Indiana BMV Permit Practice Test 23
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. Which of these is an early warning that you are too tired to keep driving?
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Answer C: Not remembering the last few miles you drove
Memory gaps, repeated yawning, heavy eyelids and drifting are the body signaling that sleep is winning, and they mean stop rather than push on.
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2. Traffic is backed up on the far side of a railroad crossing. What should you do before driving onto the tracks?
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Answer D: Wait behind the tracks until there is room to clear them completely
Never enter a crossing until you are certain you can drive completely across without stopping, because a vehicle trapped on the tracks cannot get out of a train's way.
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3. In a normal signal cycle, what comes after a steady red indication?
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Answer A: A green indication that starts the next movement
Yellow is a warning that a movement is ending, so it never precedes a green; a red is followed by a green or a green arrow.
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4. What does a flashing yellow traffic light mean?
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Answer B: Slow down and proceed with caution
A flashing yellow lets you enter the intersection cautiously after yielding to pedestrians and to conflicting traffic that is already there.
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5. Where should the lap part of the seat belt sit?
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Answer C: Low and snug across the hips, touching the tops of both of the thighs
The hip bones can take crash forces, but the abdomen cannot, so the lap belt goes low and tight across the hips.
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6. A driver extends the left arm out the window and bends it upward at the elbow. What does this signal mean?
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Answer B: A right turn
The left arm bent upward at the elbow is the standard hand signal for a right turn.
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7. What counts as a complete stop at a stop sign?
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Answer C: The wheels stop turning before the stop line
A legal stop means the vehicle is no longer moving, made at the stop line or before entering the crosswalk or intersection.
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8. You are entering a freeway using an on-ramp with an acceleration lane. What is the correct technique?
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Answer C: Use the acceleration lane to reach the speed of traffic, then merge into a gap while yielding to traffic already on the freeway
The acceleration lane exists so you can match the speed of freeway traffic before merging, and drivers already on the freeway have the right-of-way.
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9. A rear tire blows out on the highway. How does the vehicle usually behave?
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Answer C: The back end weaves or fishtails from side to side
A rear failure shows up as the tail wandering rather than a pull on the steering, so hold the wheel straight and let the speed drop gradually.
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10. The crossing gates begin to lower while your vehicle is still on the railroad tracks. What should you do?
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Answer B: Keep going forward and push through the gate if it should block your way
Gates are made to break away, and driving forward off the tracks is far safer than staying between them or backing up.
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11. An ambulance has just gone by and traffic starts to move again. Why should you wait a moment before pulling back out?
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Answer B: Another emergency vehicle may be following the first one
Emergency calls often bring several vehicles, so check that nothing else is coming before you rejoin the traffic lane.
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12. A driver is tailgating you. Why is it a bad idea to tap or stab the brakes to warn them?
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Answer C: Because it cuts the little space they have and can cause a crash
Brake checking removes the small margin the tailgater has left and can provoke a collision; add space in front of you instead and let them pass.
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13. 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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14. A bus stopped at the corner hides the crosswalk you are about to turn across. What should you do?
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Answer C: Turn slowly, ready to stop for anyone stepping out in front of it
People often step into the road from in front of a stopped bus, so approach the hidden crosswalk slowly and be ready to stop.
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15. 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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16. Should you drive with your hazard lights flashing while moving in fog?
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Answer A: No, they hide your turn signals and suggest you are stopped
Hazard lights on a moving vehicle tell other drivers you are stopped or disabled, and they cancel out your turn signals just when clarity matters most.
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17. Your tires drop into deep slush that has built up between the travel lanes. What should you do?
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Answer B: Ease off the accelerator and grip the wheel, since slush tugs the vehicle
Slush grabs at the tires and can pull the vehicle sideways. Reduce power gently, hold the wheel firmly and avoid sudden steering or braking.
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18. You notice that the driver ahead of you is holding a phone to the ear. What should you do?
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Answer C: Assume slower reactions and leave extra space, or else hold back
A driver on the phone reacts late and misses things, so the safe response is distance rather than a lesson.
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19. The vehicle you have borrowed is larger and heavier than your own. How should you drive it?
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Answer B: Allow more room for stopping and for turns until you are used to it
Extra weight and length mean longer stopping distances and wider turns, so give yourself more room until you are used to it.
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20. 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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21. A truck ahead of you is spreading salt or grit on the road. What should you do?
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Answer B: Drop back so the material does not reach your car
Spreaders throw material backward and sideways, and following close means stone chips and a screen full of spray, so leave extra distance.
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22. A driver stopped on suspicion of impaired driving refuses to take a chemical test. What happens?
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Answer D: A license penalty follows for the refusal itself
Under implied consent, holding a license means agreeing to testing, so a refusal brings its own suspension separately from anything the court decides.
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23. An upward-pointing pentagon with a yellow legend and border on a blue background is used as
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Answer D: a county route marker
The pentagon serves both the school warning series and county route markers, and the blue background with yellow legend identifies the county route version.
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24. At what age may an Indiana resident apply for a driver's license?
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Answer A: 16 with a completed BMV licensed driver education program, or 16 years and 270 days without it
Indiana allows an application at 16 if a BMV licensed driver education program has been completed, and at 16 years and 270 days if it has not.
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25. You reach a stretch of road covered by moving flood water of unknown depth. What is the correct decision?
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Answer D: Turn around and take another route
About a foot of moving water is enough to carry away most cars, and the roadbed under the water may already be washed out, so the only safe choice is to turn around.
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26. You are at a red light where right turns on red are allowed, you cannot see clearly, and the driver behind sounds the horn. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stay stopped until you can see that the turn is safe
Turning right on red is permitted, never required, so you wait until you can see that the way is clear no matter what the driver behind does.
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27. The cars in front of and behind your parallel parked car have left you very little room. How do you get out?
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Answer D: Ease back and forth, turning the wheels each way, until you clear
Short movements with the wheels turned first one way and then the other walk the car out of a tight space without touching anything.
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28. You have just had bad news and you feel very upset. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until you have calmed down, or else let somebody else drive
Strong emotion takes attention away from the road as surely as alcohol or fatigue, so it is a reason not to drive yet.
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29. You are ready to pull out of a parallel parking space into the traffic lane. What should you do?
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Answer C: Signal, check the mirror and blind spot, and wait for a gap
A driver leaving a parking space must yield to traffic already in the lane, so signal, look for the gap and only then move out.
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30. Why is an underinflated tire especially risky on a long drive in hot weather?
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Answer C: It flexes more, builds up heat and can fail at speed
A soft tire flexes on every rotation, and that flexing makes heat that the hot road and high speed add to until the tire can come apart.
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31. What is a driver being warned about here?
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Answer B: The pavement ahead carries vehicles traveling in the opposite direction
Beyond this point vehicles come the other way on the same pavement, which commonly happens where a one-way section or a separated stretch comes to an end.
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32. If you must abandon a vehicle stuck on the tracks with a train coming, why do you move toward the train and away at an angle?
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Answer D: Because debris from the impact is thrown forward, away from the train
A train pushes wreckage down the track ahead of it, so walking toward the train and off to the side keeps you out of the debris path.
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33. You have fitted the small temporary spare tire after a flat. What should you keep in mind?
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Answer C: It is meant for low speed and short distances until the regular tire is repaired
Compact spares have limited grip, handling and durability. Follow the speed and distance limits printed on the tire and get the regular tire fixed soon.
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34. You arrive at a four-way stop after two other vehicles have already stopped there. When is it your turn?
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Answer A: After both of the earlier vehicles have gone
Vehicles clear a four-way stop in the order they arrived, so the third driver to stop is the third to go.
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35. About how far behind a tractor-trailer does the driver's rear blind spot reach?
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Answer C: Around 30 feet
The area behind a large truck is hidden for roughly 30 feet, so a driver tucked in there cannot be seen at all.
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36. You are in the right-hand lane of a multilane street and that lane becomes a right-turn-only lane ahead, but you want to go straight. What should you do?
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Answer B: Change into a through lane before you reach the markings for the turn lane
A lane-use arrow is a regulatory marking, so a driver who wants to continue straight has to leave that lane before it becomes a mandatory turn lane.
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37. A yellow diamond shows two lanes narrowing into one. What does it require of a driver?
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Answer D: Adjusting speed and merging before the lane disappears
The lane ends sign gives notice that one lane will be dropped, so drivers should adjust speed and blend into the continuing lane in good time.
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38. What does a posted speed limit sign represent?
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Answer B: The maximum speed permitted under ideal conditions
A speed limit is an upper limit that assumes good weather, good visibility and light traffic, so the safe speed is often lower than the posted figure.
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39. The red lights on a stopped school bus go out and the bus begins to move away. What should you do?
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Answer B: Move off slowly and keep watching for children near the road
Children who have just left the bus may still be near the roadway or crossing behind it, so pull away gently and keep looking for them.
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40. You are towing a loaded trailer for the first time. How should you drive?
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Answer A: Slow earlier and keep a longer following gap
A trailer adds weight and length, so stopping takes longer and every maneuver needs more room and more warning.
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41. The green arrow protecting your turn changes to a steady yellow arrow. What is it telling you?
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Answer A: The protected turn is ending and you should prepare to stop
A steady yellow arrow warns that the arrow movement is being terminated and that a red indication will follow.
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42. A deer has just crossed in front of you on a stretch signed for animal crossings. What is the best assumption?
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Answer B: More animals are likely to follow the first one
Deer travel in groups, so one animal crossing usually means others are about to follow, and a driver should slow and keep scanning both shoulders.
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43. You have stopped on the shoulder of a highway and want to rejoin the traffic. What is the correct way?
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Answer D: Signal, build up speed along the shoulder, then merge into a gap
Entering a fast lane at a slow speed is what causes the conflict, so the shoulder is used to gain speed before the merge in the same way as an acceleration lane.
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44. How close to a railroad crossing does the Indiana driver's manual say passing is forbidden?
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Answer A: Within 100 feet
The BMV manual states that a driver must not pass another vehicle within 100 feet of a railroad crossing.
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45. What makes up the total distance needed to bring a vehicle to a stop?
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Answer A: The distance covered while you perceive the hazard, the distance covered while you react, and the braking distance
Total stopping distance combines the ground covered while you notice the hazard, the ground covered while you move your foot to the brake, and the ground covered while the brakes slow the vehicle.
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46. A stop line is painted across the pavement at this sign. Where must the vehicle come to rest?
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Answer A: Behind the stop line, with no part of the vehicle across it
The vehicle must halt behind the stop line; where no line is painted the driver stops before the crosswalk, and where there is neither, before entering the intersection.
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47. Why is texting considered one of the most dangerous distractions?
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Answer B: It combines visual, manual and cognitive distraction at the same time
Reading or writing a message takes your eyes off the road, at least one hand off the controls and your attention off driving simultaneously.
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48. What do flashing yellow lights on a school bus mean?
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Answer A: The bus is about to stop to load or unload, so prepare to stop
The amber lights are the warning phase that comes before the red lights and the stop arm, so drivers should slow down and get ready to stop.
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49. A motorcycle ahead of you is weaving slightly as it crosses a stretch of grooved pavement. What should you do?
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Answer D: Give the rider extra room until the surface improves
Grooves, metal plates and loose material affect a motorcycle far more than a car, so back off and let the rider deal with the surface.
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50. 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.