass
80%
Learner permit from
age 15

The knowledge test is a computer test on traffic laws and safe driving, and you must answer 80 percent of its questions correctly; NCDMV does not publish how many questions it has. You also take a separate road-sign test, where you name 12 signs by their color and shape and need 9 right. NCDMV gives no different format for teens. Source.

Teens can get a Level 1 Limited Learner Permit at 15, after passing an approved driver education course (30 hours of classroom and 6 hours behind the wheel). They must hold it for 9 months and log at least 60 hours of supervised driving, 10 of them at night, before applying for a Level 2 license. People 18 and older apply for a regular learner permit instead. Source.

The questions come from the North Carolina Driver Handbook (undated print edition (foreword signed by Gov. Josh Stein and DMV Commissioner Paul Tine); PDF created 22 April 2026, last modified 11 September 2026, 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.

North Carolina rules worth knowing before the test

  • For a regular Class C license you must name 9 of 12 road signs correctly. The sign test checks that you know each sign by its color and shape and can say what it means. Source
  • If you fail the knowledge test or the driving test for a regular Class C license, you can try again after seven calendar days. Source
  • With a Level 1 permit, only you and your supervising driver may sit in the front seat, and every passenger must wear a seat belt or ride in a child safety seat. Source
  • A student who is suspended from school, or sent to an alternative school for discipline, for more than 10 days in a row loses their license or permit for 12 months. Source
  • If your address or your name changes, you must tell NCDMV within 60 days and get a duplicate license. Source
  • From October 1, 2026, teens no longer need a Driving Eligibility Certificate to get a limited learner permit. They still need a Driver's Education Certificate. Source
  • Every bicycle rider and passenger under 16 must wear an approved bicycle helmet. At night a bicycle needs a front light you can see from 300 feet away, and a red rear light or reflector you can see from 200 feet away. 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.

Practice tests by state

Questions about the North Carolina permit test

How many questions are on the North Carolina permit test?

The knowledge test is a computer test on traffic laws and safe driving, and you must answer 80 percent of its questions correctly; NCDMV does not publish how many questions it has. You also take a separate road-sign test, where you name 12 signs by their color and shape and need 9 right. NCDMV gives no different format for teens. Source: North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV), part of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

What score do I need to pass?

80% of the questions. North Carolina 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 North Carolina?

Teens can get a Level 1 Limited Learner Permit at 15, after passing an approved driver education course (30 hours of classroom and 6 hours behind the wheel). They must hold it for 9 months and log at least 60 hours of supervised driving, 10 of them at night, before applying for a Level 2 license. People 18 and older apply for a regular learner permit instead. Source: North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV), part of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Is this the official North Carolina test?

No. This is an independent practice test, not part of the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV), part of the N.C. Department of Transportation. Every question is written in our own words from the North Carolina Driver Handbook or the state’s other official pages, and each answer names the section it comes from. The real test is taken with the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV), part of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

What does the Pass Pack add?

All 71 questions for North Carolina (the 30 written from the handbook and 41 road signs, markings and signals), full 25-question practice exams (North Carolina 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.