New Jersey MVC Permit Practice Test 18

  • Questions50
  • Correct to pass40
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age16 years

Minimum age: 16 years with an approved behind-the-wheel driver training course, 17 years for an examination permit

50 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 40 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. A line beside your lane is painted about twice the normal width. What does the extra width convey?

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    Answer B: Greater emphasis on the restriction it carries

    Width is part of the marking code: a wide line carries more emphasis than a normal one, which is why it is used at gores and channelizing lines.

  2. 2. Your loaded vehicle weighs more than the figure shown on a posted weight limit sign. What must you do?

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    Answer D: Find another route, because crossing is not permitted

    A posted weight limit is a legal maximum, not advice, so an overweight vehicle has to take a different route.

  3. 3. You have just been involved in a crash on a city street. Which sequence of first steps is correct?

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    Answer A: Stop where you are, check everyone for injuries, and then make the scene safe

    You are required to stop, and the first priority at the scene is people, followed by preventing a second collision.

  4. 4. You brake hard on a wet road and need to steer around a stalled car. How do antilock brakes help you do that?

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    Answer B: They stop the wheels locking, so the tires can still turn the vehicle

    Locked wheels slide and cannot change direction. By preventing lockup the system lets you brake at full force and steer at the same time.

  5. 5. You have parked but your car sits across the line into the next space. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Pull out and park again fully inside one space

    A car over the line takes a space away from someone else and leaves too little room for the doors of the vehicles beside it.

  6. 6. At roughly what speed can hydroplaning begin when a lot of water is lying on the road?

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    Answer C: At speeds as low as about 35 mph

    With enough water and less than perfect tread, a tire can start to ride on the water at around 35 mph, well below normal highway speeds.

  7. 7. You park on level ground in a lot. Where should the front wheels be pointing?

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    Answer C: Straight ahead, so the car would not veer if it moved

    On the level the wheels go straight so that the car stays in its own space, and so that a shunt from behind does not send it across a lane.

  8. 8. 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.

  9. 9. Do hazard lights make it legal to leave your vehicle in a no parking zone?

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    Answer A: No, they warn other drivers but do not permit the parking

    Hazard lights are a warning device, not a permit; the parking restriction applies whether they are flashing or not.

  10. 10. Why is wearing headphones over both ears a problem while driving?

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    Answer D: You may not hear horns, sirens or other warning sounds

    Hearing is part of your awareness of traffic. Covering both ears blocks emergency sirens, horns and the sound of an approaching vehicle you cannot yet see.

  11. 11. An emergency vehicle with flashing lights and a siren is approaching from behind on a two-way street. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Pull over to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes

    Clearing a path by pulling to the right and stopping gives the emergency vehicle a predictable route, while stopping in mid-lane or inside an intersection blocks that path.

  12. 12. Which vehicle feature will cause the MVC to reject a car offered for a New Jersey road test?

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    Answer A: A self-parking system

    Self-parking vehicles and autocycles may not be used for the road test, and the examiner must also have unobstructed access to a brake.

  13. 13. Apart from dependents, how many extra passengers may a New Jersey probationary license holder under 21 carry?

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    Answer A: One, unless a parent or guardian is in the vehicle

    Probationary drivers under 21 may carry their dependents plus one other person, and the limit does not apply when a parent or guardian is riding along.

  14. 14. You are joining a highway from a short ramp that has no acceleration lane. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Stop or slow at the end of the ramp and wait for a safe gap

    Without an acceleration lane there is no room to match speed, so you must yield at the end of the ramp and enter only when a gap allows it.

  15. 15. Which warning sign keeps its yellow background even when it is used inside a work zone?

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    Answer D: The grade crossing advance warning sign

    The round grade crossing advance warning sign keeps its black legend on yellow inside temporary traffic control zones because the railroad hazard it describes is not temporary.

  16. 16. A truck passes you in heavy rain and its spray blanks out your windshield. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Hold the wheel steady, ease off slightly and let the wipers clear it

    The blackout lasts a second or two. Keeping your line and easing off is far safer than braking hard or steering blind toward the shoulder.

  17. 17. Which ability does alcohol usually affect first?

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    Answer A: Judgment and self control

    Alcohol reduces judgment and inhibition before a drinker notices any clumsiness, which is why an impaired driver often feels perfectly capable while already driving worse.

  18. 18. The light turns yellow when your front wheels are already past the stop line inside the intersection. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Keep going and clear the intersection without speeding up

    Once you are legally in the intersection the safest and correct action is to continue through and clear it, without accelerating.

  19. 19. What is the only reliable remedy for a driver who is sleepy?

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    Answer A: Sleep

    Caffeine, fresh air and noise may make you feel alert for a few minutes, but they do not remove the need for sleep. Stop somewhere safe and rest.

  20. 20. You come upon a crash that has just happened and decide to help. Where should you stop your vehicle?

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    Answer A: Well beyond the scene, completely off the road, with the hazard lights on

    Stopping past the crash and off the pavement keeps you from becoming another victim and leaves the approach clear for emergency vehicles.

  21. 21. A driver's destination lies along the street to the right, and this sign stands at that corner. How should the driver reach it?

    A white square showing an arrow turning right inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer D: By going on and using a later intersection where turning is allowed

    When a movement is barred at one corner the driver has to reroute, normally by continuing and coming back to the destination from a permitted approach.

  22. 22. You back into an unattended parked car in a lot and cause visible damage. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Try to find the owner, or leave a note with your name and contact details, and report the crash

    Hitting an unattended vehicle carries the same duties as any crash. Leaving without identifying yourself is a hit-and-run offense.

  23. 23. What must a New Jersey permit or probationary driver under 21 carry in order to drive during the prohibited night hours?

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    Answer D: A certification from an employer or religious official on official letterhead

    Exemptions cover documented work or religious needs, and the certification must be on letterhead and signed by the certifying official with name, title, address and phone number.

  24. 24. Visibility drops suddenly and you decide to leave the highway. What is the safest way to do it?

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    Answer A: Take the next exit or a wide pull off, well clear of the traffic lanes

    Get right off the traveled way, and off the shoulder too if you can, because vehicles in poor visibility often drift onto the shoulder.

  25. 25. A signal beside a fire station stays dark until apparatus is about to leave, when it shows yellow and then red. What must a driver do?

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    Answer B: Stop on the red and wait until the signal goes dark again

    An emergency vehicle signal is a real traffic signal, so its red indication must be obeyed while the apparatus pulls out into the street.

  26. 26. What does a sign reading Slower Traffic Keep Right require?

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    Answer C: Traffic moving slower than the general flow must use the right-hand lane

    The sign applies to any vehicle traveling below the speed of the traffic around it, which must keep right so faster vehicles can use the lanes to the left.

  27. 27. You are backing straight down a driveway while looking over your right shoulder. Where should your left hand be?

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    Answer C: At the top of the steering wheel, holding it with a firm grip

    With one hand at the top of the wheel you can hold a straight course and make small corrections while your body is turned to look behind.

  28. 28. Your vehicle has antilock brakes. What should you never do in an emergency stop?

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    Answer A: Pump the pedal up and down

    The system already releases and reapplies the brakes many times a second. Pumping the pedal interrupts it and makes the stop longer.

  29. 29. Which of the four blind spots around a tractor-trailer is the largest?

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    Answer A: The one on the right side of the truck

    A truck has no-zones on all four sides, and the right-side blind spot is the largest because it runs back along the trailer and reaches across more than one lane.

  30. 30. How far ahead should you normally be looking while driving?

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    Answer D: About 12 to 15 seconds of travel ahead

    Looking that far ahead, roughly a block in town and much farther on a highway, gives you time to see a problem developing and adjust before it becomes an emergency.

  31. 31. A sign at the intersection prohibits U-turns, but the opening looks wide and clear. What may you do?

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    Answer B: Obey the sign and turn around somewhere else

    A prohibition applies whatever the traffic looks like at that moment, usually because of sight distance or conflicts you cannot see from the lane.

  32. 32. Why should the shoulder belt never be worn under the arm or behind the back?

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    Answer C: In a crash it could not hold your upper body and could cause severe injury

    The shoulder belt restrains your chest and head. Placed under the arm it concentrates crash force on the ribs and organs; behind the back it does nothing at all.

  33. 33. Besides the traffic behind you, what else must you check before moving into the next lane?

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    Answer D: That there is room ahead in the new lane for your normal following distance

    Moving into a gap that is too short leaves you tailgating the vehicle ahead with a vehicle close behind you.

  34. 34. A funeral procession with headlights on is crossing an intersection when your light turns green. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Wait and let the whole procession go through

    Most states let a funeral procession stay together once the lead vehicle has lawfully entered an intersection, and in every state you must yield to vehicles already in the intersection, so wait until the line has passed.

  35. 35. You have turned onto a street and see parked cars facing you and headlights coming toward you. What has probably happened?

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    Answer C: You have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street

    Vehicles parked facing you and headlights approaching in your lane are the classic signs of driving against the flow on a one-way street.

  36. 36. What most often starts a rear wheel skid?

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    Answer A: Too much speed, braking or acceleration for the grip available

    A skid begins when what you ask of the tires exceeds what the surface can give, which is usually a matter of speed and of how abruptly you use the controls.

  37. 37. 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.

  38. 38. What crash record qualifies a New Jersey highway for Safe Corridor designation?

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    Answer B: A crash rate 50 percent above the state rate and 1,000 or more crashes in three years

    Designation rests on two measures together: a crash rate 50 percent above the state rate and at least 1,000 reported crashes over three years.

  39. 39. Traffic ahead of you has stopped in your lane while the next lane is still moving. What is the first thing to do?

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    Answer C: Slow down first and check the next lane before moving over

    Braking is the action that keeps you from hitting the stopped traffic, and the lane change is only safe once you have looked.

  40. 40. How must a New Jersey driver pass an ice cream truck that is showing flashing red lights and a stop arm?

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    Answer D: Stop, then drive past at no more than 15 mph

    A driver must yield to anyone crossing to or from the truck, stop, and then pass at no more than 15 mph; no stop is needed on a dual highway from the far side of a raised median.

  41. 41. Which of these does NOT affect how fast alcohol reaches the bloodstream?

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    Answer A: How confident the drinker feels

    Food, the strength of the drinks and the speed of drinking all change how fast alcohol is absorbed, but a drinker's confidence changes nothing at all.

  42. 42. A farm implement ahead of you on a two-lane road is wider than its own lane. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hang back until you can see past it and pass only with a clear road

    Wide equipment hides the road ahead and may extend farther across the center line than it appears, so the pass needs more room and a much better view.

  43. 43. No plaque stating days or hours accompanies this sign at the intersection. When does the restriction apply?

    A white square showing an arrow turning left inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer D: At all times, since nothing limits it to particular periods

    A regulatory restriction runs continuously unless a supplemental plaque states the days or hours during which it applies.

  44. 44. Some crosswalks are marked with two transverse lines and others with a row of wide bars laid along the direction of travel. Why is the second pattern used?

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    Answer B: It is far easier for an approaching driver to see

    Longitudinal bar patterns are used where extra visibility is wanted, such as an uncontrolled crossing or one near a school, because they show up much better from a car.

  45. 45. A traffic signal is dark and you reach the intersection at the same moment as a vehicle on your right. Who goes first?

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    Answer A: The vehicle on your right, as at any all-way stop

    A dark signal is treated as an all-way stop, and the usual tie-breaker then applies: the vehicle on the right goes first.

  46. 46. A left-turn bay opens ahead of the intersection with a solid white line beside it. Where should you enter the bay?

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    Answer C: At the opening before the solid line begins

    The solid line marks where lane changes are no longer intended, so you move into the turn bay at its opening rather than cutting across the line later.

  47. 47. Two solid white lines are painted between your lane and the lane beside it. What do they mean?

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    Answer D: Crossing from one lane to the other is prohibited

    Double solid white lines separate lanes of traffic going the same way and may not be crossed.

  48. 48. Why should you avoid parking over tall dry grass or a pile of dead leaves?

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    Answer B: Because the hot exhaust can set the dry material on fire

    The exhaust system stays hot for a long time after a drive and can ignite dry vegetation underneath the vehicle.

  49. 49. A driver extends the left arm out the window and points it downward toward the road surface. What is being signaled?

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    Answer A: Slowing down or stopping

    The left arm extended downward is the standard hand signal for slowing or stopping.

  50. 50. A person using a wheelchair is waiting to cross at a corner ahead. How should you treat that person?

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    Answer B: As a pedestrian with the right of way at the crossing

    A wheelchair or a mobility scooter user has the rights of a pedestrian, so yield the whole crossing and wait until the crossing is finished.