Indiana BMV Permit Practice Test 1
Test 1 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 40 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Indiana test.
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. The light ahead is green, but traffic beyond the intersection is backed up so far that you could not clear it. What is the correct action?
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Answer D: Wait behind the stop line until there is room on the far side
Entering an intersection you cannot clear blocks cross traffic and pedestrians, so you should hold your position until space opens on the other side.
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2. When may an Indiana vehicle use tire studs that are not retractable?
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Answer D: From October 1 to the following May 1
Ice grips and tire studs may be used from October 1 to the following May 1, and the projections must not exceed three thirty-seconds of an inch beyond the tread.
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3. A traffic signal ahead is showing a flashing red light. What does it require?
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Answer C: Stop completely, then go when the way is clear, as at a stop sign
A flashing red light has the same meaning as a stop sign: stop completely, yield to traffic and pedestrians, then proceed when it is safe.
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4. What maximum speed does Indiana set by statute for Interstate Highway 465?
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Answer D: 65 miles per hour
The speed limit statute names Interstate Highway 465 specifically and sets its maximum at 65 miles per hour.
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5. Why is passing on a curve prohibited even when the traffic seems light?
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Answer C: You cannot see far enough around it to know the lane is clear
A pass is only as safe as the distance you can see, and a curve hides the very lane the maneuver uses.
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6. How soon may an Indiana applicant retake a failed knowledge exam?
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Answer D: The next business day
Indiana requires an applicant who fails the knowledge exam to wait until the next business day before retaking it, while a failed driving skills exam requires a seven-day wait.
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7. While you wait for the ambulance at a crash, what is the most useful help you can give?
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Answer C: Keep the person still and warm, and press down firmly on any heavy bleeding
Keeping an injured person still and warm and controlling bleeding are among the few things a bystander can safely do.
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8. You are stopped inside an intersection waiting for a gap to turn left. How should your front wheels be positioned?
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Answer C: Pointing straight ahead until you actually begin the turn
If your wheels are already turned left and another vehicle strikes you from behind, you would be pushed into oncoming traffic.
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9. How does eating a large meal before drinking affect impairment?
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Answer D: It slows absorption but the alcohol still reaches the blood and impairs you
Food delays how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream, which can make the peak arrive later, but all of the alcohol is eventually absorbed.
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10. You are leaving a private driveway and entering a public street. What are you required to do?
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Answer B: Stop and yield to traffic on the street and to pedestrians on the sidewalk
A driver entering a roadway from a driveway, alley or private road must stop and yield to traffic on the roadway and to pedestrians on the sidewalk being crossed.
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11. A warning sign showing two children on a see-saw is posted beside a residential street. What does it mean?
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Answer D: A play area lies beside the road and children may run out
The playground sign warns that children are present next to the roadway and may enter it without looking, so drivers should cover the brake and slow down.
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12. What is the sensible way to handle a meal on a long drive?
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Answer D: Eat before you leave or stop to eat
Eating takes hands, eyes and attention, and the only version with no cost to your driving is the one that happens while the car is parked.
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13. Does the Indiana BMV assess points for registering or operating a vehicle without financial responsibility?
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Answer B: Yes, and points are assessed for each violation committed
The statute directs the bureau to assess points against a person for each violation of the requirement to have financial responsibility in effect.
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14. Someone has stepped into a marked crosswalk in the middle of a block ahead of you. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down, stop before the markings and let the person cross the street
A marked mid-block crosswalk carries the same duty as one at a corner: give way to the person crossing, stopping if that is what letting them cross safely takes.
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15. A yellow pennant, an isosceles triangle with its long axis horizontal, is reserved for which message?
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Answer D: No passing zone
The pennant shape is used only for the no passing zone sign, which marks the point where overtaking is no longer allowed.
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16. What is the usual result of driving well above the flow of traffic on a typical trip?
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Answer B: Very little time saved, with much greater risk
Signals, traffic and short distances swallow the theoretical gain, while crash risk and crash severity both climb sharply with speed.
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17. Two roads come together at a shallow angle under a MERGE sign, with no yield line on either one. What is expected of you?
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Answer D: Adjust your speed and position so you blend smoothly into the other traffic
A merge means neither road ends at a stop; drivers adjust speed and position so that the two streams fit together without stopping.
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18. When is a driver or rider most likely to need hand and arm signals instead of the vehicle turn signal lamps?
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Answer D: When the lamps have failed or cannot be seen because of glare or a load
Hand and arm signals replace or reinforce the lamps whenever the lamps do not work or cannot be seen clearly by other road users.
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19. You are approaching a multilane roundabout. When should you choose your lane?
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Answer C: Before you enter, using the lane-choice sign on the approach
You select your lane on the approach the way you would at any multilane intersection, then stay in that lane all the way around, because changing lanes inside a roundabout creates side-impact conflicts.
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20. Why does safety guidance say a child should ride in the back seat rather than in front of an active passenger airbag?
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Answer D: Because the airbag inflates with enough force to injure a small child badly
Airbags deploy at very high speed and are sized for adults, so a child seated close to one can be badly hurt by the bag itself, which is why the back seat is recommended for children.
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21. How does alcohol change the time a driver needs to respond to a hazard?
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Answer A: It slows it, so stopping takes longer
Alcohol is a depressant that lengthens the time between seeing a hazard and acting on it, which adds directly to the distance needed to stop.
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22. What is the correct relationship between air bags and seat belts?
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Answer B: Air bags are designed to work together with seat belts, not instead of them
An air bag is a supplemental restraint that cushions one impact, while the belt keeps you in position so the bag can work and protects you in rollovers and secondary impacts.
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23. You are approaching a yield sign and no other vehicle is anywhere in sight. What does the sign require?
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Answer A: Slow down and be ready to stop, but stop only if needed
A yield sign requires you to slow and give way, and to stop only when traffic or pedestrians make stopping necessary.
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24. The green left-turn arrow ends and a steady red ball comes on for your lane, at an intersection where no turn on red is allowed. What must you do?
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Answer D: Stop and wait, because no turn is allowed while the red ball is lit
Once a red indication faces your lane and no turn on red is permitted there, the turn is over; only a vehicle already inside the intersection completes its movement.
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25. Some drivers believe they can multitask while driving. What does research show?
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Answer C: The brain switches rapidly between tasks and driving performance suffers
The brain does not truly do two attention-demanding tasks at once; it alternates between them, and the driving task gets less attention each time.
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26. What must an applicant meet to add a for-hire endorsement to an Indiana driver's license?
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Answer D: Be at least 18 and have held a valid driver's license for more than one year
The bureau adds a for-hire endorsement for an applicant who is at least 18, has held a valid driver's license for more than one year, and passes the for-hire written test.
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27. A driver has to stop for a train at this sign. How far back from the nearest rail should the vehicle be held?
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Answer C: No closer than roughly fifteen feet
A train and its load overhang the rails, so stopping no closer than about fifteen feet keeps the vehicle outside the space the train actually sweeps.
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28. When is an Indiana driver not required to stop for a school bus with its stop arm extended?
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Answer B: When a physical barrier or unimproved median separates the two directions
On a highway divided by a physical barrier, an unimproved intervening space or a dividing section, a driver on the opposite side may proceed with due caution instead of stopping.
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29. What score does Indiana require to pass the knowledge exam?
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Answer B: Eighty percent or higher correct on each component of the exam
The Indiana knowledge exam is divided into a traffic signs component and a traffic rules component, and the applicant must score 80 percent or higher on each one.
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30. A yellow diamond on an exit ramp shows a truck tipping over onto two wheels. Which drivers does it concern most?
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Answer D: Those in tall vehicles carrying a high load
The truck rollover sign warns that the curve can overturn a vehicle with a high center of gravity, so such drivers must slow well below the normal ramp speed.
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31. A driver who has been drinking has two cups of strong coffee. What has changed?
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Answer D: The driver is more awake but just as impaired
Coffee can make a drinker feel alert, but nothing except time removes alcohol from the blood, so a wide awake drinker is still an impaired driver.
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32. You are turning left from a divided highway through a median opening into a business on the other side. Who has the right of way?
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Answer C: The traffic on the roadway you are crossing
Turning through a median opening means crossing the opposite roadway, so you yield to all traffic on it before you go.
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33. A new Indiana resident holds an out-of-state driver's license that expired more than five years ago. What testing does the BMV require?
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Answer A: Both a knowledge exam and a driving skills exam
When an out-of-state license has been expired for more than five years, Indiana requires the applicant to pass the knowledge exam and the driving skills exam.
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34. You are about to pass a long tractor-trailer on a two-lane road. What should you expect?
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Answer B: You will need more clear road, since the vehicle is much longer
A tractor-trailer can be 70 feet long, so passing it takes more distance and more time than passing a car at the same speed difference.
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35. A yellow diamond shows an arrow bent into a series of reversing turns. What does it warn about?
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Answer A: Three or more changes of direction close together
The winding road sign replaces a string of separate curve signs where several bends follow one another with only short straights between them.
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36. A law enforcement officer is directing traffic and waves you forward while the signal facing you shows red. What should you do?
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Answer A: Follow the officer's direction and proceed
Directions given by an officer controlling traffic take priority over signals, signs and pavement markings.
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37. How does heavy cargo on a roof rack change the way a vehicle handles?
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Answer D: It raises the center of gravity, so the vehicle tips more in turns and needs gentler steering
Weight carried high makes the vehicle lean more and roll over more easily, and extra weight lengthens stopping distance. Drive slower and steer smoothly with a loaded roof.
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38. A driver passes this sign on an entrance ramp while merging onto a freeway. Who has priority?
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Answer B: The traffic already traveling on the freeway
The sign places the duty on the entering driver, who must adjust speed and fit into a gap without forcing through traffic to brake or swerve.
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39. A motorcycle ahead of you has its turn signal blinking but continues straight through several intersections. What is the likely explanation?
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Answer D: Motorcycle signals often do not cancel themselves after a turn
Many motorcycle turn signals are not self-cancelling, so a rider may leave one on by mistake. Wait until the rider actually starts to turn before you act on the signal.
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40. A large truck ahead of you in a roundabout is using part of both lanes as it goes around. What is the correct response?
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Answer B: Stay back and give it room until it leaves the roundabout
Long vehicles need extra width to get around the central island, so drivers behind must hold back rather than share the space beside them.
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41. From what distance must an Indiana motor vehicle horn be audible under normal conditions?
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Answer A: 200 feet
A motor vehicle horn must be capable of emitting a sound audible from at least 200 feet, and it may not emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound.
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42. When may an Indiana officer download information from a driver's telecommunications device after a hand-held violation?
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Answer D: Under a valid search warrant, or with probable cause of a crime
Information may be extracted from the device only under a valid search warrant, where the officer has probable cause that the device was used in committing a crime, or as otherwise authorized by law.
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43. Which of these makes you unpredictable to other drivers?
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Answer B: Changing lanes suddenly without signaling, to save a moment
An unsignalled, sudden lane change gives nobody time to react and is a common cause of sideswipe collisions.
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44. The lane you are in has a right-turn-only arrow painted on the pavement. What must you do?
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Answer C: Turn right, because a lane-use arrow is a legal requirement
Lane-use arrows painted on the pavement are regulatory markings, so a driver in that lane must travel in the direction shown.
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45. What does an Indiana driver commit by knowingly operating a vehicle on a public highway without financial responsibility?
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Answer C: A Class A infraction, and a Class C misdemeanor on a repeat
Knowingly operating or permitting the operation of an uninsured motor vehicle is a Class A infraction, and it is a Class C misdemeanor where there is a prior unrelated judgment or conviction.
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46. Why do many crashes happen on routes the driver knows very well?
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Answer D: Familiar roads let attention slip into routine
When a route is automatic the mind wanders and hazards get missed, which is why a well known road deserves the same attention as a strange one.
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47. How many points does Indiana assess for following another vehicle too closely?
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Answer C: Six points
Following another vehicle too closely is a six point violation on the BMV point schedule.
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48. Why is it worth planning your route before a long drive?
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Answer B: So that you are not reading a map or a screen while the car is moving
A driver who knows the route is not navigating at the wheel, which is one of the commonest sources of distraction.
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49. What is a good habit when you open the door on the traffic side of a parked car?
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Answer C: Use the hand farther from the door, which turns you to look back
Reaching across with the far hand rotates your body and brings the mirror and the road behind into view before the door moves.
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50. You are traveling at 55 mph and see a vehicle ahead moving at about 15 mph. What is the hazard?
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Answer A: You reach it far sooner than you expect
At a 40 mph difference you cover the gap in a few seconds, which is why drivers strike slow vehicles they saw in plenty of time.